AN: Takes place in between seasons eight and nine, right after the season eight episode 'Moebius.'
Sam was never certain about how Jack felt about her, and it was driving her so nuts that she couldn't get anything done anymore. It was useless to be in her lab, as whatever recent piece of equipment she was given, her attention only ever remained fixed on it for half an hour at most. The rest of the time she spent staring at the wall, daydreaming, thinking, or worrying that she had done too much damage to the internal trust and affection that he had always held for her the past seven + years with her now ended engagement to Pete Shanahan. It was useless for Daniel and Teal'c to try to put to rest all her concerns, though they did try... constantly.
But try as they might, not getting any confirmation from Jack himself that he absolved her fears was enough to spur on those same fears of hers until they had threatened to grow to become as large as Cheyenne Mountain itself. Such active fears weren't just taking up a great portion of her attention, to the point that she was beginning to make mistakes, but they were finally threatening to completely consume her. And that just wasn't acceptable any longer to Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter.
So one night, she woke from her thousandth nightmare about the subject in question, and had grown so sick and tired of the trembling and shaking that always followed those dreams that she grew determined to at last do something about her fears that had in turn caused her dreams.
But what could she possible do?
What indeed.
The next day an entirely separate issue was dropped in her proverbial lap, seemingly solving the problem of what to do about discovering how Jack felt about her in one rational sweep of her mental faculties.
And she hadn't even had to break a sweat in order to do it. If Jack O'Neill had known what was about to hit him, he would have been proud of her strategizing skills even as he might have wondered at her sanity. But, as things now stood, he never suspected a thing.
* * *
The briefing that happened two hours after Carter's Plan
began to form in her mind had Daniel, as usual, doing most of the
talking. So you see,
he was saying as Jack valiantly
tried his best to listen to his friend's every word without
falling asleep. The report we got of the original survey of
PRS-199 from the crew of The Prometheus this morning can
be narrowed down to a few lines of...
He seemed to search
his mind for an appropriate explanation of what he was trying to
say.
Jack broke in and said, Is it a report in a nutshell,
Daniel?
Daniel snapped his fingers and pointed at General O'Neill
with his right index finger. That's it exactly,
he
enthused. A nutshell report that says that PRS-199 is
extremely rich in trinium deposits as well as Ancient writing on
walls of what look to be temples, kind of like a library of
buildings, if you will, only...
Jack again interrupted, Let me guess... Our main concern
is that there doesn't seem to be a Stargate on this planet,
he conjectured.
Carter broke in now, her attention engaged for the moment.
She wanted to take advantage of her intense focus on the topic
while she had it. There's a platform that indicates that a
Stargate was once there, Sir,
she said, But the reports
mention that it was destroyed in what must have been an extremely
powerful battle between the one-time inhabitants of...
Jack nodded, looking irritated now, and noted, I read the
report, too, Carter.
Carter looked so momentarily stunned at the idea that Jack had bothered to read any report he had been given that she was rendered speechless.
Slowly Jack grinned at Carter's silence. You're
speechless... Well, this is a first,
he murmured.
Carter didn't quite know how to respond to that personal
comment of his. So instead she just focused on the issue under
discussion. You've read the report?
she blurted. Has
this ever happened before?
Then she flushed at the apparent
brazenness of her question.
Yes, I occasionally read reports,
Jack said in a
completely nonchalant tone that Carter wondered how he'd managed
to carry off.
Her own tone slightly irritated now with his flippancy... or
lack of it... she said, You know what I mean.
I do,
Jack admitted then. He went on to predict,
And you want me... all of us?
She shook her head.
Some of us,
he corrected. Some of us to make a tiny
expedition to this planet via jumper so that you can confirm the
Prometheus crew's 'original report,' so that mining of
this planet's trinium deposits can go into effect as soon as
possible.
Carter felt she had to point out, You have to admit, Sir,
that producing this much trinium will make the Oversight
Committee nothing less than ecstatic.
And if the Oversight Committee is ecstatic,
Jack
finished for her, The President is ecstatic.
Daniel continued, And if the President is happy...
ecstatic... then the SGC retains its current amount of funding
for at least another year.
He eyed his three companions
sitting at the table in the Briefing Room. Doesn't that mean
something to all of us here?
