Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

Part One: Spinning Wheels

Day One: The SGC

Daniel stared out of the briefing room window at the space where the Stargate usually resided. The gate room seemed so empty without it despite the bustling personnel that filled the area. He’d retreated to the briefing room a few moments before when the control room had filled up with technicians. They were there to prepare everything for the arrival of the second gate and coordinate the naval retrieval of the remains of Thor’s ship. Daniel knew he was in the way; there was no need for him to be there. They needed the missing Samantha Carter to organise the second gate, or Jack O’Neill to organise the retrieval mission, or even Teal’c’s usual calm in the face of unusual situations but they didn’t need a stressed archaeologist, in pain and missing his team-mates.

But he hadn’t wanted to leave. He had wanted to stay somewhere where he felt close to the rest of SG1. Daniel frowned and crossed his arms tightly around his torso. Thor’s ship had blown up in the atmosphere; it had come apart as it had hit the ocean. There was no way that anyone – or anything – had survived. Daniel desperately hoped his belief that his team-mates had beamed the Stargate up to Thor’s ship to use it to escape had been right. That had to have been the plan; they could have used Earth as the point of origin, he assured himself.

His abdomen twinged and he winced; his pale and pained reflection in the window caused him to grimace even more. He should probably head back to the infirmary, he mused tiredly, taking his glasses off to rub at his eyes. He had sneaked out of the recovery ward when Nyan had told him about the events of the day. He shook his head at the feeling of hurt that arrowed through him. He knew he was being overly sensitive about being left uninformed about the mission; that Sam had initially been focused on finding out what had happened to Jack, that when they had realised what was going on, it had left Sam and Teal’c only moments to reach the beam-up site in front of the Stargate with no time for telling their remaining team-mate what was going on…no time for him to join them.

It just didn’t feel right, Daniel mused wearily. He should have been with them; whatever their fate, he should have shared it. A wave of helplessness coursed through him and he closed his eyes at the sudden sting of tears. They were fine; they had to be. He shuddered a little as his mind skittered over the idea that he had lost them. He couldn’t have lost them because they were all he had left…

‘Doctor Jackson?’

Daniel turned at the sound of General Hammond’s concern. ‘General.’ He replaced his glasses and crossed his arms. ‘I, uh, I…’ he struggled to find a justification for his presence in the briefing room.

Hammond smiled understandingly but his pale blue eyes remained anxious. ‘Perhaps you should return to the infirmary, son.’

‘I just…feel I should be here.’ Daniel insisted, hoping the General would give in as he had earlier when they had been waiting for news in the control room.

Hammond sighed and took a step forward to bring him alongside Daniel. For a long moment, they both looked out into the gate room.

‘Major Davis thinks there’s a possibility that our original gate might have survived the explosion.’ Hammond began conversationally.

‘Possibly.’ Daniel said absently, turning the idea over in his head. ‘Sam told me once that the gate was pretty indestructible.’

‘Well, we’re not waiting to discover if it has.’ Hammond said forcefully. He gestured out at the gate room. ‘The beta gate should be up and running within the next forty-eight hours.’

‘And then they’ll be able to gate home.’ Daniel said.

‘And then they’ll be able to gate home.’ Hammond nodded, the artificial lights catching the sheen of perspiration on his balding head.

‘Do you…’ Daniel couldn’t quite bring himself to ask the question and took a breath. ‘Do you think they made it? Honestly?’ He looked over at the older man unaware that his desperation for reassurance shone from his eyes, a glimmer of an eight year old boy that had lost his parents; the recently bereaved husband who had lost his wife.

‘I think,’ Hammond said slowly, ‘that SG1 has an amazing ability to survive.’

Daniel’s gaze dropped to the floor.

Hammond laid a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. ‘Especially when you least expect it.’ The General completed.

His eyes shot back to Hammond’s and Daniel read the sincerity in the older man’s solemn expression. He nodded slowly as Hammond gave his shoulder a final squeeze and went into his office no doubt to deal with the fallout of their situation.

Daniel breathed in deeply and took a final look at the gate room before he turned and walked away.

His team-mates were survivors.

He believed that.

He believed in them.

Day One – P3X-234

She was lying facedown in the dirt. It was the first thought that popped into Sam’s head as she regained her breath. The journey through the wormhole had been rough and they had been expelled violently onto the planet. She was just thankful Teal’c hadn’t chosen a planet with a set of steps. She winced; she figured she would have a massive bruise on her hip for days. At least, she was conscious.

‘Everyone OK?’

The Colonel’s brisk enquiry had her struggling into a sitting position to look over where he had landed. He was already staggering to his feet.

‘I am fine, O’Neill.’ Teal’c picked himself up off the floor and brushed the dirt from his BDU. He immediately turned to the tree-line, assessing their position and assuming guard duty.

‘I’m good, sir.’ Sam said as she accepted the hand Jack offered and allowed him to pull her off the ground. He didn’t release her immediately and she didn’t pull away, enjoying the rough feel of his hand around hers. He suddenly seemed to realise he was holding her hand and gently let go.

‘How’s Thor?’ Jack jerked his head at the stasis pod carrying the dying Asgard.

Sam hurried over and checked over the device for any damage. She eventually shrugged. ‘As far as I can see, he’s fine.’ She laid a hand over the opaque surface. ‘I’m really not familiar enough with the Asgard technology to confirm for certain, sir.’ She admitted apologetically.

‘That’s OK, Carter.’ Jack’s attention had already moved onto the pressing need for survival; his gun was trained on the tree-line. ‘Remind me of this place. I don’t recognise it.’

‘Teal’c escorted the initial survey team here while you were on Edora, sir.’ Sam explained. ‘There’s no discernable signs that this world is inhabited; no mineral importance. It’s not on the list from the Abydos cartouche so it’s unlikely that the Goa’uld have ever come across it and we have it on the short list as a possible Alpha site.’

‘Right.’ Jack’s dawning recognition indicated he had realised why the address was familiar. He glanced back at the Stargate. ‘Carter, how long before they get the second gate operational?’

Sam considered the question; the spare Earth gate was at Area 51 guarded by SGC personnel. She figured a day to unpack and transport it to the mountain and a day to get it into place. Allowing for any technical issues…

‘Seventy-two hours, sir.’ Sam said confidently.

‘So, a few days?’ Jack frowned. ‘Does this place have food, shelter?’

‘There are caves and a stream a short walk from here, O’Neill.’ Teal’c informed him.

‘The initial survey indicated edible plant life and small mammalian species that could be eaten.’ Sam added.

‘OK, the way I see it we have a couple of options.’ Jack said, turning to his team-mates. ‘We can either stay here and rough it, or head to one of our allies.’

Teal’c raised an eyebrow as though surprised.

Sam blinked at Jack.

‘We don’t have that many supplies.’ Jack pointed out. He hoisted the weapon he held. ‘Limited ammo. We didn’t exactly transport to Thor’s ship equipped for off-world travel.’

Sam nodded in rueful acknowledgement. Her mind ran through the contents of her vest, jacket and BDU. ‘I have matches and a knife, sir. A couple of energy bars.’

‘Well, that’s a start.’ Jack looked at Teal’c.

‘I have nothing.’ Teal’c admitted bluntly.

Jack knew what was in his vest; spare ammo. ‘OK. I’m thinking we should probably head for a friendly planet.’

‘What about Tollana, sir?’ Sam suggested. It was more advanced than Earth and the Tollans did owe them for saving their world. If there were any issues, they would be able to get them home another way, hopefully…not to mention she might be able to wangle seeing some of their technology…

Jack pulled a face. ‘I was thinking somewhere a little less…’ he waved his hand as he searched for a word, ‘less.’ He finished.

Sam bit her lip to prevent the smile and shifted her weight. The Land of Light was out; they needed night gear to get through the forest safely. She ran through the options and looked over at him. ‘Cimmeria, sir? It’s an Asgard protected planet.’

‘Excellent idea, Major.’ Jack said, pointing a finger at her. ‘OK, dial it…’

There was a flash of white light and Thor’s stasis pod disappeared.

For a long moment, the three of them stood in stunned silence. Jack looked over at Sam questioningly and she shrugged helplessly. Teal’c raised both eyebrows skyward.

Jack whirled around and glared at the cloudless sky. He raised his arms upwards. ‘Hey!’ He yelled loudly. ‘What about us?’

‘I do not believe the Asgard intend to take us with them.’ Teal’c stated calmly.

‘No kidding.’ Jack sighed and thrust a hand through his silver hair. ‘OK. So they have Thor; we should leave.’

Sam stirred anxiously. ‘I’m not sure that’s such a good idea now, sir.’

He shot her a look of disbelief. ‘Excuse me?’

‘Sir, the Asgard know we’re here.’ Sam explained. ‘It’s probable that the Asgard or Thor will check on us eventually. If we leave and there are any issues with getting home, we might not be able to contact them.’

‘So we leave them a note.’ Jack snapped frustrated. ‘They can come find us.’

‘Sir,’ Sam began heatedly, ‘if there is any problem with installing the gate, the Asgard may be our only hope of getting home.’ She held his guarded brown gaze firmly. ‘If we leave this planet, the Asgard may assume their responsibility to us is negated.’

‘Major Carter raises a valid concern.’ Teal’c said gently when the Colonel didn’t respond immediately.

‘Yeah,’ Jack’s hard features softened, ‘she does.’ His eyes warmed with approval and Sam felt her own cheeks heat with a blush.

‘There is another option.’ Teal’c’s words had the two humans turning to their Jaffa team-mate. ‘One of us secures provisions off-world while the others remain here.’

‘That’s a plan.’ Jack noted. He looked up at the fading light. ‘How far to these caves, Teal’c?’

‘It is but a short walk, O’Neill.’ Teal’c confirmed.

‘OK, let’s go.’ Jack said. ‘We should establish camp for the night. We can return to the Stargate in the morning and send someone for provisions then.’ He looked at each of them.

Sam gave a nod of confirmation and Teal’c inclined his head in agreement.

Jack gestured at the Jaffa. ‘Lead the way, Teal’c.’

They set off at a comfortable pace; the caves were a good twenty minutes walk from the gate but there was plenty of daylight for them to make a scout of the immediate area. Jack looked in approval at the fresh water stream. They had to take the risk of drinking it without water purification tablets but it was water and it assuaged their thirst. They checked the caves for animals and set about making camp.

