An already long few days is easy to read on Sam's face as Jack observes her from his leaned perch against the frame of her lab's door. He recognizes the expected wear and tear of the anxiety, pain, fear, and whatever else she had felt during the time Teal'c was trapped in the Gate, and he recognizes the added agitation that she knows Teal'c is only safe because one of their enemies helped them. And he sees the relief that Teal'c is, in fact, safe.

But something else is lurking on her fair features, and in the tightness of her shoulders. It took him a while and, if he's honest, more than a little digging and information from loyal commissary staff and General Hammond to help him reach what he thinks is the subject of her silent duress: Doctor Rodney McKay, that arrogant sack of shit. 'I outta feed him a key lime pie,' Jack thinks, then sighs. Maybe not murder, not yet.

His sigh alerts Sam to his presence; she glances up at him and smiles, so he steps in. He pushes his hands deep into his pockets as he shuffles quietly to his almost, at this point, assigned seat next to hers. He drops onto the metal disc of the stool and props his heels against the foot rail at its bottom, pushing gently against it to twist himself back and forth slowly.

"Something on your mind, Sir?"

"You," he says, frankly. He stops twisting his stool and looks into her eyes, his gaze sharp but warm.

"Uh, me?"

"I heard a little more than you mentioned about what dealing with McKay was like, Carter."

"Oh," she says, nodding.

Jack appreciates that she doesn't try to hide her lingering discomfort from him. "You know he's an idiot, right?"

"Yes, I do, but he's an idiot people listen to."

"Yes, he is."

"Sir, forgive me, but it's not a question of me knowing that he's an idiot. He can be as smart as any other genius and still be an idiot, but the people who listen to him, who prop him up, who send him here to… you know. That bothers me."

"Carter, there's no forgiveness needed for telling the truth, especially not after you've been stuck listening to his open misogyny which he weaponized against you and the close friend you were trying to save."

Sam smiles at him again, this time with warmth her earlier expression had lacked. "Thank you, Sir."

"Listen, Carter, I can't and won't pretend I know what it's like to deal with creeps like that, especially in our line of work, and in this organization." He casually taps the Air Force designation on his BDU shirt. "I'm sorry you had to deal with him. I hope Russia is far enough away."

She giggles for a moment before looking up at him curiously and allowing a grin to tug her dimples to life. "You didn't…"

"I might have helped suggest…" Jack grins and shrugs. "Hammond, the commissary staff… I heard some things and figured it was time to use my strategic thinking for something besides what time of day to get the best cake and reminded our fearless leaders that they'd need someone like that weasel McKay to oversee the Russians."

"You really are a gem, you know that, Sir?"

"Oh yeah? Well I do my best, Carter. For you especially, I always do my best."