Jack sighed, then said, With the Jaffa Rebellion
progressing so nicely...
Teal'c interjected to remind, The Jaffa Rebellion is to
all purposes fast becoming The Free Jaffa Nation, a political
force to be reckoned with on a galactic scale. The Oversight
Committee surely knows of this.
Jack noted then, Which is why there is such interest in
PRS-199, of course.
He sighed again, his sound of
aggravation washing over those ensconced in the room. The
political maneuverings of this country is really beginning to
annoy me.
Carter grinned a tiny grin. Only beginning to, Sir?
she queried.
Jack grinned back at her. Good point, Carter.
It was comments just like that one from Jack that Teal'c and Daniel had been using to try to convince Sam that she had nothing to worry about concerning Jack's more open respect, if not obvious regard, for her. But she had consistently argued that even though he made such complimentary remarks about her quite often, it didn't mean that Jack held her in anything but professional regard at all. Her two team mates inevitably sighed, shook their heads at her stubbornness, then went on to argue even harder about their views concerning their General's comments. Sam wished it was enough to sway her opinions into alignment with theirs, but she continued to remain unusually stubborn for her.
Jack, of course, was kept oblivious to all of this, at her request.
But now Jack was thoughtfully staring straight at her with his deep brown eyed gaze until she had to either blink and look away, or thoroughly embarrass herself by grabbing his cheeks in her hands, and kissing him dizzy.
She was instantly aware of the irony of her decision. According to military rules, she had made the right choice by abstaining from doing what she wanted to do. But she wasn't so sure of her choice on a more personal level, if she could go by the churning in her stomach that she was currently suffering.
Sam swallowed the twisting sensation accosting her
intestines, and for the moment, managed to push aside the feeling
long enough for her to say in a somewhat intelligent sounding
tone, However, you know that Daniel is slated to be out with
SG-10 on that survey that's been scheduled for weeks. He leaves
tomorrow.
Then she gestured to Teal'c. And Teal'c plans
to visit Ry'ac and Karryn until their baby is born. We can't
exactly ask him not to go right now, as the baby can come at any
time...
Or not for weeks,
Jack reminded her. First babies
are so darned unpredictable.
Carter agreed with him, though she really knew very little
about first babies... or any babies at all, for that matter.
Um... Yes... But you see our problem,
she went on,
speaking of things that she at least understood.
What about sending another team?
Jack then suggested.
Like... What about SG-15? They're stuck on base right now
while Major Conson's broken leg heals.
Carter seemed to look like she was considering his argument,
though she had already thought of this angle to take on the
problem, and had her comments ready for him. I already
thought of that,
she admitted, And though it's a good
idea, the members of the team that are left don't have nearly as
much experience working with trinium as I do.
She grimaced.
I'm afraid they might mess up the samples, to be
honest.
Okaaay.
Jack pursed his lips, then said,
SG-11?
Marines?
Daniel barked. They might be a free
team, but we don't need a passel of Marines to take trinium
samples on a deserted planet!
They might get a bit... rough... anyway,
Carter
pointed out in a small voice. It would be a shame to get all
the way out there only to come back with contaminated
samples.
Jack sat forward in his chair. By the way, how do
you plan to get out there if there's no Stargate on this planet?
I know I already mentioned using the Jumper, but no one gave any
kind of confirmation on that plan. So... you planning on using
The Prometheus?
Daniel shoved his glasses up his nose. Uh, no,
he
said as he fiddled with the temple on his right ear. Finally, he
took the glasses off, and rubbed the side of his head. Darn
glasses,
he mumbled. Hurts... Need to find my other
pair...
He replaced his glasses, then answered Jack's
question. Um... no,
he repeated. The
Prometheus is trying to take some of the load off The
Daedalus, and will be in Pegasus in a few weeks. They leave
today,
he reminded Jack.
Then The Daedalus itself?
Jack next asked.
Carter shook her head. We want to 'Gate to this planet
here,
she explained, pointing at the star chart near his
office with her index finger. PRX-989,
she supplied.
Then we'll fly the Jumper to PRS-199.
She pointed again
at a dot that was so close to the first planet that she seemed to
not move her finger. It should only take about three hours to
make it there at top speed.