A couple of hours later, they sat outside the caves, Sam and Jack resting against a fallen log with Teal’c sat close by on a rock. They ate an apple like fruit Jack had found near the stream and watched the sun set. The sky was a beautiful cascade of greens and yellows, bleeding into turquoise. Sam couldn’t help thinking it was stunning but wishing for the more usual red and pink hues of an Earth sunset.

Jack shifted and his arm brushed by Sam’s. He glanced at her apologetically. ‘Another apple, Carter?’

She didn’t bother correcting his naming of the fruit. ‘I’m full, thank you, sir.’ It was true; the apple – or whatever it was – was surprisingly filling. She leaned back, enjoying the warmth of the fire, content.

It had been a good day, she thought with satisfaction. They had saved Earth from the Replicators; saved Thor…saved the Colonel. Her eyes sneaked to the man in question beside her. He looked tired; the firelight softened his features but highlighted the deep lines that were carved into his face; the shadows under his eyes. It had been a long day for him; getting beamed onto Thor’s ship on what was a suicide mission to blow it up and he would have done it too – blown up the ship with him on it to save them all. She knew that. He would have done it and never known she loved him. She looked at the fire, at the flickering flames.

Sam didn’t kid herself. She had known that she loved him for a while. She had been unable to deny the truth when she had been reunited with the Colonel after he had been stuck on Edora for three months. Jack had walked away from her into the arms of another woman and she had known. All her foolish notions that she only had a crush; that she was working night and day to bring him home because he was a team-mate, a friend, all ripped away in one heart-wrenching moment.

She stared at the firelight. She had come close to leaving SG1 after her self-revelation. She had been so scared she would be unable to detach herself from her feelings and make the right decisions where the Colonel was concerned. But she had convinced herself that she could do the right thing; she had loved him and left him on Edora after all, and in truth she cared about all her team-mates more than the official regulations suggested was allowable not just the Colonel…but her actions in the last twenty-four hours…

He had told her it was a one-way trip; ordered her to stay away. Sam drew her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on top of them, hugging them tightly. In her mind, she had heard the echo of his voice in an icy cavern.

‘I’m dying, Sam; follow my order.’

She had done what he had asked that time; climbed out of the ice to try and find a way to save him but hearing that same resignation in his voice, the soft edge of regret, she couldn’t follow his order again. She had been desperate to come up with some argument that would convince General Hammond to let her go and she had offered the shuttle idea hurriedly. Luckily, the General had agreed. She had a sneaking suspicion that she would have just hurled herself at the stockpile of explosives the instant the Asgard beam had touched them if he hadn’t. The thought scared her. So much for her objectivity, she considered wryly. She had been fully prepared to join the Colonel on a suicide mission, to die alongside him, what did that say for her objectivity?

Her fingers brushed the laces of her boots and tugged on them without thought as she reconsidered her previous decision. It had been hard to push her feelings for the Colonel to the back of her mind and continue as normal but the belief that he didn’t feel the same way; that he was still involved with the woman on Edora had helped. His undercover mission had helped. He had pushed her away hard and Sam could admit to herself that it had hurt – a lot. Even though he had apologised for what he had done, it had taken time for her to lower her guard again. She didn’t know quite how it had happened; maybe in seeing him comfort Daniel at Sha’re’s grave or his fierce concern when Daniel had gone missing. It had reminded her of how much he cared about them and with the knowledge that he had no intention of returning to Edora, it had been so easy to start noticing how funny he was again; how smart; how attractive. She had been so tempted to accept his invitation to go fishing…

That had been a surprise, she thought, a feeling of disbelief still flickering through her as she recalled the moment. She hadn’t even been sure he had invited her but he had confirmed that he had. She had been so tempted to accept…so tempted and so scared that if she went fishing with him, she’d give herself away. That alone together, she wouldn’t be able to hide how she felt for him, not to mention that despite his assurance that there was nothing wrong with them going fishing together as friends, she knew it wouldn’t perceived that way by everyone else on the base.

She had turned him down.

But when he’d left she’d had second thoughts; he just considered her a friend – his quick acceptance of her refusal had shown that – and she had thought maybe she could go after all; she had gone after him.

She had chickened out.

There was no other way to describe it, Sam thought ruefully. She had never thought herself lacking in courage but stood in the corridor with Jack’s warm brown eyes on hers waiting for her to speak, she had chickened out of saying what she wanted; to go fishing with him. He had started to tease her, she remembered fondly, coaxing her to accept anyway. Sam frowned. She didn’t really know if he had wanted her to go or not; he had been so quick to accept her initial refusal but then he had seemed so keen for her to change her mind when she had gone after him. She wondered why. She sighed. He had invited her as a friend; that was all. There was no point fantasising that it was anything else. She shivered.

‘Cold?’ Jack asked quietly.

Sam opened her mouth to deny it but the chill through her jacket had her nodding instead. ‘A little, sir.’

‘Swap places with me; it’s closer to the fire.’ Jack got to his feet before she could protest. She shuffled over and he sat back down beside her, closer than before.

‘Thank you.’ Sam glanced over at him and the loose sweater he wore; it had long sleeves but it wasn’t particularly thick. ‘You have to be cold yourself, sir.’

He shrugged. ‘We’ll sleep out by the fire tonight; get some blankets tomorrow.’

She nodded.

Jack cleared his throat. ‘I, er, should thank you guys.’ He caught their surprised looks. ‘For…you know.’

Sam hid her smile at his embarrassed mumble.

‘There is no need.’ Teal’c said firmly.

‘Teal’c’s right, sir.’ Sam added. He didn’t need to thank them for helping him; they were a team and he would have done the same for them.

Jack nodded briskly in agreement.

Sam stretched her hands out to the flames. ‘I wonder how Daniel’s doing.’ She mused out loud.

‘He’ll have worked it out.’ Jack said confidently.

‘I am confident.’ Teal’c agreed.

‘Me too.’ Sam nodded. ‘I only got the idea because of the way he escaped from Klorel’s ship.’

‘Doesn’t quite feel right without him, does it?’ Jack sighed.

‘No, sir.’ Sam missed her friend’s presence; it seemed too quiet without him. Maybe she should have found the time to go to the infirmary when Jack first got beamed away. If she had told Daniel what was going on, he probably would have been up and around to join them on the mission…

‘He was in no condition to come along.’

Sam stared in shock at Jack; had he read her mind? She shook the thought away; it was more likely that the Colonel had just been thinking along the same lines.

Jack smiled at her expression. ‘Daniel’s right where he needs to be, Carter; in the infirmary, getting better.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam yawned unexpectedly.

‘You should get some rest.’ Jack said softly.

‘I will take first watch.’ Teal’c confirmed.

Jack looked over at the Jaffa as though to argue but nodded instead. He turned back to Sam self-consciously. ‘We should probably…’ He gestured awkwardly at her and her eyes widened as she got the message; they should share body heat. It was the best way to keep warm.

She nodded and scooted to lie down on the ground on her side, pillowing her head on her arm; her eyes on the flames. An instant later, she felt him stretch out behind her; the warm length of his body against hers. She closed her eyes tightly, certain she would never fall asleep.

Day Two – P3X-234

Samantha Carter was asleep in his arms.

It was Jack’s first thought on waking. He had shifted during the night; he had somehow moved closer to her; his face was buried in the crook of her neck, her blonde hair tickling his skin. His free arm had snaked around her waist and was holding her body tightly to his own. Their legs had tangled together.

Jack understood with some chagrin that it was going to be difficult to move and take his watch without disturbing her. He frowned suddenly, registering the bright light. The sun was up. He carefully raised his head and looked around the camp.

Teal’c was crouched over the fire, gently stoking the flames into a steady burn with a long branch. The Jaffa looked over at him and gave a slow nod of acknowledgement.

Jack felt himself flush red; the way he was holding Carter left very little room for misinterpretation. He moved cautiously away from Sam until he could stand without disturbing her. He gestured at Teal’c who met him at the edge of the clearing.

‘You didn’t wake me.’ There was a faint hint of accusation to his words although he kept them quiet, unwilling to wake Sam.

Teal’c regarded him seriously. ‘You required rest. I do not.’

‘You should have woken me.’ His embarrassment at Teal’c knowing how he’d been wrapped around Sam gave the words a brusque note that had Teal’c raising an eyebrow in understanding.

‘I could not without also disturbing Major Carter.’ Teal’c pointed out.

Jack flushed again. ‘It was a cold night.’ He muttered.

Teal’c simply stared back at him evenly.

‘I have to go…’ Jack gestured at the trees and left before the Jaffa could speak. He walked a few feet into the forest until he was out of sight of the clearing. He relieved himself, taking the time to regain his balance.

So he had unconsciously cuddled up to Carter in his sleep; it wasn’t the end of the world. It had been a cold night and besides, he didn’t stop being a man because he was her CO. It was only natural that he had unconsciously, subconsciously – whatever – moved closer to her. It wasn’t as though he had confessed his feelings for Sam by holding her in the night.

Right.

Jack made his way to the stream that ran near to the caves. He washed his hands and face in the clear water. His fingers caught on the rough stubble along his jaw. He pulled a face; he guessed he was growing a beard for the next few days. He walked back further up-stream to take a drink, cupping his hands and bringing the liquid to his mouth again and again until his thirst was gone. He rose and stretched, grimacing at the various aches that assaulted his body. He watched the water for any sign of life. There didn’t seem to be any fish in the stream.

No fishing.

Jack frowned. He had invited Carter fishing and she had turned him down. He had been disappointed when Sam had turned him down, more disappointed than he was willing to admit even to himself. He had been so sure she had started to feel the same way about him as he felt about her. But, they were Air Force officers and even with his assurance that there was nothing wrong with him extending the invitation as a friend, he knew better and so did she. However Sam felt about him – however he felt about her, there were regulations and he knew there couldn’t be any hint of impropriety between him and Sam; it would ruin her career and she didn’t deserve that. He shouldn’t have expected her to do anything but turn him down, Jack berated himself. In some ways, he should never have asked her; it was just that it was getting harder to pretend that all she was to him was a friend, a team-mate, a fellow officer.

Jack sighed and his eyes caught on the apple trees he had found the previous day. His stomach growled. They would need breakfast. He walked over and started to pick the fruit. Sam did feel something for him; something beyond the boundaries of the military ranks; he believed that. She had been tempted by his invitation enough to come after him and he might have convinced her if Thor hadn’t beamed him up. He also couldn’t forget the very real distress in her eyes when she had registered that he was going to die on Thor’s ship. He had felt the same emotion when he had laid eyes on her in the cargo hold and believed she had transported herself to join him on a suicide mission.

