Sam
Stepping onto the grated ramp back through the wormhole always felt like a magnetic pull to home. I enjoyed being off-world, seeing planets and moons that no one could even put to words, but there was nothing like stepping back home after being gone for a few days.
"Welcome back SG1," Walter sat up in the command center typing away.
Teal'c nodded back a hello while Daniel and Jack walked away arguing over something I didn't care to interrupt. I gave the control room a quick wave and handed off my sack to someone nearby.
"There is a tablet in there, we each have one, if you could have someone take a look at it before handing it over to cataloging I'd appreciate it." I explained and kept making my way to the showers. We had been gone for three days on what could only be described as the sandiest camping trip I've ever had the displeasure of attending.
"We don't need to go back," I heard Jack snapping from down the hallway.
"I too see the relevance of Dr. Jackson's findings," Teal'c pitched in. "The temple was most intriguing."
"Teal'c," Jack clasped his hand over Teal'c shoulder, "you just like the mention of a weapons cache. I don't blame you, I do too, but there hasn't been anyone inhabiting that place for a long time. We couldn't find anything remotely useful there."
"I beg to differ Jack," Daniel started and Jack cut him off.
"I'm sure you do." He snarked and I walked past them to get to the women's locker rooms. Jack was growing more irritable the past few weeks, he knew that Hammond was feeling the strain to prove that Stargate Command was worth the extra investment they were asking for, and that rolled down to Jack who was head of the SG teams. He needed something to help give the President an incentive to keep requesting congressional funding, without giving away too many secrets.
The showers in the SGC women's locker rooms were not as bad as expected with the pipes reaching so deep into the mountain. After scrubbing the silt and debris from every pore I quickly embraced the steam still trapped in the room with me and dressed before I felt the chill of escaping air. I checked my watch, I would allow myself an hour to start on my report and then turn in for the night.
I passed Eleanor's office seeing the light was still on. "Knock knock," I called in and she popped her head out from a shelving unit. She had managed to make such a dreary room feel light. There were a couple of worn Turkish rugs laid out over one another to cover the floor under her desk and work table. Photographs from what I assumed were travels of hers, splayed in frames on the wall. She had a small bowl near a side table at the front door filled with assorted candies and suckers. I chuckled and unwrapped a peppermint before plopping it into my mouth and looking at the memo and request forms that were ever so neatly stacked next to it.
"Good evening Major Carter!" She chimed, her soft copper coils were bound up in a colorfully patterned silk handkerchief . She had dirt smudges across her forehead and an olive t-shirt tucked into tan linen pants. "I didn't realize you were already back."
"I hadn't checked to see how your last three weeks have gone here? Well I hope?"
"Four weeks, and exceedingly well," she beamed. "Thank you, that's very kind to ask. Mostly people just come in here to drop something off or argue about files."
"Daniel mentioned that you're compiling a database of some sort?"
"Yes," she clapped her hands together excitedly, "I was currently going over previous reports and fine combing criteria to piece together profiles of each planetary civilization for what I believe is a much needed anthropological catalog. Some planets are easier than others, especially those with living residents who are willing to create trade ties with us. But, General Hammond thinks it'll be a great field reference guide once I'm done." She turned to the clock on her wall. "Oh, I didn't realize it was so late."
"I was going to do my final report and then head out the door, do you have plans for the weekend?"
"I'm going over to Dr. Coombs' house tomorrow evening."
"Oh," I felt my brows rise up and her face flushed bright red as she shook her head.
"No, no uh, they have a dungeons and dragons group, and there was a flier up on the mess hall bulletin board looking for another member to join."
"And you play?"
"I haven't in a while, a couple of years, but I did in college and it was fun." She got quiet and rubbed the back of her neck, "it's a good way for me to get out of the house I guess."
I smiled encouragingly, "that sounds great. I'll see you Tuesday." She returned the smile and I went back to my lab to see Jack poking at a generator I had taken apart on the table. "Hello sir."
"Carter," he mumbled back. "Are you almost done with this?"
"I am wrapping up my final report." I opened the back office door and turned my computer on. He let out an exasperated breath of air.
"You can do that next week."
"It won't be fresh on my mind next week." I argued back and he plopped down on a chair behind me.
"Do you have something else planned to be tumbling around your mind all weekend instead?"
"Possibly." I mused.
"Something or someone?"
I continued typing away, leaving his question in the air between us. A few moments passed in the silence and I submitted the file before turning the computer off. "Don't you have plans this weekend?" I looked over at him already half asleep in the desk chair behind me. He let out a yawn and stood up stretching.
"Actually, yes." He looked over and watched as I grabbed my backpack and shoved my jacket inside. "I have a hot date."