Teal'c spoke up then, It would make little sense to
travel in any other way than 'top speed,' ColonelCarter.
Jack covered his grin at what Teal'c had said with a hand in
front of his mouth, and asked another mundane question in order
to get the topic of discussion away from the Jaffa's comment.
And you need me to fly you to this... this PRS-199?
Carter smiled back at him anyway as she said, Unless I've
been given the Ancients Gene in my sleep, and somebody forgot to
tell me about it, yes, I need you to fly the ship, Sir.
At that news, Jack perked up. Heeey... A trip
off-world.
Then he grinned at her. Haven't been on one
of those since the whole 'Maybourne and his merry wives'
deal.
Carter tried to smile at him again, but she actually only
managed to look very pained at the memory that was being
recalled. To distract herself, and them, she persuasively added,
And it would be a very easy mission for you, too, Sir, as
PRS-199 is uninhabited.
Jack's expression instantly turned sour. A mission on an
uninhabited planet? Those are the first missions to go
South,
he explained. Now you have me worried.
Daniel shrugged. There's no reason to worry that we can
think of,
he told his friend. Not unless the Goa'uld turn
up unexpectedly. And PRS-199's not in the Abydos cartouche
system, so that's a pretty remote chance.
Then who defeated the Ancients in the first place, and
destroyed the Stargate?
Jack queried next.
Daniel huffily said, Jack... That was over 10,000 years
ago! I kinda think whoever did this went on to ravage some other
planet.
Carter piped up, Or else the trinium would have been
mined a long time ago.
But it's right there, in the top soil,
Daniel
argued.
Suddenly nervous of such a good thing, Jack said, Is that
trinium there as a trap, just waiting to catch us
unawares?
Daniel rolled his eyes. Yes, Mr. Ultra Worrywart, it's
been lying in the ground for thousands of years just on the off
chance that someone like us will investigate.
We sure could use your fighting expertise on this
mission,
Carter managed to throw in as another round of
mocking persuasion.
Jack growled, but looked pleased that she thought so highly
of his strategic skills in spite of his tone. You just want
to butter me up so I'll agree to this... whatever it is.
This expedition,
Carter helpfully supplied.
Right. This expedition,
Jack echoed.
According to the almost-eager sound of his voice, he had all
but agreed to accompany her on this mission. There was only a
little necessary mental nudging needed to persuade him to give
the mission a 'go.' So Carter purposefully smiled at him, her
special smile that went all the way to her eyes, making them
blaze in the lights of the Briefing Room. Buttering you up
sure doesn't hurt,
she teased, aware of the expression she
was currently using to 'butter up' the General. It was the first
time she had consciously tried to use her feminine charm to get
her way with him, but it was important that he agree to take her
on this mission, or she might as well retire from the Air Force
right now, as she wouldn't be any good to have around anyway.
And it worked. Carter was aware of the exact second that
General O'Neill began to soften. His face smoothed out, and his
forehead uncreased from its typical load of worry wrinkles that
he carried. He caught himself just before he would have smiled
back at her, and turned his expression into something much more
thoughtful as he asked, This is that important to you?
Carter briefly wondered when this 'buttering up' had changed
from being about a mission to being about her in particular, but
she wasn't about to kick a gift horse in the mouth at this point.
So she sighed, then admitted, It could potentially be a lot of
work for nothing if we don't do this right the first time,
Sir.
Jack suddenly came to a decision. Okay,
Little-Miss-Control-Freak, you have a go. I would love to get
off world, and I bet you would love to be in control of...
He paused. Get your hands on some nice soil samples,
he
said instead. When do you want to leave?
Carter was a bit stunned that it had been so easy to
convince him. She had expected to need to argue much more, and
was prepared with three other points to challenge his potential
excuses not to go on this mission in the first place. But it
seemed that she wouldn't need to use them now. Uh..,
she
stuttered, caught momentarily off guard. She thought quickly.
I can get all my notes collected by this afternoon... say...
by 1500?
Perfect.
O'Neill slapped at the table with the palm
of his hand. Well... It's only 1000 right now. Time for
cake.
He rose from his chair, then without looking back,
disappeared down the hall in the direction of the Commissary.