Jack examined the fruit he held without seeing it. He had no idea if her original idea of the shuttle would have worked but after he had accepted that she was there, it had become evident that he had needed her skills. His fingers clenched around the apple, bruising the delicate flesh. In truth he had realised he might need her skills when he had first listened to Thor’s stones; the technical detail in them had been way over his head. He should have requested her presence on the ship regardless of whether they had a way off it…deep down he knew that. He was a military officer; he sometimes had to order the people he served with to take on missions which would result in their deaths – it was part of the job. But he had tried to convince himself he could do the mission without Sam, unable to bring himself to ask her to join him because he didn’t want her to die. His death was acceptable; hers was not.

He took a deep breath. She had asked him once how he remained detached enough with the team to do the right thing, and he had told her that he just tried to make decisions he could live with and hoped that he wouldn’t have to face a decision where it came down to weighing up one of their lives against the safety of Earth. Yet hadn’t he just done that? Jack wondered. He had chosen not to ask Sam to join him; had decided to handle it alone and maybe that would have ended in disaster, with the Earth overrun by Replicators all because he hadn’t want to risk her life.

He discarded the apple he held and picked another as he shoved the thought away. He couldn’t second guess his decision. Maybe it would have worked; maybe he and Thor would have come up with something. They would never know and there was no point dwelling on it. As he had also told Sam, he sometimes didn’t make the right decisions because he was too close to the team, and he had to live with those decisions too. He mentally shut the door on his internal debate and turned back to the camp.

The first thing he noticed was that Sam was missing. He looked around anxiously.

‘Major Carter woke a few moments ago.’ Teal’c informed him crisply. ‘She is in the forest.’

‘Right.’ Jack gave a small sigh of relief; the tightness in his chest easing. She had probably headed into the forest for the same reason he had. They probably should build some kind of latrine, Jack mused, his mind turning to their situation. He placed the apples he had collected on a rock and crouched to tend to the fire.

Sam appeared a few minutes later. Her hair was damp and Jack surmised that she had paid a visit to the stream to wash up.

‘Breakfast.’ Jack motioned at the apples.

The three of them resumed their seats around the fire.

Jack bit into the sweet, tart fruit and chewed appreciatively. It was a great food source, he mused, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to have it for every meal. He swallowed and waved the apple he held. ‘We need supplies.’

‘I will go.’ Teal’c offered.

‘Where?’ Sam asked surprised.

‘The Jaffa camp Master Bra’tac has established will provide for our needs.’ Teal’c asserted confidently.

‘OK.’ Jack nodded. Teal’c had told him about the camp that the rebel Jaffa had established under the watchful eye of Master Bra’tac and he knew Teal’c’s son was there along with Teal’c’s former wife. ‘Carter and I will stay here and focus on the camp; make things a little more liveable around here.’ He glanced over at Sam who gave a small smile in acknowledgement of his order.

The plans made; they finished breakfast quickly. Teal’c left and Jack found himself alone with Sam. They focused on their work; cleaning out the caves, gathering firewood, building the latrine, marking a spot down-stream from their drinking area for washing and cleaning, tending to the fire…they had plenty to keep them occupied.

Jack was almost surprised when Teal’c returned around mid-day. He and Sam searched through the gathered items; warm blankets were laid over the ground in the cave, pots were stacked by the fire, food was carefully packed away, while tools, changes of clothing and personal items were set aside. They all settled around the fire for lunch with a sense of satisfaction.

The flat bread Teal’c had brought was rather tasteless but it provided a good accompaniment to the stewed vegetables they cooked to go with it. Jack took an appreciative sip of a coffee-like drink Teal’c had procured. He was happier that they’d be able to survive the next few days. They did seem to be alone on the planet; the caves were defensible. It was a good spot to camp out for a couple of days.

‘Are you OK, Teal’c?’

Sam’s quiet question drew Jack’s attention to their Jaffa friend. He frowned. To most people Teal’c probably looked impassively expressionless but they had been team-mates for a long time and he could see as Sam had apparently noticed that the Jaffa did look pre-occupied.

Teal’c shifted almost imperceptibly. ‘It is nothing.’

‘Yet it’s obviously something.’ Jack noted.

The Jaffa glared at him.

Jack looked at him pointedly.

‘It is Rya’c.’ Teal’c admitted.

‘He’s alright?’ Sam asked worriedly. ‘I mean, he’s not sick or…anything.’

Teal’c turned to her with an approving look. ‘He is well, Major Carter.’ His gaze dropped to his drink. ‘Rya’c was disappointed that I could not spend my leave with him as planned.’

Jack winced in guilty sympathy. He understood what it was to be an absentee father; he had been one once. He had rarely seen his late son, Charlie; there had always been some mission and he knew Teal’c missed Rya’c keenly. The Jaffa had given up a great deal to throw his lot in with the Tau’ri. Jack leaned forward and tapped the battered ceramic mug he held, wondering if he should make the offer that hovered on the tip of his tongue. He glanced over at Sam who had laid a hand on Teal’c’s arm to lend her support. Jack sighed; his decision made.

‘Why don’t you head back to the Jaffa camp, Teal’c?’ Jack offered.

Sam and Teal’c both turned to look at him with identical stunned expressions.

‘Look,’ Jack said seeing the indecision flicker across the Jaffa’s face, ‘we’re stuck for the next couple of days until they get the Earth gate working again. We should probably stay here in case the Asgard come back but there’s no reason why we all need to stay here. We’ve got a good camp and supplies.’ He shrugged. ‘Go spend the time with your kid.’

Teal’c looked back at Jack fiercely. Jack could see the desire to go warring with Teal’c’s innate sense of duty to stay with them.

Jack shot a look at Sam. He raised his mug. ‘We’re OK here, aren’t we, Carter?’

‘Yes, sir.’ Sam agreed automatically. She turned to Teal’c. ‘The Colonel’s right, Teal’c.’ She said quietly. ‘We’ll be fine.’

Her assurance seemed to be what the Jaffa needed to hear. Teal’c straightened and bowed his head. ‘I will leave immediately.’

‘I’ll walk you to the gate.’ Jack offered. He set aside his mug and stood up. They made the walk in silence.

Jack watched as Teal’c dialled the address and the wormhole blossomed outward.

‘OK,’ Jack said, ‘we’ll see you day after tomorrow to go home?’

‘I will be here.’ Teal’c promised. He clasped Jack’s arm fondly. ‘Thank you, my friend.’

Jack shrugged and waved away the gratitude.

Teal’c walked away into the blue horizon and the wormhole winked out of existence.

Jack sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, wondering at the panic in his belly as the reality that he was alone on the planet with Carter sank in. It would be fine, he assured himself, as he headed back to the camp. He was an adult; a professional. He could handle being alone with Sam – with Carter – for a couple of days on a deserted planet. Nothing was going to happen.

Nothing.

Part Two: When The Wheels Come Off

Day Four – The SGC

Daniel grimaced as Janet Fraiser prodded his abdomen firmly. The stitches had mostly healed but the muscles were still sore from his operation.

‘Your wound is healing nicely.’ Janet confirmed. ‘No signs of secondary infection.’ She stepped back and stripped her gloves before she reached for his chart. ‘You’re very lucky. Getting out of bed the way you did so soon after your operation could have resulted in complications.’

Daniel only just refrained from rolling his eyes. She had given him the same lecture practically every time he had seen her since he had returned to the infirmary after sneaking out. He lowered his pyjama top. ‘Does this mean I can get out of here?’

Janet sighed and looked at him with exasperation. ‘You do understand how serious appendicitis can be?’

‘You’ve told me often enough.’ Daniel quipped.

She shot him a look and he had the sense to look apologetic.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said with a sigh, ‘it’s just…’ his voice trailed away.

She laid a hand over his. ‘I know you’re worried about them.’

‘It’s the not knowing.’ Daniel said bluntly. ‘I mean, did they make it off Thor’s ship. Did they gate to an ally or a safe planet? Did they get there OK? What if the wormhole jumped because of the explosion and they’re hurt? What if…’

She patted his hand sympathetically and broke into the stream of words. ‘I’m sure they’re OK, Daniel.’

He looked at her hopefully. ‘General Hammond said that they were going to test the gate today.’

Janet sighed and let go of him. ‘OK…’ she took another step back as he immediately flung back the covers of his bed. ‘But,’ she tried to say as he started to reach for his robe and pushed his feet into his slippers, ‘I want you back every day for follow-up exams.’

Daniel waved to her absently in agreement as he hurried out of the room. He headed straight for the locker room. A hasty shower and a change of clothes later and he made his way to the control room. He was out of breath as he came to a halt beside General Hammond.

‘How’s it going?’ Daniel asked impatiently as he took in the familiar sight of a gate occupying the gate room. It felt good to see it and something in him settled; an anxiety that he hadn’t even been aware that he had had; a worry that they wouldn’t be able to install the gate.

‘We’re just about to run the first test.’ Hammond informed him. He took a moment to nod at him approvingly. ‘It’s good to see you up and about again, Doctor Jackson.’

‘Thank you.’ Daniel waved at the gate. ‘It’s good to see that, you know, there.’

‘I know how you feel.’ Hammond said, smiling. He gestured. ‘Let’s start the test, Sergeant.’

Walter Harriman nodded at him crisply. ‘Yes, sir.’ His hands flew over the computer keyboard. ‘Inputting dialling coordinates.’

The Stargate didn’t move.

Walter frowned at the read-out. He shook his head. ‘The dialling sequence is being aborted.’

Everybody looked out at the static circle in front of them.

‘What happened?’ Hammond demanded before Daniel could ask the same question. They both looked at the bemused technician.

‘The Stargate didn’t seem to recognise the address, sir.’ Walter said.

‘Why?’ Daniel asked.

Walter looked at him with a worried expression. ‘I don’t know, sir.’ He turned to the General. ‘We’re going to have to run some tests, General.’

Hammond sighed. ‘Keep me informed.’ He made to move away and hesitated. ‘Doctor Jackson, may I see you in my office a moment?’

Daniel nodded nervously and followed the older man up the stairs, through the briefing room and into the General’s office.

Hammond waved him into a seat in front of the desk and Daniel tried hard to push away the feeling that he had been called to the principal’s office to explain himself as he lowered himself gingerly into the comfortable leather.

