Summery: A routine trip off-world has long-lasting effects for SG-1. Meanwhile, Jack has terrestrial trouble too, when his half-sister is recruited to the SGC and his worlds threaten to collide and all his secrets are in danger of being exposed.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Stargate SG-1" the series. I believe it is owned by MGM. No copyright infringement is intended. No disrespect is intended. I am merely intrigued by the possibilities.
A Matter of Degrees
by: Visions2share a.k.a. Vi
She hadn't been at breakfast, nor lunch, and now she'd missed dinner. Daniel had tried calling her lab in the afternoon but got no answer. Teal'C had gone through the gate to attend a meeting of the rebel Jaffa and Tok'ra – despite being a Jaffa both parties viewed Teal'C as being a calming voice for the proceedings since he had served so long on SG-1. What anyone would find calm about SG-1, Daniel didn't know. But with Jack in DC with General Hammond, Daniel was the only teammate left to see Sam react to getting in trouble the day before. Except she hadn't been seen since she'd signed in topside.
Daniel decided he should check on her – but worried she might dodge him – so he made a stop, out of his way, to pick up some backup.
"Janet? Are you busy?" since she was sitting at her desk dealing with files and computer work Daniel knew he wasn't interrupting the care of a patient.
"I'm just catching up on charting. Problem?"
"I don't know. Have you seen Sam today?"
"No."
"Damn."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Have you talked to her since mid-day yesterday?"
"We caught lunch together in the commissary yesterday."
"So, she hasn't told you what happened yesterday afternoon with Jack?"
"Apparently not. Was it something good?" Janet wiggled her eyebrows with glee.
Daniel, who had been standing in her office doorway, decided that it would be better if none of the nurses – the base gossips – heard about the incident – if they did everybody on base would know before the next sunrise. Decision made Daniel stepped all the way into the office and firmly shut the door behind him. He even flipped the patient privacy lock for good measure.
"Just how good are we talking?"
"Not. At all."
"Uh-oh. What happened?"
...
"What the hell was she thinking? Daniel, she could have tanked her entire career! Everything she's ever worked for gone!"
"I know."
"I knew she was a little too interested in Dr. Mallory's brother, but to go that far? To literally invite court martial!?"
"Yeah. Jack was really steamed. I've never – NEVER – seen him that angry. He wasn't even ever that angry fighting the Gou'uld, or the replicators, or even dealing with Kinsey! And you saw him last time that blowhard came around!"
"I don't doubt it. To have an officer you've spent so many years mentoring deliberately disregard their career. What a waste. Especially when the officer shows as much potential as Sam always has!"
"Yes – but I think it also must have hit him more personally – since it was Sam."
"They have served together an extraordinarily long time."
"And they're friends. And have their whole … situation going on."
"Hmmm."
"I think she really put him in a no-win situation. He had to discipline – seriously, officially, discipline her. I don't know if they'll ever be able to work well together again."
"Even with the way he – clearly – feels about her? And vise-versa?"
"Maybe especially so. … Think about it: how can it have felt to have to treat her that way? What hope do they have of ever transitioning to a relationship now? Even after Jack eventually, permanently, retires?"
Janet blew out a breath of frustration that had her bangs flying.
"Yeah. I see your point. What was her reaction?"
"I don't know. Jack stormed out and left her in my office with just Teal'C and me. She didn't look at us or acknowledge us – she just stood there and stared at the place he'd been standing as he chided her. Eventually, after what was probably only two minutes but felt like hours to me, she just wondered out. I don't know where she went. I wanted to go after her, but Teal'C said we needed to give her time to 'contemplate her transgressions' and wouldn't let me."
"But today …?"
"I haven't seen her. She hasn't shown up for any meal and doesn't answer her lab phone."
"Maybe she didn't come in? I'd sure as hell have trouble working up the nerve to come in if I screwed up that badly."
"I called up to the surface – security says she signed in a few minutes before eight this morning and hasn't left yet."
"She's probably hiding in her lab."