Did he just give you a new nickname?
Daniel asked Sam
as he gathered together the papers he'd brought to the briefing.
What was it again?
he asked, posing with his hand on his
forehead. Little Miss what?
I am not a control freak!
Carter firmly stated
as they all followed in the General's footsteps and entered the
corridor outside the Briefing Room. She tried her best to ignore
the way she had attempted to control the previous briefing as she
walked towards her lab.
Suddenly the light twinkled in Daniel's eyes, shining behind
his glasses. Whatever you say,
he said, then nonchalantly
went on, Jack agreed to take you because it was you who asked,
you know.
Carter turned her half grimace, half astonished expression
on him. It was not!
she protested loudly. Daniel!...
What a half baked idea!
'Methinks you doth protest too much,'
Daniel
instantly retorted.
Carter immediately retorted back, Methinks those books of
yours are finally making you insane, Daniel. I always wondered
when that would happen, and now it has.
She continued to
walk in the direction of her lab, her mind already on the notes
she needed to collect before 1500 that afternoon.
Daniel called after her. How about
Little-Miss-Number-Cruncher?
Daniel!
she called back in warning.
Little-Miss-Motion-Detecter?
Have fun on your mission, Daniel!
she shouted back
over her shoulder. And Teal'c... Give my congratulations to
Ry'ac and Carryn when the baby is born!
With that, she was
gone.
Daniel and Teal'c watched her go, leaving them alone in the
corridor. Daniel narrowed his eyes in speculation. Did you
see what she did to Jack?
he asked when Sam had disappeared
around a corner.
Yes, DanielJackson,
Teal'c bluntly answered.
Daniel continued to stare at the corner she'd just vanished
around. He went on to say, Just to get this straight, she
smiled at Jack, and...
Daniel turned to regard the Jaffa
beside him. Was it my imagination, or did she smile at him in
such a way that he immediately gave whatever she was asking
for?
Teal'c somberly stared at his friend. You are correct in
what you think you saw, DanielJackson.
Daniel again screwed his eyes shut in thought. Does that
mean that we can get Jack to give us whatever we want just by
having Sam ask him for it?
Teal'c replied, We should endeavor not to take advantage
of our new knowledge, DanielJackson.
Daniel protested, Yeah, but... Do we have what I think
we have here?
He turned to face Teal'c. A secret weapon
of sorts?
Teal'c stared at him in unabashed sincerity. I think we
do,
he flatly said.
Daniel sighed then, only once. Yep,
he said,
sounding as casual as he could make his voice. That's love,
or I miss my mark, there's no two ways about it.
Indeed,
Teal'c said next, his hands thoughtfully
grasped behind his back.
Daniel seriously regarded his friend then. Do you think
that Jack will give me a new micrometer if I have Sam ask him for
it?
Teal'c sighed this time. Ask soon, DanielJackson, before
O'Neill discovers what you plan to do,
he suggested. As
you often tell me, 'it is the early bird that gets the worm.'
Then Teal'c cocked his head to the side. I do not understand
that comment. Does it perhaps pertain to the art of fishing?
he asked.
Daniel lowered his voice to sound deep and sonorous as he
chanted back, Indeed.
* * *
Hours passed. Sam glanced out the window to see the blackness of space filling the jumper's front windshield. 'Gating to PRX-989 had been easy enough, and flying to PRS-199 had been simple after they'd left the first planet's atmosphere. She and the General had talked about every subject under the sun, even about the untimely death of her father, but had finally fallen silent in the last half hour out from the planet. She reminded herself to begin thinking of him as 'Jack,' since thinking of him as 'the General' wasn't particularly conducive to a plot to kidnap him, which is what she 'planned' to do. Her nerves twitched again into a tight ball in her stomach at her pretended calmness of this 'Plan.' She noted that they were about to enter this second planet's atmosphere at the same time that her stomach heaved.
The trip down through the many layers of air was more
uneventful than calming her errant intestines. Let's find
that clearing the SGC means for us to land in,
the General
(Jack!) softly said to her, breaking the silence,
and the jumper banked sharply to the left for a second. As they
skimmed the treetops under them, flying towards the location of
the hoped-for trinium deposits, he noted, You've been pretty
quiet lately. Is everything all right?