The General sat in his own chair and leaned back, folding his hands over his paunchy stomach and regarding Daniel with a serious expression. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Good.’ Daniel answered immediately. He pushed his glasses up his nose and gave an anxious, fleeting smile. ‘Doctor Fraiser’s pleased with my progress. She’s released me from the infirmary.’

‘Good, good.’ Hammond leaned forward and clasped his hands on top of the desk. ‘I was wondering if you felt up to helping me with a somewhat delicate situation?’

‘Of course.’ Daniel nodded eagerly, his curiosity roused by the General’s tentative tone.

‘You know that the Russians spotted the entry of the Asgard ship into Earth’s atmosphere?’ Hammond checked.

‘Yes.’ Daniel confirmed.

‘Well, they’re demanding some answers and they’re not falling for the cover story.’

‘Cover story?’ Daniel asked, his eyebrows rising.

‘We went with a meteor.’ Hammond said briskly.

‘Which they don’t believe because of the controlled entry.’ Daniel surmised.

‘Exactly.’ Hammond sighed. ‘They won’t accept the idea that some mysterious, undetected meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere at the exact trajectory required for a ship on a controlled entry before it suddenly lost said trajectory and broke apart.’

‘I’m not sure I’d accept that story either, General.’ Daniel said truthfully.

Hammond gave a snort of laughter. ‘Me either.’ He admitted. ‘Which leaves us with a sensitive political situation.’

‘Have we thought about telling them the truth?’ Daniel suggested.

Hammond smiled as though he had expected the question. ‘Actually, we have.’ He said. He spread his hands out wide. ‘But the Joint Chiefs and the President both feel that the Stargate should remain undisclosed at this time.’

Daniel shifted in his seat. ‘So how can I help?’

‘You speak and read Russian, correct?’ Hammond checked.

‘Yes. A little.’ Daniel nodded. ‘I wouldn’t say I was particularly fluent though.’

‘I’d like you to take a look at the information we’ve gathered from communications we’ve intercepted from the Russians through various channels. See what you make of it.’ Hammond explained. ‘If possible I’d like you to assess whether there is a potential version of events they would accept.’

‘Communications?’ Daniel’s eyebrows rose as he realised they must be spying on the Russians. ‘Oh.’

‘I know it’s an unusual request, Doctor Jackson, and if you’re not comfortable…’ Hammond began.

‘No, no. It’s fine.’ Daniel assured him. ‘I just never really thought of myself as being involved in espionage before,’ he frowned, ‘which is strange really when you consider that I keep the Stargate secret.’

Hammond smiled and handed him a file. ‘Thank you for your assistance in this matter, Doctor Jackson.’

Daniel heard the dismissal in the words and stood up to take the file. He left the General’s office and headed to his own.

A couple of hours later, he had the documents spread out on his central workbench, a Russian dictionary at his elbow. He took a sip of his coffee and reread one of the communications again, frowning.

‘Daniel.’ Nyan came to a halt in the doorway.

‘Nyan.’ Daniel greeted the Bedrosian archaeologist absently and waved him in.

‘I wanted to give you the latest reports on the language SG12 discovered last week.’ Nyan raised the folder he held.

‘Oh, great.’ Daniel took the folder and flipped through it. ‘They believe the root language is Spanish?’

‘Yes, they believe the population may have been transported from South America some years after the Spanish invasion.’ Nyan recited. ‘I have been reading about that period of your history and it is fascinating.’

‘Yes.’ Daniel nodded as he quickly glanced through the rest of the report. ‘Humans pretending to be Gods. You have to wonder whether we got the idea from the Goa’ulds or whether they got it from us.’ He looked up. ‘This is good work, Nyan.’

‘Thank you.’ Nyan gestured at the documents on the table. ‘Is there anything I can help you with?’

‘Uh, no.’ Daniel shook his head. ‘I’m just translating some Russian documents for General Hammond.’

‘There is a rumour that the Russians will attack because of the incident with the Asgard ship.’ Nyan said.

Daniel stared at him. ‘Where did you hear that?’

‘It is the topic of much conversation in the commissary.’ Nyan informed him. ‘Is it true?’

‘No!’ Daniel said forcefully. He waved the folder at Nyan. ‘Not exactly.’

‘Not exactly?’ Nyan questioned.

Daniel closed his eyes briefly before he reopened them. ‘It’s complicated.’ He explained. ‘America and Russia have a huge history of distrust and…’

‘Like Bedrosia and the Optricans.’ Nyan asserted, in relating it to his own planet’s history.

‘Well, the war on your planet was religiously motivated whereas the tension between the two countries here comes from political differences.’ Daniel explained. ‘We’ve made great diplomatic strides in the last decade and the differences between us have become less.’

‘But the tension and mistrust still exists?’ Nyan asked, genuinely interested.

‘Yes.’ Daniel sighed, pushing his hand through his hair and motioning at the mass of documents that covered his desk. ‘Which is why I’m looking through all of this trying to find a way to convince them that we’re telling the truth.’

‘Even though we are lying.’ Nyan checked.

‘Yes.’ Daniel sighed again and slumped onto a stool. ‘That doesn’t make a great deal of sense, does it?’ He smiled ruefully at the Bedrosian.

‘I understand your country’s need to protect the secret of the Stargate,’ Nyan said quietly, ‘just as I understood the Bedrosian military’s wish to keep your existence a secret. Knowing the truth might cause civil unrest on a massive scale; our entire way of life would have been threatened.’ He gestured at Daniel. ‘Do you believe the rest of your world is ready to know the truth?’

Daniel shook his head slowly. ‘No. I don’t.’

‘Then perhaps your task of protecting the secret is worthwhile.’ Nyan offered sincerely.

‘Actually, I half thought the General gave it to me to keep me from thinking about…’ Daniel struggled to finish the sentence. ‘Everything.’ He said finally.

‘You miss your friends very much.’ Nyan observed.

‘I do.’ Daniel gave a sad smile. ‘I know it sounds weird but after everything we’ve been through, we’re more like family. I don’t know what I’m going to do if…’ he stopped and gave Nyan an apologetic shrug. ‘Sorry.’

‘I’m sure they will fix the gate soon and your friends will return.’ Nyan said, comfortingly.

‘I hope so,’ Daniel said, picking up his mug again, ‘I hope so.’

Day Four – P3X234

‘What’s wrong with it?’ Jack snapped, glaring at the inactive Stargate with an unhappy frown.

‘There’s nothing wrong this end, sir.’ Sam said defensively. ‘I’ve checked and besides,’ she gestured at Teal’c, ‘Teal’c has gated to the Jaffa planet and back without any problems since we tried yesterday. The problem must be back on Earth, sir.’ Her own frustration at not being back at the SGC to help seeped through her words.

‘So we’re still stuck here?’ Jack growled. ‘That’s just great.’

Teal’c raised an eyebrow at the Colonel’s tone. He looked from the Colonel to the Major and back again. There was an uneasy tension between them with no sign of the relaxed informality that had been present following their last mission and he wondered briefly if something had happened. ‘I should return and gather additional supplies.’ The Jaffa murmured.

‘Yes. Go. Gather.’ Jack waved at him.

Teal’c dialled the gate and made his way back to the Jaffa camp. He quickly picked up the additional supplies his team-mates would need and made his way back to P3X234. He walked out of the wormhole and was momentarily surprised to find the Colonel alone.

‘Where is Major Carter?’ Teal’c asked bluntly.

‘I sent her back to the camp.’ Jack rubbed his hand through his hair furiously. He picked up one of the bags Teal’c had brought and peeked inside it. He sighed at the familiar looking bread and vegetables. He hoisted it over one shoulder, keeping his gun slung over the other.

Teal’c fell into step beside him. ‘Is everything alright, O’Neill?’ He asked concerned.

‘You mean apart from the fact that we’re stuck on this planet with no way home?’ Jack asked caustically.

‘Yes.’ Teal’c confirmed, taking the question at face value.

Jack sighed heavily. ‘Oh yeah, Teal’c. Everything’s just peachy.’

Teal’c’s eyebrows rose at the disgusted tone. ‘I do not believe everything is,’ he paused for a moment, ‘peachy.’

Jack shot him a look. ‘It’s fine, Teal’c.’

Teal’c heard the warning note in the younger man’s voice and knew it was usually the signal for him to back off; to remain silent. He had observed that Daniel Jackson usually ignored that signal and Teal’c suddenly missed his absent team-mate with a fierceness that surprised him. He wished the other man was there to help him navigate the sometimes strange ways of the Tau’ri. His lips firmed. ‘Have you and Major Carter argued?’

Jack threw him a stunned look. ‘We haven’t argued, Teal’c.’ He kept walking briskly onwards. ‘Nothing’s going on between me and Carter.’ His lips twisted. ‘Nothing. Nada. Zippo.’

Teal’c raised an eyebrow. And there was the problem. He had observed how close his team-mates had become despite the regulations that governed their behaviour. He was certain that they cared for each other deeply just as he was equally certain that neither would act on their feelings while they served together. He dropped the subject, knowing it was off-limits.

They walked on in silence for a few minutes.

‘So,’ said Jack, shooting him a cautious look, ‘what’s with the, uh,’ he gestured at his own chin and back at Teal’c’s, where the Jaffa was sporting a thin strip of hair.

‘I do not wish to discuss it.’ Teal’c said firmly, chagrined. He didn’t want to acknowledge that he was growing the thin beard because it had been the forfeit he’d had to make after he had lost a training exercise against Bra’tac; his pride was smarting from the defeat at the hands of his mentor. It had been a good lesson to never underestimate his opponent, Teal’c mused.

Jack pulled a face but the subject was dropped. They reached the camp to find it empty. A worried look crossed Jack’s face before it cleared abruptly when he realised Sam’s change of clothing had disappeared too.

‘She must have gone to the stream to change.’ Jack said with relief.

Teal’c helped Jack stow the rest of the supplies.

‘You heading back?’ The Colonel asked casually. ‘You don’t want to stay awhile and hang out?’

‘Rya’c is waiting for me.’ Teal’c said calmly.

‘Right. Have fun.’ Jack’s envy bled through the single word and Teal’c was reminded that his friend had lost his own son.

The Jaffa began to turn away but hesitated. ‘O’Neill.’

‘Hmmm?’ Jack stopped fiddling with the fire and looked over at him.

‘I must thank you once again for allowing me to spend this time with my son.’ Teal’c began.

‘Teal’c, that’s not…’

Teal’c stopped Jack from continuing with a look. ‘I have discovered that it is important to make the most of these rare moments of opportunity.’