"Probably – I'm thinking it's time to check on her. Come with me?"
"Sure. Let me just shut down my office real quick first."
It took Janet less than a minute to turn off her computer and stack up the files spread across her desk and shove them un-ceremoniously, and unsorted, into a drawer. For a woman as controlled, organized, and meticulous as Janet, her haste spoke volumes about her level of concern for their friend.
"Okay. Let's go."
…
Sam was sitting at her work bench with her arms folded on it and her head pillowed on them. If Daniel hadn't confirmed with security that she had signed in that morning, he would have assumed she'd been in that same position since the day before.
"Sam?" Daniel spoke softly enough to not wake her if she was actually sleeping.
"Hmm?" Sam raised her head to reveal blurry red-rimmed eyes and creases on her forehead from the fabric of her sleeve.
"You okay?" Janet asked immediately as they took in the color – or lack thereof – in her cheeks, her red eyes – and the general air of resigned depression.
"Oh!" Sam sat up straight and tried to pull off 'normal'. "Good morning, Janet! Hi, Daniel!"
"Good morning?" Daniel returned.
"Sam, honey," Janet spoke softly, "it's after nineteen hundred." Janet kept her eyes firmly on Sam – cataloging everything about her appearance and reaction.
"What? No!" Sam checked her watch and the clock on the wall both – back and forth – as she processed that fact. "I was … I was just … …," she trailed off, unable to come up with an explanation.
"Thinking?" Daniel offered.
"Yeah. I guess so," Sam's shoulder's slumped as she gave up the pretense of normal.
"Wanna talk about it?" Daniel offered, coming to lean on the lab table across from her.
"What's there to say? I made a fool out of myself? I'll never live it down? The Colonel's never ever going to look at me like he did before? He's probably signing off on my transfer off SG-1 right now? No, Daniel, I don't want to talk about it – I don't want to think about it – I just want to forget. Even for five minutes. Just forget."
Sam's response had started out fiery, but she ran out of steam by the end. Her head hung and her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper.
Daniel and Janet exchanged a look. This was outside Daniel's wheelhouse. It was going to be all up to Janet. But she'd bring him up to speed first thing in the morning.
In a calculatingly casual move, Janet leaned a hip on the lab table – well, a rib really – she was just too short for the hip-shot pose she was aiming for – at Sam's elbow and spoke with a cheerful tone meant to disarm.
"Perfect timing! Cassie has one of her sleep overs tonight – so we've just scheduled a girl's night! I'll give you a lift to my house so you can drink all you want and not worry about driving with a hangover."
"I'm not really up to going out."
"Not out. In. My house. My couch. I've got a couple bottles of wine with our names on them."
Sam looked up and must have either seen the determination in Janet's gaze or not had the energy to resist anymore.
"Okay."
"Great! Let's go!"
"Sounds like you ladies have a fun evening ahead of you – and definitely don't need me in your way," Daniel spoke with the same determinedly cheerful tone Janet had used, "I'll get out of your way and let you get to it."
Despite saying he'd leave Daniel took the time to help Janet herd Sam to the SG-1 ready room to change into civvies and then rode up with them in the elevators - making small talk with Janet the whole way just to seem as normal as possible. He walked both women to Janet's car and waved goodbye as they drove off. Hopefully Janet had a large enough alcohol supply on hand to lubricate Sam's tongue and find out what the hell was going on with her lately.
Daniel glanced at his own car, but headed back into the mountain instead. Maybe now he knew Sam was being looked after, he could finally make some headway on the translation of the 627 ruins. Then again, who was he kidding? He'd been fighting with them, puzzling over them at every opportunity for weeks, and he'd made no real progress – only a handful of mismatched phrases without purpose or context. Daniel's own current personal nightmare.
Author's Note: Coming up tomorrow Sam makes some confessions to Janet. On a side note, I want to thank everyone for reading and say that if you aren't enjoying the story feel free to stop, nobody is forcing you to read this. I'm excited to see how those of you who stick around respond to tomorrow's chapter! Thanks for reading! ~ Vi