Sam glanced up at him, an expression of surprise on her
face. No!
she answered, meaning to reassure him,
realizing only at the last second what she had said. I mean
'yes!'
She gave a flustered sigh. I mean... uh... I'm
fine! There's nothing bothering me.
Jack turned to give her a fast glance again. You're
sure?
he inquired. Because you look a little... tense...
to me.
Sam looked more surprised yet at his second question, even
if she was faking her expression of that surprise. I'm fine,
honest,
she said again, lying. She didn't bother to voice
what was really on her mind as 'The Plan' continued to refine
itself in her conscience.
He didn't look entirely convinced, but was willing to go
along with her commentary. Okay..,
came his doubtful
reply.
Sam sent a smile his way, a gesture meant to reassure him even as her stomach churned once more. It was amazing how close feelings of unacted-upon affection felt similar to an attack of nerves, she thought. Jack's brows rose at her last statement as he peered at her, so she knew that she wasn't completely successful with her expression, or of hiding her case of nerves, but he continued with his flying nonetheless.
Five minutes later, the jumper/time machine/Ancient ship-that-had-saved-their-butts-more-times-than-they-could-count landed in the center of a grassy meadow on the planet's southern hemisphere. It touched the grass, and Sam felt the ship sink a fraction of an inch into the ground. It would leave a mark, she knew, but one would have to be a skilled tracker, like Teal'c, to even see it.
There,
Jack said, but he didn't power down the ship.
Instead, he leaned back to slide his pilot's chair back on its
track on the floor, and gracefully rose to walk towards her.
Before Sam had the chance to react at all, he had purposefully,
yet gently, reached around her side to pull her military-issue
Beretta out of it's holster. He hauled her P-90 from its hooks
on her vest, pulling both weapons into his waiting hands before
she was able to clear the astonishment from her throat.
What... What are you doing?
Jack hefted the weapons again, but took the time to run his finger affectionately down her cheek... an odd action considering the weapons he held. Then he made his way back to his own chair, placing her two guns beside his on the seat directly behind the pilot's chair.
Scooting his chair forward on its track on the floor, he
grabbed hold of the two controls and looked like he concentrated
for a split second, sending tingles of energy rippling through
them both as he suddenly and quietly reported, I'm kidnapping
you.
She couldn't have been more surprised than if he had calmly
told her that he had wet his pants. Kidnapping me?
she
echoed, all the while thinking You can't! How can I kidnap
you if you're kidnapping me? This wasn't part
of 'The Plan.'
The tingle that she'd felt had barely had time to fade into the normal hum of the ship's engine. But Sam knew with certainty that the jumper had followed Jack's mental command, and they were now cloaked, invisible to any prying eyes if anyone happened on to this world. Sam watched helplessly as the ship rose again from its resting spot in the clearing, then shot away to skim over the treetops in a westerly direction.
Sam at least trusted Jack not to take her to a place where she couldn't return from, so she settled into her chair and tried to relax. As she didn't have the Ancient gene required to pilot the ship, she had little choice but to try to relax. Yet, relaxing was hard. Her sudden lack of control didn't exactly fit into her designs for this trip.
A moment later, she asked, Do you mind telling me why it
is that you feel like you have to... to kidnap me?
With no hesitation, Jack gently answered, Because it's
time that we talked, Carter.
'Talked?'
Sam stupidly repeated him. About...
what?
Suddenly seeming nervous, Jack cleared his throat. He
stuttered, About... um... us...
'Us?'
Sam echoed in a flat voice. Finally, she
sighed. General, there is no 'us.'
I know,
Jack whispered. His throat grated again. He
cleared it again. That's what we... I... need to talk
about.
Oh.
Sam sounded discombobulated in spite of her
attempt to act nonchalant.
Jack went on, I'm not about to let the chance of another
'Pete Shanahan' incident to happen, and I knew that I had to do
something, and though this is a rather...
he searched
his mind for the correct word. A rather drastic thing
to do...
he finally said. I think it's time for drastic
actions.
He turned to stare at her. Don't you?