‘Teal’c…’ Jack looked completely bemused by his statement.

A hint of a smile softened Teal’c’s features. ‘I am visiting with Rya’c.’ He pointed out. ‘Before our plans were disturbed by the Asgard, did you not tell me that you were anticipating a fishing trip to a remote location for your own vacation?’

Comprehension began to dawn on Jack’s face.

Teal’c bowed his head and left, satisfied his point had been made.

o-O-o

Jack started to build the fire, carefully letting his mind go blank as he focused on the task of layering the branches. He counted the matches they had left: ten more. He hoped the SGC got the gate working before they ran out. They were having to put the fire out every day in the hope the wormhole worked. Jack glanced around at the pots and pans. Teal’c had assured him that his fellow Jaffa would collect the items if Teal’c failed to return to the camp. Jack sighed and struck a match. The flame flared to life with a hiss. He carefully lowered the flickering matchstick to the wood and the bundle of kindling he had arranged. It caught quickly and a few prods later, the fire was burning steadily.

Jack sat back down on the log and watched it with satisfaction. His mind drifted back to his conversation with Teal’c. He almost found it amusing that Teal’c had misinterpreted the tension between himself and Sam, believing them to have argued. An argument would be an improvement, Jack mused. In the past two days, he and Sam had retreated from relaxed flirting into a civil formality that he didn’t think they’d even had in the first few days of working together. If she called him ‘sir’ one more time, he might lose it, Jack considered wryly.

He lowered his head into his hands and rubbed his face briskly. It was his own fault. He had been the one who had told Teal’c to go visit with his kid; he had been the one to maroon himself on a deserted planet with Carter. He had been the one who had returned to the camp after seeing Teal’c off that first day intent on being nothing but professional. He had seen her startled look the first time he’d used her rank and given her an order to finish the camp while he did a perimeter check.

He’d been an ass, Jack thought harshly; just because he hadn’t trusted himself around her. He sighed. Watching her sleep during his watch was becoming a form of torture to him. The temptation of her, so close and yet so out of reach. He frowned. The whole situation was frustrating on several levels; frustrating because they were stuck on the planet; frustrating because he was stuck with a woman he wanted but couldn’t have; frustrating that he had created the awkward tension between them. He shook himself. His eyes caught on Sam’s building project in the cave.

She had created a trap to try and catch one of the rabbit-like creatures she had seen in the forest. It was a simple design and Jack figured it would work. She must be bored, Jack mused. Her idea of fun was to run tests on a naquadah generator not sitting around a camp all day. Not to mention that it had to be killing her knowing that her skills and expertise were needed back on Earth to make the gate work and get them home.

‘I have discovered that it is important to make the most of these rare moments of opportunity.’

Jack doubted that Teal’c meant anything more than what the Jaffa had suggested; to take the leave they had been due. Teal’c didn’t know that Jack had planned to invite Sam on his leave, didn’t know she had turned him down or how close Jack believed he had been to convincing her to come along anyway. Maybe he could have his vacation with Sam. All he had to do was believe what he had told her was true; that there was nothing wrong with the two of them spending time together.

He sat still, contemplating the idea, his heartbeat racing.

He’d have to stop being an ass.

Jack pulled a face.

He could do that.

He hoped.

The sound of her footsteps approaching had him looking up almost panicked. Sam appeared at the edge of the camp. She had changed into the oversize tunic and pants that Teal’c had provided. She carried her own black t-shirt and BDU pants over one arm; her other arm carried her gun. She ignored him to stow the soap she had used in the makeshift wash-bag with the other personal hygiene items Teal’c had managed to scare up; toothbrushes, some kind of toothpaste and a razor. She began to hang the clothes over the boulder by the fire and Jack surmised she had washed them at the same time as bathing herself. He watched absently as she hung out a t-shirt, pants, panties, bra…

Jack snapped his gaze away hurriedly. God, she was naked under her outfit… He stood up with more haste than grace.

She looked over at him questioningly. ‘Are you OK, sir?’

‘Fine.’ Jack said roughly. ‘I’m, uh, I’m going to go get changed myself. Take a dip.’

She nodded, a crease between her brows giving away her puzzlement at his behaviour as he charged over to the caves, grabbed the clothing and soap bag. He left before she could speak and headed down to the stream. He followed the water to where it became wide and deep enough to bathe. He toed his boots off and walked into the cold water fully clothed. It was the best alternative to a cold shower he could find at short notice, Jack mused ruefully. He waded back to the bank and stripped. He cleaned his body thoroughly with the soap, rinsed and stepped out. He grimaced at the realisation he had left a cloth to use as a towel in the caves and made do with his sweater, wiping away the excess water before he shoved his damp legs into the clean pants he had brought. He ran a hand over his jaw and winced at the rough feel of his beard.

He searched through the soap bag and found the razor Teal’c had provided. He grimaced but soaped his face and began to shave. It took a while but the careful task kept his mind fully occupied. He had just finished when he heard a rustling sound behind him. He turned sharply, the razor becoming a weapon in a blink of an eye.

Sam held her hand up quickly. ‘It’s just me, sir.’

Jack breathed out sharply. ‘You might want to give me a warning next time, Carter.’

‘Sorry, sir.’ Sam said automatically. She fell silent.

Jack looked at her questioningly. She didn’t say anything although her attention was still on him. His eyebrows rose slightly. ‘Was there something you wanted?’

There was a flash of something in her blue eyes and she suddenly closed them. She shook her head as though to shake away her thoughts. It took only a moment and he watched transfixed as she reopened her eyes and turned to look back toward the camp to gesture awkwardly.

‘I, uh, I made some lunch.’ Sam said.

Jack nodded. ‘I’ll be there in a minute.’

‘Right.’ Sam hurried away.

Jack watched until she disappeared from sight before he rinsed his face in the water and slowly reached for the loose tunic to cover his torso. He wondered at Sam’s reaction. For a moment, it had almost seemed like that there had been desire in her eyes. For him. He stuffed his head through the opening and dragged the tunic on. He sighed and picked up his things to make his way back to the camp.

Sam was crouched over the fire, stirring a pot of simmering stew. She acknowledged him with a small smile and dished the contents into two tins they were using as plates. She handed him his and took a seat on the floor, her back resting against the fallen log. Jack joined her and he noticed her surprise. He hadn’t sat next to her since Teal’c had gone to visit Rya’c.

They ate in silence.

Jack looked over at Sam and took in her downcast expression. He took another bite of his meal. ‘So, what do you think is holding up the gate?’

Sam’s eyes snapped to his, startled.

He waved his spoon at her. ‘You’re thinking about it.’ He teased.

She gave a self-conscious smile as she pushed her food around the tin and considered her answer. ‘It could be any number of different things, sir.’

‘Best case?’ Jack prodded.

‘Best case would be that it’s a physical issue with getting the gate in place.’ She turned towards him and Jack was pleased to see her blue eyes sparking with animation as she warmed to her subject.

‘Physical issue?’ Jack prompted.

‘It may have taken longer than I estimated for them to unpack the second gate, remove the permanent iris, transport the gate and get it installed.’ Sam explained.

‘Ah.’ Jack nodded sagely. ‘That physical issue.’

Her lips quirked upwards in a bright smile.

‘And worst case?’ Jack said light-heartedly.

She pulled a face. ‘I’m not sure…’

‘Carter.’ Jack cut her off. ‘You might as well tell me.’

She nodded quickly. ‘You understand, sir, that in the absence of a DHD, our gate works because of the systems we created that allow us to dial it?’

‘It may have been mentioned one or two times.’ Jack said, scraping the last remnants of his portion from the tin.

‘Well, it took Catherine’s team years to build those systems.’ Sam frowned. ‘When I joined the programme…’

‘The first time.’ Jack interjected.

‘The first time,’ Sam allowed, ‘it took us months to properly calibrate the gate symbols with the dialling programme, to even create the programme in the first place and…’

‘Carter.’ Jack raised a finger. ‘What are you talking about?’

Sam placed her tin on the ground. ‘Think of the gate as a…a piece of hardware, sir, that connects with a computer.’ She snapped her fingers. ‘Like a printer.’

‘OK.’ Jack was willing to go along with the idea.

‘So, you have one printer and you disconnect it and…’

‘Blow it up.’ Jack chimed in.

She smiled. ‘Yes, sir. So, you get another printer and you connect it up but it doesn’t work, why not?’

Jack looked at her bemused.

‘Because your computer doesn’t recognise it.’ Sam continued. ‘You have to tell the computer that it has new hardware and maybe even install new software to help it talk to the new hardware.’

‘So, you’re saying the dialling computer may not recognise the second gate.’ Jack stated.

‘Exactly, sir.’ Sam frowned unhappily. ‘If that is the case then…’

‘We could be stuck here awhile while they figure all this out and tell the computer it has a new gate.’ Jack sighed.

‘Actually, sir, we may be stuck here for longer than that.’ Sam gestured nervously at him. ‘They may have to create new software to help the computer talk to the new gate.’

‘How long?’ Jack asked quietly.

‘Well, taking into account they could use the current dialling programme as a base but that there are very few people with in depth knowledge of the…’

‘How long?’ Jack said again, more insistently.

Sam met his gaze squarely. ‘We could be looking at months, sir.’

Jack’s eyes held hers. ‘Months, huh?’ He offered her a crooked smile. ‘We’re going to need more matches.’

She smiled at his reply. ‘Sir…’

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Carter.’ Jack said firmly. ‘That was the worst case, right?’

She nodded.

‘So we keep on trying the gate over the next few days and hope for the best.’ Jack continued.

Sam nodded again.

‘Hey.’ He nudged her. ‘We’re going home, Carter. I guarantee it.’

‘How do you know, sir?’ Sam said softly.

‘Because Daniel’s back there and I bet you any money, he’ll be bugging the hell out of them until they get the gate working just to shut him up.’

She burst out laughing and he smiled.

‘Seriously, Sam,’ he said quietly, ‘if there’s one thing this year has taught me, it’s that we can count on each other to get home no matter how hopeless it seems.’

Her face softened and she turned back to the fire.

Jack set his tin aside and clasped his hands together loosely over his knees. ‘You know Teal’c maybe has the right idea.’

‘Sir?’ Sam looked at him puzzled.

‘Well, he’s taking his vacation.’ Jack pointed out. ‘Maybe we should do the same. You know; relax. Take things easy.’

‘Go fishing?’ Sam smiled at him broadly.