"Oh really?" I felt the warm creeping sensation prickle at the back of my neck. We had both agreed not to discuss this at work, that nothing could be transparent here. It was just the two of us in the back office of my lab, but even that felt too intimate for me here.
"You should meet her Carter," he smirked, "I think you'd really like her."
"Doubtful," I nudged back and started walking out with Jack following close behind.
Eleanor
Placing the lid on the last box I swiped my arm across my brow and looked across the hall seeing commotion in my peripheral vision.
"Jack, you're never going to understand my argument here and that we can both agree on." Daniel sounded exasperated coming down the hall with Colonel O'Neill following him. They turned into Daniel's office continuing the argument loud enough for the entire floor to hear.
"No Daniel I'm not, and you're not going to understand that the Military doesn't give a single fuck about historical evidence of anything unless it leads to technological advancement."
"Weapons." He spat back. "Unless it leads to weapons you mean?"
"Well yeah, that's the business we're in." Jack scoffed.
"As much as you and I like to pretend that we're in this for the fun adventures and making friends across the Galaxy, we're in the middle of a galactic war."
"You don't need to remind me of all people." There was a genuine sting behind his voice and my heart ached. It felt wrong hearing this. I grabbed my belongings and tried to sneak out my door without being seen when I heard silence behind me, Jack had left. I ignored it, hoping Daniel had just shut the door, that I wasn't noticed.
The only sound now was the clicking of my shoes against the floor as I walked to the elevator ready for the weekend.
"Hold the door for me!' I heard a shout and turned to see Daniel jogging down the hall backpack in hand. I pressed the elevator button knowing that the amount of time it took for the lift to get to us he would already be caught up.
"Busy week in the field?" I asked as innocently as I could muster when he stood beside me, still waiting for the doors of the elevator to open. At this point Daniel and I had formed what I felt was a friendly working relationship. It helped that he was across the hall from me and I could just pop over with any questions that may arise, and when he was in office he would pop over for a hard candy from the bowl on my table and a quick hello.
"Unfortunately." He grumbled. His brow was still caked in dirt and the sun had left a pink embrace on his cheeks. A contrast to the always present snowy February weather outside the mountain.
The doors of the lift opened and we both stepped in. "Floor?"
"Ground level," he pressed the button and we sat there for a moment in silence as the doors shut and the small box made its way up to the surface. He broke the awkward silence first, "do you have plans for dinner tonight? I know it's late but I need a drink, and I feel like I owe you one for your first successful month here."
I was caught off guard, "I, uh, yes that would be lovely." We walked to our respective vehicles and I followed him outside the gated entrance to the base, past three stop lights and down to the little brick establishment that had a blinking 24 hour neon sign in the window. I could see through one of the windows there were two other patrons at the bar eating midnight meals. I saw him get out and followed, both of us making our way inside finding a table against the large window overlooking the parking lot. As we sat down I looked out at the dark road seeing the start of a light snowfall dust the evergreens dotted along the street. The yellow glow of streetlights reflected off of the flurries making them look like fireflies rather than snowflakes.
Daniel ordered a patty melt with fries, I had a grilled cheese on sourdough and we both had ciders from the local brewery downtown as I asked him about his "vacation" the past week. I knew wording was always important in public, and he warmed at the question. I imagined a lot of people didn't tend to ask how his work was going, they didn't know. He went on explaining in careful phrasing the details of his "camping trip," and as we polished off our plates and the purple sky of dawn threatened to creep into view it felt like I could have stayed there asking him more. He matched every question with an enthusiastic answer, and a matching question for me, which surprisingly caught me off guard. There was really not much about my life that seemed interesting, nothing about me personally that really seemed noteworthy. But he pressed on, asking about childhood vacations and what fueled my interests in history. I mentioned there was a coffee shop I drove past every day I had been meaning to visit but always seemed to forget in my haste to make it to work before I was caught behind a snowplow.
"If you do manage to go, grab me an Americano?" He asked playfully. "The Folgers in the office doesn't always cut it in the early mornings."
"I'll make a mental note of it," I leaned back in my chair to stretch. The red and white vinyl on metal chairs didn't make for comfortable seating, but I wasn't going to complain for the moments I was getting in return.
"I've kept you out way too late," he yawned looking down at his watch. "Dinner is on me."
"Then I'll get the tip," I pulled some cash from my wallet and placed it on the table as he went up to the till to pay. We both walked out, crunching a path through the fresh powder. He opened my car door and wished me a good weekend and thanked me for the evening. I drove away feeling both exhausted from close to 24 hours of no sleep, and energized from the entire nights worth of conversation.