Sam didn't respond because she didn't know how to respond to
such a speech. She knew that behaving disgruntled would set him
more firmly in his chosen course of action, so doing more than
relaxing was detrimental to either of their continued well being.
And if she were honest with herself, she had planned to kidnap
him, after all. He had just gotten to her first.
Besides, did she truly want him to behave any differently
than he was? And this flying away thing?
she asked,
prompting his answer.
I don't want to be risk being discovered by anyone from
the SGC until I'm ready for them to discover us,
Jack
replied.
And you'll be ready..? When?
Jack responded to her question. That depends on
you.
On me?
Sam couldn't be more surprised.
Jack shrugged. On what you say... though there's no
pressure here.
He sighed again. I just want to know...
what it is that you're thinking. What...
He had read her mind by doing the same thing she was going
to do, right? Sam suddenly smiled, amused by the similarities
between their two 'Plans.' She abruptly cut him off by accusing,
You read my mind, didn't you?
This stunned Jack enough to make him blurt, I did...
what?
He gaped at her. Do you mean that you were gonna
do the same thing?
he asked incredulously, loud now that she
had said something.
Sam's grin just wouldn't slide off her face. Well, not
exactly the same,
she admitted. But the details are close
enough that it's strange that..,
she began to say, then
admitted, Actually, it's downright eerie how much what you've
done is the same to what I had in mind to do.
Jack smiled ever so slightly, and only someone practiced in
reading his expressions could detect the twinkle in his eyes.
Really?
Really,
she said, gaining confidence as she continued
to answer him.
What was it that you were gonna do?
Sam thought about what to tell him. Finally she said to
him, Uh... I was going to basically do the same thing...
kidnap you... only I wasn't really looking forward to asking you
to cloak and fly the ship to a predetermined site. It's not like
I can do anything on my own about where we fly, where we land,
and how we do it,
she admitted with a laugh.
While they'd been talking, Jack had lowered the jumper through the trees and settled it in another field far from the first. The invisible ship slid to a stop in its new-home-away-from-home, remaining indiscernible to the naked eye.
Jack turned to her once they'd successfully set down on the
ground and he had powered down the engines. So,
he
feigned casualness... though, he was actually so nervous that the
sensation was practically rolling off him. What were you
thinking of talking to me about?
He knew what she wanted to
talk about, but... I mean, what specifically did you
want to say?
he added.
Um...
What did Sam tell him now? She hadn't exactly
gotten this far in her 'planning.' Um...
She stared at
him as her heart did little flips inside her chest.
Carter, how did you expect to..?
Sam interrupted, For starters, I thought about asking you
to call me 'Sam.'
I'll do that,
Jack slowly promised. As long as I
don't hear a single 'Sir' out of you.
Whatever you say, General,
Sam instantly replied, a
tiny smile gracing her lips.
Ack!
Jack exclaimed and pointed at the jumper's
ceiling with his finger, rolling his eyes at her. No
'General,' either. It's 'Jack,' or it's nothing.
Sam gazed at him in doubt. I'll try... That's all I can
promise.
Acceptable,
he responded. Same here.
Then they vacantly looked at each other. The only emotion
that Sam could discern lurking in the depths of his eyes was
fear. She stared until she couldn't stand the pregnant silence
another moment. Um,
she spluttered. What was it
that... um... you... um... wanted to talk to me about?
she
asked, even though she knew perfectly well that he wished to
inquire about the state of her feelings for him. So she answered
herself, adding, Specifically, I mean.
She sighed.
What did you want to say?
she inquired.
Jack looked both frightened and determined. Uh...
Instead of answering, he turned the question back on her.
What was it you wanted to talk to me about...
about 'us'?
Once again Sam didn't know how to respond. Um...
She remained silent.
Car... Sam?
It was only his inquiring voice that lent her the courage to
ignore her furiously racing heart enough to say, I was...
uh... I was going to... um...
Sam?
To ask how you feel about me,
she breathed in a rush
of words. About there being an 'us'... maybe... eventually...
I just want to know,
she desperately explained.
Finally.
Jack gave a look that said he was astounded by her question,
or at least astounded that she had found enough courage to ask it
in the first place, even though asking had been part of his
'Plan' when he had originally kidnapped her. But he knew that
thinking about asking what her feelings for him were was very
different than actually doing the asking! Um..,
he said,
sounding like he lacked equal courage in responding to her
comment, though it had been him who had kidnapped her.