Jack wondered if it was just him that heard the suggestive undertone to her words and dismissed it as his imagination working overtime again. He ignored it and pointed upwards. ‘Or cloud watching.’

‘Cloud watching?’ Sam questioned sceptically.

‘Sure.’ He shifted to lie down fully and gestured for her to do the same.

She gave him a wary look but stretched out beside him, staring up into the sky.

‘See that cloud there?’ Jack pointed the fluffy white object in question. ‘It looks like Thor.’

She chuckled. ‘OK, that does not look like Thor.’

‘It so does.’ Jack shot back in mock defence. ‘It’s the exact shape of his head.’ He motioned around the shape in the sky.

‘I don’t think so, sir.’

‘OK, genius, what do you think it looks like?’ Jack challenged.

She stared at it and suddenly her eyes widened. ‘It’s a bear.’

‘A bear?’ Jack frowned. ‘I don’t see a bear.’

Sam shifted closer to him. ‘Sure, see?’ Her hand drew on the air in front of them, shaping a bear from the cloud above.

‘Oh, that bear.’ Jack teased.

‘OK, so what about that cloud?’ Sam pointed to a more unusual mass drifting across the sky.

‘That cloud?’ Jack pursed his lips. ‘That’s too easy.’ He murmured as she shifted again to change position and the top of her head came to rest against his shoulder.

‘So, what do you see?’ Sam prompted.

Jack smiled and looked up into the sky. ‘A fish.’ He stated boldly. ‘That’s definitely a fish.’

Day Six – P3X234

Sam watched with amusement as Jack stretched his legs out and placed his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. He looked the picture of contentment. She took advantage of his nap to simply look at him. His grey hair was mussed and the strands were sticking up at odd angles. She probably looked the same, she mused ruefully. The soap that Teal’c had brought was OK but it wasn’t a shampoo and the combination of it and the stream water had managed to make every day a bad hair day. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and grimaced. Her blue eyes flickered back to the Colonel. He looked good with his hair awry.

She rolled her eyes at the thought and let her gaze travel over his face. It was totally relaxed; the lines smoothed to faint markers. The shadows under his eyes had gone. He had continued shaving the past few days and his jaw was smooth. Her gaze dropped to his chest covered by the heavy linen of the Jaffa tunic.

They had both changed into the borrowed clothing again when they had returned to the camp after another failed attempt to dial the gate. She bit her lip. Their Earth clothing was just about acceptable; they had both washed the clothing in the stream and it was clean enough even though it retained a slightly algae-ish odour. It would do for the journey home.

The last few mornings they had gotten up, changed into their Earth gear and made their way to the gate. They would wait for Teal’c and when the Jaffa joined them, they would try to dial Earth. At each failed attempt, Teal’c travelled back to the Jaffa camp and returned with supplies before leaving again to resume his time with his son. Sam rubbed her arms thoughtfully. She and the Colonel would make their way back to their camp and head to the stream to bathe and change clothes. It was becoming routine but their borrowed tunics and pants were beginning to look rumpled and dirty; they needed cleaning. If they couldn’t get home again the next day, they were going to have to ask Teal’c for another set of clothing, Sam decided.

She sighed as her eyes remained on Jack’s broad chest. The memory of seeing him half-naked a few days before when she had gone to tell him lunch was ready drifted through her mind. She flushed. She couldn’t believe she had ogled him like that. Get a grip, Sam, she berated herself. She averted her gaze and got to her feet quietly. She walked a few paces and stopped where the ground fell sharply away. She crossed her arms and looked out at the green and lush valley below them.

It was beautiful, she thought. They’d found the spot the day before during a hike. The Colonel’s decision to treat the time they were stuck as a vacation had meant that they had spent the past couple of days exploring the planet. Sam bit her lip. The first afternoon after the cloud-watching, the two of them had walked down-stream until the stream had turned into a river. The previous day had been spent walking upstream into the hills. They’d come across the grassy verge with its spectacular view and the Colonel had declared that they would return with a picnic if the gate still didn’t work. Sam wondered if the fact that she had stood in front of the gate that morning and hoped that it wouldn’t work was a bad thing.

Sam looked unseeingly at the mass of tree-tops in the valley below. She probably shouldn’t be enjoying being stuck on a planet with her commanding officer as much as she was, she mused. She had been a bit taken aback when the Colonel had acted so formal after he had agreed to let Teal’c spend the time with Rya’c but she had understood. They were military and effectively, they were on a mission. They were supposed to retain a formality. Of course, she had never seen the Colonel insist on so much formality and that had surprised her; made her second guess whether he had guessed at her feelings and was silently telling her that she had no chance as though she didn’t already know. She took a deep breath. She knew she had retreated into even more formality. He had been so gruff those first few days on the planet; almost angry. She figured he must have been frustrated at being stuck and worried about whether they had saved Earth; maybe angry at the Asgard for not taking them home. Whatever it had been, his attitude had certainly changed.

In some ways, she mused, it had been easier when he had only spoken to her to give her an order. She could remember then he was her CO and off-limits. Not like the past couple of days when he had stopped being Colonel O’Neill and had just been Jack.

Jack.

He had insisted after the cloud-watching that since they were on holiday she should call him by his first name reminding her that she had permission to use it. Sam had resisted and he had challenged her to a game of chess to determine whether she would. They had sketched out a board on the ground and used odd objects – pebbles, leaves, twigs – for the pieces. He had won. Sam smiled at the memory. She was very good at chess but she had admit that Jack was better than her.

But then, Sam mused, he was brilliant at strategy. It was one of the many things she admired about him. He was also being incredibly charming, funny and attentive as though it was his responsibility to make sure she had fun on their ‘vacation.’ She had the horrible sinking feeling that she was falling more in love with him – if that was possible.

‘Hello, Earth to Sam?’ Jack’s voice at her elbow had her physically jumping. ‘You OK?’ He asked, his voice hummed with amusement at her reaction.

Sam placed a hand on her chest as though the touch would calm her heart. ‘You scared me.’

Jack waggled his eyebrows at her. ‘You were miles away.’ He remarked. ‘An entire Jaffa army could have sneaked up on you.’

Sam shot him a disbelieving look before turning away and gesturing out at the vista below them. ‘I was admiring the view.’

‘Yeahsureyoubetcha.’ Jack said lightly.

Sam ducked her head, hiding a smile. She had said the phrase a couple of days before and Jack had taken to using it to tease her.

‘It is beautiful.’ Jack commented seriously, capturing her attention again.

She looked back at him and found him looking back at her. Her cheeks heated; he couldn’t be talking about her, could he?

Jack frowned suddenly and pointed out at the valley. ‘Are those what I think they are?’

Sam followed the direction of his finger and her eyes settled on what looked like the ruins of some building. ‘It looks like an old temple.’

‘You’re not going to want to go see it, are you?’ Jack asked suspiciously.

Her smile widened. ‘I’m not Daniel.’

‘You’re not?’ Jack pretended to be shocked, placing a hand dramatically over his chest and she laughed. He waved at the ruins. ‘I guess you’re not. He’d already be bugging me to go see it.’

Sam looked at him knowingly. ‘I miss him too.’

‘I don’t miss him.’ Jack denied.

She raised an eyebrow, hoping it was a somewhat approximation of Teal’c’s.

He shuffled and sighed. ‘OK. So, I miss the spacemonkey.’ Jack wagged a finger at her. ‘But if you ever tell him that…’ he threatened her lightly.

‘Your secret is safe with me, Jack.’ She chuckled as she looked back at the valley.

‘We should head back to camp, Sam.’ Jack said seriously, nudging her. He motioned at the clouds hovering in the East. ‘It looks like it might rain.’

She nodded and headed back to the blanket to pack up the remains of the picnic they had brought. Jack retrieved his gun and picked up his blanket. Sam followed him down the hill and accepted his hand when the terrain got steep; it took her a while to realise he hadn’t pulled away and she left her hand his.

The first drops of rain began to fall as they reached their usual spot by the stream. They began to run as the precipitation started earnest. Large droplets struck the ground, followed by more. It was as though a dam had suddenly broke; the drops turned to sheets of water falling from the sky. Jack’s hand pulled her into the relative cover of the forest. They were out of breath by the time they stumbled soaking wet into the caves by the camp.

Sam gave a laugh as Jack swore roundly. He finally let go of her hand and she reached up with both hands to drag them through her damp hair and push the strands out of her eyes. She missed the heated look in Jack’s eyes before he jerked his gaze away.

Sam pulled at her wet clothing. ‘I’m soaked. I should change.’

‘Yeah.’ Jack’s voice was gruff and he didn’t move from position looking out into the rain.

Sam collected her clothes and moved to the back of the cave. She shivered as she stripped the wet clothing off and hurried into her Earth gear. ‘I’m decent.’ She called. She gestured at Jack as he turned back to her. ‘You should change too. You don’t want to catch a chill.’

Jack gave a tight smile but he moved to pick up his clothes and they swapped places. She stood by the entrance and watched the rain washing away the camp they had made. She wrapped her arms around her middle.

‘Damn.’ Jack said quietly as he joined her. ‘It’s really coming down.’

‘It’s washed away the chess board.’ Sam commented sadly.

‘We should build a fire; try and get warm.’ Jack tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to leave the entrance and follow him into the cave to pick up the kindling and extra firewood they had stored there.

An hour later, they were sat side by side resting up against the wall of the cave. A small fire burned in a pit Jack had dug out of the floor and their hands were wrapped around mugs filled with the warm coffee-like drink.

Sam drew her knees up as she shook with another shiver. Her fingers tightened around the ceramic she held as though her grip would help transmit the heat from the mug into her entire body.

‘Cold?’ Jack asked.

She nodded.

Jack set aside his mug and gestured at her. ‘C’mere.’ He said quietly, lifting his arm so she could move closer to him.

She put her mug down and curled into his side. Almost immediately his body began to warm hers. She snuggled closer, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered closed; Jack’s heart beat steadily under her palm, the crackle of the fire and patter of rain filled her ears.

Sam woke with a start. She wondered what had disturbed her and she realised that the rain had stopped. She raised her head carefully. Jack must have fallen asleep too, she mused. His arm hung loosely around her shoulder. Her gaze traced his features unable to resist the temptation. He was so close and she loved him so much…

Fear bubbled up through her; panic rising in its wake.

Regulations.

