The variables of offworld missions are of course different depending on the purpose of the mission and the makeup of the team traveling, but generally speaking, it almost always comes down to the same things: sand planet or tree planet, local life or no local life, exploration or recon, and weather. The variable Jack hates the most is weather; even on Earth, weather is often unpredictable, and it gets even weirder when you add in other atmospheres and heavenly bodies hanging out in the sky or different kinds of plants and critters and their behaviors. Nine times out of ten, if something is going to fuck with SG-1's offworld routine, it's gonna be weather.
And today, yeah, it's weather. It's raining like the sky is trying to drown the planet, like the planet said something nasty about the sky's mother, straight up Biblical fucking rain. Jack can't remember a time on Earth or any other planet that he has seen rain like this or that it has been as… overwhelming? Fat, heavy drops splash against his regulation poncho which is doing fuck all to keep him dry. He has to put a hand over his lips to shout to Carter because the drops are so big it almost feels like he could drown when one splashes into his mouth. "There's cover in that cave ahead! You take the lead; wait for me to grab your pack and then go!" She nods her agreement and steps forward, waiting for the telltale sign of his forceful tugging against her pack to push forward.
They splash through mammoth puddles along the grassy edge of the trees as their path takes them out of the forest and into the final approach of their destination. If the rain had been bad under the cover of tall trees, it was monumentally bad without even minimal protection. When they reach the cave opening, Jack hauls Sam back by her pack and gives her the signal for a security sweep of their new environment. They can't relax yet, even if they haven't seen any signs of life for miles near the gate. He doesn't bother being stealthy as his lungs expel ragged gasps, his chest burning from running and the definitely not zero amount of rainwater he's breathed in by accident. "Looks clear," he coughs; she nods. "Holy shit, Carter."
"Yes, Sir," she says, coughing slightly.
Jack catches his breath, mostly, and raises his radio to his lips, keying it to life. "Teal'c, Daniel, do you read?" He helps Carter out of her poncho, then begins helping her unclip her tac tac vest as they wait for a response. He's just lifted his arms as she tugs his poncho over his head when they hear a fuzzy static click.
"O'Neill." The Jaffa's voice is low and made lower by the wet radio. "We are under the cover of what appear to be ruins to the south of the Stargate. Are you and Major Carter in danger?"
"Ah, nah we're good, T. Caught a lot of water but found a cave that seems all right. We're gonna stay holed up here till this, uh, blows over."
"Do you need me to come to you, O'Neill?"
"Negative, T; we're fine. You two stay dry and let's check in either when the storm ends or…" he checks his watch and see's it's about 1900. "When the storm ends or 0700 tomorrow."
"Understood, O'Neill."
Jack clips his radio back to his belt and looks down at the cave floor where Sam, who had relieved him of his tac vest, is already taking inventory of what they have on hand. He smiles proudly and lowers his long body to join her. "What's our situation, Carter?" He pulls his wet hat and runs long fingers through his damp hair.
"Not bad, actually, presuming we aren't stuck here for too long, Sir." She smiles at him cheerfully despite the blonde hair plastered across her forehead and against her cheeks and neck. "We have a few days worth of food and water and our sleep gear and extra clothing seems dry. Both fire starting kits are here and seem dry, and," she pauses to sweep her hand across the cave in front of them, "it looks like there's probably enough dry tinder and kindling, maybe even some firewood to help us keep a fire going."
"Nice," he says.
"Yeah, I mean it's not that cold now, but we don't know how cold it will get in here overnight, and we could use some help drying off."
"Yes, we could," Jack sighs, peeling his semi wet t-shirt away from his chest and frowning.
They spend a half hour poking around their general area in the cave and finding small sticks and leaves blown in who knows how long ago. If the rain drops on this planet were that strong, Jack hated to imagine the wind. Sam organizes those supplies and, combined with their survival gear, gets a fire started while Jack finds places to hang their ponchos near the opening of the cave; it won't help them dry, but it does block some of the splashing from coming into their shelter. He unrolls their sleeping mats and bags and arranges them next to each other, close to the fire.
They relieve themselves of wet boots, socks, pants, and shirts without bothering to be shy as they lay them out to dry. Jack waggles his eyebrows at her as she pulls her wet shirt over her head so she rolls it up and swats him with it. They laugh. Modesty takes over long enough to allow them to change into dry underwear and fresh shirts. Sam slips down on her sleeping pad and covers her lap with her sleeping bag before giving him the okay signal; he follows her and isn't shy about leaning against her shoulder. "If you wanted to get me alone you could have just asked, Carter. This weird rain planet thing seems like a lot of effort." They laugh again. "You hungry?" he asks.
MRE dinners eaten, they lean back against their combined packs, now mercifully dry on the outside, and watch the fire. The rain beats steadily against the ground outside, pounding hard against the grass and the outside walls of the cave. "Carter, how did we not see the rain coming, anyway?"
Sam shrugs against him and tilts her head up sideways to meet his eyes. "Weather isn't always predictable, Sir. Even on Earth a few baseball games a year are gonna get rained out."
"Right, right."
"The MALP didn't detect anything, and neither did the UAV on its extended perimeter sweep."
"Those fuckin things, Carter; I swear to god they're the biggest waste of a tax dollars-"
"So you have said, Sir." She smiles at him and shrugs again. "Rainstorm upsetting your strict routine, Sir?"
"You know I hate it when my routine gets upset, Carter," he smiles back and wraps an arm around her shoulders to give her a squeeze. The touch warms them both, and she doesn't protest, so he doesn't withdraw his arm. "Honestly, I'm just thankful I sent Teal'c with Daniel."
"Oh yeah?"
"God, Carter, can you imagine being stuck with him inside ancient ruins during this?" He is rewarded with her groaning laughter echoing inside the cave. "T's gotta be considering how bad it would be to drown just about now."
"Sir!" She's laughing so hard she bends forward, resting her forearm against his thigh and gripping his knee to steady himself. When she realizes, holds her breath for a moment and stares at him, "Sorry about that, Sir."
Jack stares warmly into her eyes and squeezes her shoulder. "I don't mind, Carter," he says. His voice is so soft she almost can't believe it came out of his mouth. "It's nice to be cozy sometimes. When it's safe."
She nods, smiling. "When it's safe, yes," she whispers back, realizing he's not talking about being safe from the rain or any other offworld dangers. She welcomes the moment and its relative safety and takes the opportunity to lean into his side and squeeze his knee.
It's a small and simple comfort, but it's theirs for at least the cozy hours in the cave while the giant raindrops splash down in a curtain outside, keeping them safe from the realities on this and the other side of the gate.