Yes?
she inquired.
Suddenly Jack laughed. We seem to both be impressively
unable to say anything at all about what our feelings are, even
though we both had the idea to push this issue in the first
place,
he commented.
Sam blushed at his comment. Well,
she said, I
admit that it was always my idea to ask you the same question...
which is why I wanted us to come on this mission
together.
That briefing about this mission was where I first
thought of kidnapping you, too, I admit,
he told her.
So,
she said.
So,
he repeated.
Back to her. Where does that leave us?
she dutifully
asked.
Well...
Jack considered her question, and his
answer, staring blankly out the forward window the entire
time.
Well..,
she said.
Will you cut that out, Carter?
Jack groused. I
can't think when you're repeating everything I say.
Whatever you say, General, Sir,
she immediately
replied.
Jack's gaze swiveled in her direction. He hadn't missed the
way she had called him by his military title. You did that on
purpose, didn't you?
he accused in some humor.
She responded readily enough. You called me 'Carter'
Sir. I only responded in kind.
Jack grinned again. You're right... Sam.
Then he
rubbed dispiritedly at his face with his fingers. I guess I
asked for that.
I guess you did,
she said, also staring out the front
window.
We're avoiding again,
he promptly told her.
That comment caught Sam's attention enough for her to gaze
at him instead of out the front window. We're what?
Avoiding,
he told her. Pretending,
he said
next. Ignoring,
he added for good measure.
Sam gave a soft snort. You can hardly blame us,
she
said. We've been doing the same things for... how
long?
Seven or eight years?
Jack queried.
Something like that,
Sam replied.
Then there was silence between them. A big silence.
Jack broke the silence when he remarked, We're doing it
again.
We aren't doing anything,
she protested.
Exactly,
Jack finished for her. Just like we
haven't done anything for seven...
... or eight...
... or eight,
he corrected, Eight years.
Sam shrugged then. Well, you can hardly expect us to
change eight years worth of habit in one conversation.
Yadda, yadda, yadda, excuses, excuses, excuses,
Jack
instantly remarked when she was finished speaking. That's
what we're making... excuses. We need to talk, not make excuses
for not talking.
Sam gazed at him in hesitation when he didn't say more.
You're not talking,
she noted.
Neither are you,
he noted back.
Sam sighed.
Jack sighed.
Then they both laughed at the same time.
We are so pathetic,
he next announced.
Sam nodded her head. We're pathetic,
she agreed.
Jack glanced at the reflection she made in the front window.
Well,
he prompted when he had calmed enough to speak.
Well,
she prompted back.
Jack sighed in aggravation. Say something, dammit!
he ordered.
You first!
she ordered back.
Silence again reined in the jumper's forward compartment.
I'm waiting,
Sam reminded him at last.
I'm thinking,
he replied.
Thinking about..? What?
she prompted back at
him.
Thinking that I'm getting damned annoyed at you even
asking what I'm thinking is what I'm thinking!
Jack huffily
exclaimed.
Sam gusted a breath of air in his direction. This is so
dumb,
she proclaimed. We can't even talk about this,
she added.
We're talking!
Jack insisted.
No, we're not,
Sam negated.
I don't know about you, but I'm opening my mouth, and
words are coming out. That's 'talking' in my book!
Jack
declared.
Sam gazed at him in irritation. And in all that
blustering that you're doing, have you said one word to me about
your feelings?
she demanded to know. Have you even hit
upon the subject?
Have you?
he immediately demanded back.
Her response was swift, and not at all what he expected it
to be. She turned around to face the wall. Okay,
she
firmly said. It's obvious that you only say you want to ask
me about what's going on in my head, but you don't actually care
enough to tell me what's going on in yours, so...
Jack sprang out of the pilot's seat and grabbed her
shoulders to spin her chair around so that she was forced to face
him. You're talking to a wall,
he announced. Is that
what you want to be doing?
No!
Sam stared straight at him this time, her tone
bordering on angry now. I'd much rather be talking to you...
but that doesn't appear to be an option right now! So
I...