Her mind fairly screamed the word at her. Sam pulled away from Jack gently, careful not to disturb him. She hurried from the cave and into the afternoon sun; and then she was running; running as though her life depended on it.

o-O-o

Jack stood in the centre of the camp and frowned. He hadn’t been worried when he had woken up alone in the cave; he just figured Sam had headed to get some fresh water or to take a bathroom break but that had been over an hour before by his estimation. He had spent that hour righting the camp. They had been lucky. The heat of the sun had dried the wet puddles and mud. Jack had rebuilt the fire with dry wood but he didn’t want to light it until he knew where Sam was. He pressed his lips together contemplating his options.

She had her gun and her radio; if she had run into trouble she would have called him and she knew how to defend herself, but he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling something was wrong. Jack sighed; his decision made. He went back into the cave for his own weapon. Five minutes later, he was following the faint imprint of her tracks down to the stream. He slowed as he caught sight of her.

Sam sat atop a boulder overlooking the stream, her feet on the boulder, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She was staring out in the running water. He walked over and leaned on the boulder beside her, relieved to see it looked reasonably dry after the rainstorm. He placed his gun down. He clasped his hands together and glanced at her. She hadn’t stirred and Jack wasn’t certain if she even knew he was there. He folded his arms.

Jack cleared his throat. ‘So, what’re you thinking?’

He felt Sam shift; a small movement to adjust her position. ‘I’m thinking I should leave the team.’ She blurted out honestly.

Jack’s eyebrows shot up as he turned to look at her. ‘Why?’ He asked unthinkingly.

Sam avoided his gaze; she kept her eyes pinned to her boots. She didn’t answer him. He didn’t need her to, Jack realised; he figured he already knew. He’d dropped his guard in the past couple of days and she must have worked out how he felt about her; it had made things too uncomfortable for her to stay on the team whatever her feelings for him. He pushed a hand through his grey hair and tried to ignore the sharp sting of disappointment.

‘Carter…’ he sighed, ‘you don’t need to leave the team; I’ll leave.’

Her head snapped up and her blue eyes flew to his. ‘Why would you leave?’ She demanded. ‘This is my problem.’ she blushed furiously.

Jack frowned and shuffled awkwardly. ‘I don’t think how I feel is your problem, Carter.’

Sam stared at him. ‘How you feel?’

‘Yeah,’ he began forcefully, ‘how I…’ Her astonishment suddenly hit him and he stopped abruptly; she was thinking of leaving the team because of how she felt, not because of him. ‘Oh.’ He slumped back against the boulder and looked up at the sky, his jaw tensing as he realised what he had just unwittingly revealed to her.

The two of them sat in silence for a long moment.

‘Well, this is awkward.’ Jack commented finally. He didn’t know what else to say to her.

‘I had no idea,’ Sam began.

‘That was the plan.’ Jack cut in. He risked a look back at her. She looked back at him shyly, disbelief flitting through her eyes. He wondered at that; it was though she couldn’t believe he would find her attractive. He dismissed the thought; it was him who wasn’t good enough for her, not the other way around.

‘I had the same plan.’ Sam said hesitantly.

Jack nodded sharply.

‘I mean, given our working relationship, our military ranks…’ Sam continued.

‘I know.’ Jack said.

There was another moment of silence as they both adjusted to their new knowledge; that they each felt something for the other; that their buried secret was out in the open.

‘So, what happens now?’ Sam asked. The question fell like a pebble into a pool, ripples extending outwards.

Jack looked at her guardedly. His own emotions were so mixed-up that he couldn’t make head nor tails of them; joy, hope, doubt…’What do you want to happen?’

‘I don’t know.’ Sam admitted, looking away from him. ‘If it was just us…’ She let the wistful thought trail away.

But it wasn’t just them; he knew that and so did she. Jack felt his chest tighten with pain. There was more at stake than just their personal future. They had their mission; they had a team that worked and they couldn’t risk the safety of their planet on something that might or might not work between them.

‘I should probably leave the team anyway.’ Sam declared, looking back at him.

‘Like hell.’ Jack shot back, his voice rising. He pushed off the boulder and moved to stand in front of her. She looked back at him bemused. ‘You can’t leave the team.’ He repeated, trying to stay calm. ‘I need you.’

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly.

‘On the team.’ He belatedly added. ‘On SG1. Your skills. You!’ He waved his hand at her. ‘Dammit.’ He muttered frustrated at his own inability to say what he wanted. She watched him as he took a breath and began again. ‘I’ll leave.’

‘You can’t leave.’ Sam protested.

‘Well, neither can you.’ Jack shot back, uncaring that he sounded childish.

Her gaze dropped from his again briefly.

‘Look,’ Jack said eventually, ‘I think we’re both agreed that we’re needed on the team right now.’

‘Sir, what about the regulations?’ She challenged. ‘I’ve been sat here thinking that I’m not sure I can make objective decisions any more.’

‘You can handle it.’ Jack said brusquely. ‘We can handle it. We have up to now and just because you know and I know, nothing’s changed in terms of,’ he pulled a face, ‘feeling feelings.’ He sighed and shifted his weight. ‘And none of this has to leave this planet. It can stay between us.’

Sam twisted her fingers together nervously and nodded.

‘So, nothing changes.’ Jack concluded.

The same disappointment and repressed longing shone from both their eyes.

He sighed and offered her his hand. ‘Come on. Let’s get back to camp.’

Her hand slid into his and she slipped off the boulder. They stood closely together for a moment, his hand linked with hers. His thumb ran over her knuckles.

She looked at him quizzically.

‘We’re OK, aren’t we?’ Jack asked, wanting to make sure; needing to be sure.

Sam nodded and squeezed his hand. He let go.

Part Three: Wheels Back in Motion

Day Seven – P3X234

Sam poked the fire desolately. The gate hadn’t worked again and she was beginning to think that they were facing the worst case scenario; that the new gate was having problems talking with the computer. She didn’t know what they were going to do if that was true; she should talk to the Colonel, discuss their options. She glanced toward the cave where he had gone to change.

To say things were awkward between them would be an understatement, Sam thought ruefully. They were both making an effort to pretend that their confessions of the day before hadn’t happened but their easy banter and flirting had been abandoned. They had both lapsed back into their usual addresses of ‘sir’ and ‘Carter.’ They had both flinched when they had accidentally touched reaching for the mugs the previous evening during dinner. He had sat right across the camp from her after that.

She had made her excuses and turned in early but she had barely slept. Her mind had raced over their conversation; over the pleasurable and shocking fact that Jack felt something for her; that the attraction between them was real and not as one-sided as she had believed. But it didn’t make any difference; they were both needed on SG1.

She gave the fire a violent stab and sparks flew into the air. Sam glared at it. What had she expected? That he would declare his love for her and abandon the mission, abandon his duty just to be with her? Jack wasn’t that type of man; if he was she wouldn’t have fallen in love with him. His honour and sense of duty were part of the reason why she loved him so much. And, in truth, he hadn’t actually declared his love for her the day before…just acknowledged that there was something more than he should feel as her CO. Just as she had done the same.

Sam bit the inside of her lip. She hadn’t exactly offered to leave the Air Force either, she mused dejectedly. She wouldn’t abandon their mission either and she hoped her sense of duty was equal to his; her proposal to leave the team had been completely rooted in her own concerns about her ability to make the right decisions; about being equal and fair to Daniel and Teal’c; about being objective about Jack in order to complete their mission. He obviously believed she could handle it and she didn’t want to let him down. So, she would stay on SG1 and so would he. They would continue as they had before, pretending to be nothing more than team-mates.

It sucked.

A sharp cry filled the air and had Sam abandoning the fire; her gun was in her hands and ready as she raced into the cave.

Jack was staring at the ground with a suspicious expression, his own gun trained on the shadows; he was breathing deeply.

‘Sir?’ She inquired urgently.

‘There was a snake.’ Jack said. ‘A big snake.’

Sam looked at the ground; the dirt covering the rocky floor of the cave seemed undisturbed. ‘I don’t see anything, sir.’

‘It was there,’ Jack said defensively, ‘and I’m telling you it was huge.’

Sam shot him a sceptical look.

‘I’m not making this up, Carter.’ Jack snapped, waving one hand at her; the other kept his gun solidly trained on the shadows.

‘What did you see exactly, sir?’ Sam asked briskly.

‘A snake.’

She rolled her eyes and prayed for patience. ‘Exactly, sir.’ She prompted.

Jack shot her a look but he relented. ‘I just finished changing; went to put my pants on the clothing pile and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye in the shadows here.’

‘And you’re sure it was a snake?’ Sam checked.

‘It was definitely snake-like.’ Jack muttered. There was a creeping look of embarrassment making its way across his face. He turned to her sheepishly. ‘I guess it might be, somewhat possible that it wasn’t a snake, exactly.’

Sam pressed her lips together to stop the bubble of laughter from passing her lips.

Jack lowered his gun and gestured at her. ‘Go ahead; laugh it up.’ He encouraged her.

‘You’re probably just tired.’ She offered generously. She nervously raised her hand from her weapon. She didn’t think he had slept any better than she had.

His eyes dropped away from her.

Sam began to turn away when she saw something move along the cave ceiling above Jack’s head. She whirled and aimed her gun. ‘Sir! Get down!’

Jack followed her instruction, falling to the floor and pointing his own weapon above him.

They both shot at the same time; the flashes of light were bright in the darkness of the cave. A long, thick object dropped to the ground with a thump.

Jack scuttled back out of the way, landing next to Sam. She helped him off the floor.

‘Holy Hannah! Look at it.’ Sam muttered, breathing deeply; her heart-beat pounding in her chest. She suddenly realised that her hand was holding onto Jack’s arm. She let go reluctantly.

‘Holy crap more like it.’ Jack muttered. He reached out tentatively and poked the black serpent with his gun.

‘Is it dead?’ Sam asked bluntly.

‘It’s dead.’ Jack confirmed. He looked at her triumphantly. ‘So. A snake.’ He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Sam smiled. ‘I apologise for doubting that you saw a snake, sir.’

Jack shrugged. ‘You could have been right; I didn’t get much sleep.’

She didn’t know how to reply to that. ‘Well, I should get back to the fire.’ She said hurriedly. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the entrance.

‘Carter.’

She stopped and turned back.

Jack gestured at her awkwardly, his eyes shadowed in the dim light. ‘Thanks for the save.’

Sam smiled at him and started out again.

‘Carter.’

She turned back again to find him staring at the snake with a speculative look.

‘Do you think we can eat it?’ Jack poked it again with his gun.

She grimaced. ‘You want to eat it?’