Again he interrupted her, Dammit, Carter, I...
Her eyes blazed. He wouldn't say it, she incredulously
thought. He wouldn't, or he couldn't. You what?
she
spat, disappointed in what he wasn't doing. But also
disappointed in what she wasn't doing, too.
Will you shut up for one minute?!
he inquiringly
demanded.
You shut up!
she yelled back, unwilling to go out on
a limb for him if he wasn't equally as willing to do the same
thing for her. How can I..?
And that was when he shut her up for her by kissing her in a swift gesture that was over practically before it began. She stared at him out of eyes as wide as a quarter. Had he really done what she..?
Did it really matter?
Jack softly held her cheeks in his hands, and fingered her
hair at the back of her head. He smiled crookedly at her and
gently said, Even if I can't tell you, I sure can show
you.
He pulled her into an embrace that was as welcoming and accepting as it was sudden and unexpected. Sam instantly relaxed the rest of the way into him, no matter what she was thinking of doing or not doing. It was as if she no longer had control over her body's instant acceptance of him. She felt like she'd been gone for a long time and had finally arrived home the second she was in his arms.
Of course he couldn't say anything, she chided herself. He'd never been much of a run-off-at-the-mouth kind of guy, not about his feelings, anyway. If she wanted someone to tell her daily that he loved her, then she might as well have married Pete.
But, she admitted that she would far rather have someone show her his love for her every day of her life, every minute, every second...
Jack was murmuring something into her right ear now, something that included saying her name, 'Samantha,' over and over again. Not 'Sam, and not 'Carter,' but 'Samantha.' He was talking to her like no one else ever had, not even her parents, who had always called her 'Sam.' But Jack was currently telling Samantha that he loved the way she ate blue Jell-o every day in the Commissary for lunch. He said that he loved the way she frequently had to calmly rewrite portions of the dialing program on the fly when it unexpectedly broke. He whispered that he loved the way she smiled at him even when she shouldn't have known he was watching her. And that he loved the way she walked so jauntily down an SGC corridor when she was on her way to a briefing, and that he loved the way she had sputtered awake and called him 'Jack' when she had been aboard The Prometheus for four awful days, and that he...
'Samantha' interrupted him, Jack, I love your sarcasm,
and your disregard for authority, and your cheekiness, and that
way that you refuse to ever leave anybody behind, and the messy
way you sign your forms, and the way you hate paperwork, and how
you always play with a yo-yo when you think no one is looking,
and how you always choose the one thing to fiddle with that I've
set out just for you in my lab, and...
Samantha,
Jack gently chided in a voice so low that
it was more mesmerizing than a whisper. Shut up.
Sam happily sighed when he called her by her full name,
knowing that she was melting into him, knowing that she was
willing to do anything for him simply because he saw her as
'Samantha' and not 'Sam,' and knowing that she didn't really care
about any of what she knew right then. Whatever you say,
she whispered back to him.
Jack slowly allowed himself to send her a tiny grin, more a
curving of his lips than anything else. Finally,
he said
on a soft exhalation of air. A quiet Samantha Carter.
You'd better kiss 'quiet Samantha Carter' stupid before
she does the same to you,
Sam recommended.
Jack leaned into her until their mouths were only an inch
away from each other. Is Samantha Carter as stupid about me
as I am about her?
Stupider,
Sam immediately announced, and didn't even
worry if that was a word or not.
Jack finished making that last inch between them disappear
as he kissed her lovingly on the mouth in a gesture that was
slow, sweet, achingly tender, and quickly over.
Excellent,
he told her in the same low voice he'd been
using for this entire portion of their conversation.
This time it was Samantha who kissed him in a gesture that was not remotely over as quickly as its predecessor had been.
When they tentatively parted, Jack grinned at Samantha. Samantha grinned at Jack. Then they kissed each other stupid in a ship that was cloaked on an uninhabited planet, thousands of light years from everything that they had ever known...
In a stray thought that echoed through her mind, Sam considered that 'The Plan' had already made their time together as successful as a mission could get. Stupid and successful.
Here's to stupidity, Sam thought to herself with glee as she kissed Jack again, or Jack kissed her.
No other mission had ever been this much... this much fun.
And it had only just begun.
The End
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