‘I don’t know about you but I’m getting bored with vegetable stew.’ Jack pointed out. ‘What do you think?’

Sam pulled a face and gave the snake a doubtful look. ‘I guess.’ She said.

‘Come on, Carter, where’s your sense of adventure?’ Jack teased.

She arched an eyebrow. ‘OK, sir, on one condition.’

‘Name it.’ Jack said.

‘You clean it and cook it.’ Sam said, sure he would decline.

‘OK.’ Jack agreed easily. He grinned as though he had guessed at her reasoning.

She gave in gracefully and six hours later, she sat around the camp fire and accepted a piece of barbequed snake from the Colonel.

He watched as she took a hesitant bite.

‘Actually,’ she said chewing thoughtfully, ‘this isn’t half-bad, sir.’

‘I keep telling ya,’ Jack said exasperated, ‘it’s Jack.’

Sam slowed in her chewing and gestured with her greasy fingers. ‘Do you really think I should? I mean, under the circumstances.’

‘Well, maybe not in front of the General.’ Jack quipped.

She couldn’t help smiling. They’d both been more relaxed with each other since the snake incident. Maybe they hadn’t quite recaptured the same flirty atmosphere of the previous few days on the planet but they had definitely not regressed to the rigid formality of their first couple of days there either.

‘I guess it’s probably not a great idea.’ Jack said regretfully.

Sam nodded jerkily.

‘Of course, if we’re stuck here for months…’ Jack waved a wedge of snake at her.

‘If we’re stuck here for months, I’ll call you Jack.’ Sam promised.

Jack frowned and he swallowed his food quickly. ‘The right answer, Carter, was that we’re not going to be stuck here for months.’

She took a bite of her snake to delay answering him.

‘You think they would have fixed any physical issue by now.’ Jack surmised.

‘It has to be technical.’ Sam confirmed.

‘I guess we should talk about how long we keep trying to get home through the Stargate.’ Jack said, taking another bite of the snake. ‘If the gate doesn’t work tomorrow, we should discuss it with Teal’c.’

Sam nodded in acknowledgement and licked her fingers. She glanced up to find Jack watching her. The desire in his eyes had her flushing and wondering how she had missed him looking at her like that before; she guessed he had never been as open about it before. She lowered her fingers self-consciously.

Jack looked away. ‘You know in a couple of years, Carter, you’ll be leading your own SG team.’

Sam’s eyes snapped to him questioningly.

‘And I’ll be too old for field work.’ Jack continued conversationally as though he was discussing the weather.

‘Sir…’

‘I’m just saying that maybe, one day.’ Jack said quickly, looking back at her with a guarded yet wistful expression. ‘If you were single and I was single and we happened not to be in the same chain of command then maybe, one day.’

She smiled at him. ‘I’d like that.’ She hesitated before she added quietly, ‘Jack.’

Jack lips quirked into a quick smile. ‘And, until then, there’s nothing wrong with two team-mates being friends.’

‘Friends.’ Sam agreed.

He turned back to the fire and threw the remains of his meal into it before settling back beside her. For a while they sat in a comfortable silence, the fire popping with the snake grease and the smell of the charred flesh mixing with the wood.

Jack suddenly yawned and Sam looked at him amused. ‘If you want to get some sleep, sir, I’ll take first watch.’

Jack looked back at the cave and gestured at her. ‘I think I’ll sleep out here.’

‘I’ll protect you from the snakes.’ Sam promised with a smile.

He winked at her as he grabbed a nearby blanket and stretched out on the ground. ‘You already do, Carter.’

Sam watched as Jack closed his eyes; in a few moments, his breathing became deep and regular. She leaned back against the log, pulling her knees up to her chest as she looked up at the stars.

Friends.

A sense of peace settled over her. She could do that.

Day Seven – The SGC

‘…so you do see what I’m saying, General.’ Daniel concluded as he tapped the folder he had placed on top of Hammond’s desk.

The portly General looked up at him blankly. ‘I’m afraid I have no idea, Doctor Jackson.’

‘It’s not what the Russians are saying; it’s what they’re not.’ Daniel expanded his point, waving his arm at the folder. ‘In all of their communications there’s not a single mention that the ship could be of alien origin.’

‘So?’ Hammond prompted with a frown. ‘I would have thought that was good news.’

‘Well, yes,’ Daniel admitted, ‘it is good news in some ways.’ He wrapped his hands around his torso and looked at Hammond earnestly. ‘But doesn’t it strike you as odd?’

‘Odd?’

‘Well, if you heard that an object came from, uh, space and entered the atmosphere on a controlled entry…’

‘You think an alien ship would be the likely conclusion.’ Hammond gave a small laugh. ‘There are any number of explanations.’

‘Name them.’ Daniel shot back. He caught Hammond’s shock at his retort and raised a hand in apology. ‘Uh, sorry, sir, I just meant what other explanations are there? And even if there are other explanations wouldn’t there be at least one mention that it might possibly be of an alien origin?’

Hammond stood up and paced over to the small internal window. ‘I take your point, Doctor. So you think they know it was an alien ship?’

‘I don’t know.’ Daniel admitted. ‘I just find it…odd.’

Hammond sighed. ‘I don’t have to tell you that the situation with Russia is very sensitive.’

‘No, sir.’ Daniel agreed quietly.

‘It’s not going to help if I tell the Pentagon we think the Russians might be aware that the incident was alien.’

‘I don’t suppose we can just ask them?’ Daniel suggested half-seriously.

‘Not without exposing our own knowledge.’ Hammond shook his head and pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘Thank you for your observations, Doctor.’

Daniel heard the dismissal in the General’s voice and headed for the door. He made his way down to the control room.

‘…and do not touch the code I have just sent you. Just load it into the file I have specified. Can you do that, hmmm?’

Daniel raised his eyebrows at the strident tone coming from the telephone speaker the technicians were huddled around.

‘Thanks for your help. We’ll contact you if there’s any problem.’ Walter responded briskly.

‘Contact me? No, wait…’

Walter exchanged a look with Siler and the Sergeant stabbed a button to end the call, silencing the still protesting man on the other end.

Daniel frowned. ‘Who was that on the phone?’

‘The new Stargate technology guy at Area 51.’ Walter responded absently as he turned back to the computer and started tapping on his keyboard. ‘I want to say McCoy but that’s not it.’

‘That’s Star Trek.’ Siler commented. ‘You’re thinking of the doctor.’

‘Oh right.’ Walter responded absently.

Daniel cleared his throat noisily. ‘So.’ He said, trying to get the conversation back on track. ‘How’s it going?’

‘Well, we now have a new subroutine to help the computer’s dialling programme talk with the new gate.’ Walter explained. ‘I’m just loading it now.’

‘And this guy at Area 51 wrote it?’ Daniel checked.

‘If he’s half as good as he thinks he is, it should work.’ Siler commented dryly.

Walter turned to him. ‘We should be ready for a test in five minutes.’

Siler nodded. ‘I’ll check on the power couplings.’

Daniel hovered nervously as the final preparations were made. Hammond appeared as the technicians finalised their work.

Walter turned around and nodded at the General. ‘We’re ready, sir.’

‘Dial it up, Sergeant.’ Hammond ordered.

The gate began to spin.

‘Chevron One…’ Walter intoned.

Daniel pinned his blue gaze on the Stargate and prayed.

‘Is encoded.’ Walter said in disbelief as the chevron lit up. ‘Chevron One is encoded.’

Hammond slapped Daniel on the shoulder and the archaeologist rocked forward unexpectedly. The military man grinned back at him happily.

‘Chevron Seven locked.’

Daniel let out a shaky breath as the wormhole blossomed like a beautiful blue flower into the room below.

A cheer went up from the technicians and Daniel barely heard Hammond congratulate them all on a good job. The gate was working and the rest of SG1 could come home.

If they’d made it.

Daniel pushed the doubt to the back of his mind.

They had to have made it and they had to come home.

They wouldn’t leave him behind.

Day Eight – P3X234

‘I’m telling you it was a really big snake.’ Jack said, his brown eyes twinkling mischievously at the Jaffa stood in front of him and Sam. He spread his arms out wide. ‘Really big.’

Teal’c looked at Sam as though to gain her opinion on Jack’s veracity concerning the size of the reptile.

‘Tell him, Carter.’

‘He’s telling the truth, Teal’c.’ Sam said, pressing the first symbol on the DHD down firmly. ‘But I admit I didn’t believe him either at first.’ She darted a light-hearted look at the Colonel. ‘There was nothing there when I got to the cave initially.’

‘That’s because it slithered off before you got there.’ Jack retorted brightly.

‘It must have been frightened when you squealed.’ Sam commented, her blue eyes sparkling back at him as she hit the next two symbols of the gate address.

‘I did not squeal!’ Jack protested to Teal’c. ‘Hey, some respect here, Carter.’ He poked her arm. ‘I did not squeal.’

She shot him a look as she hit another symbol.

‘I may have cried out in a manly way.’ Jack said defensively to Teal’c.

The Jaffa raised an eyebrow. ‘I see.’ He murmured clasping his hands behind his back.

Sam laughed out loud.

Jack’s lips twitched as a warm feeling of contentment stole over him. He sneaked a look at Sam. She looked beautiful. The morning light touched her blonde hair turning it to gold. He took a breath; he had the promise of one day…it was enough; it was more than he had ever believed or hoped was possible.

Jack looked at his Jaffa friend. ‘How are you going to explain that?’ He asked, pointing at the gold strip of hair adorning his friend’s chin.

‘I do not intend to explain.’ Teal’c said firmly.

Sam smiled again at Jack’s taken aback expression and her hand hit the orange centre. The familiar swoosh had them all staring at the rippling blue centre with pleased astonishment.

‘They must have got the gate connected.’ Sam said wonderingly.

‘Send the IDC.’ Jack ordered.

She fumbled for the GDO but her fingers quickly entered the correct code. ‘Receiving confirmation, sir.’

The three of them moved forward.

‘So, do you think they’ll have a band, streamers, maybe a cake?’ Jack asked idly.

‘Sir?’

‘Well, we did save the world again.’ Jack pointed out.

‘I’m just hoping Daniel’s there.’ Sam said. ‘He should have recovered from his surgery now.’

‘I am looking forward to seeing him also.’ Teal’c said.

‘Me too.’ Jack smiled. ‘Not that this hasn’t been fun.’ His eyes caught Sam’s.

Sam smiled at him reassuringly.

He nodded as they reached the wormhole. ‘Let’s go home.’

fin.