Disclaimer - MGM/Gekko/Double Secret own them.
A 'Fragile Balance' episode addition, containing spoilers for that episode.
Silly, short, sappy, and written really quickly. Feedback would be loved.
For Lyta, just because.
*
Something was going on. He was happy. Not just the occasional grin that she' d sometimes expect between the usual bouts of sarcasm and cynicism, but a grin that just hadn't left his face for the last...well, for as long as she could remember, actually. Every since his clone had set off on his own life...
The situation came to a head (and her frustration reached the limit of hers) in the briefing room of all places, as they waited for General Hammond to end his phone call with the Chief of Staff.
All four members of SG-1 were present when she snapped, and silently lost it.
"What is it?"
Sitting across from her, still grinning, he shrugged. "What's what, Carter?"
"You've been grinning for the last few days like someone out of a toothpaste commercial."
Frowning, his right hand reached up to subconsciously rub at his teeth. "I have?"
"Actually," Daniel interrupted. "I've kinda noticed that myself."
"Agreed. You do seem to be in excessively good spirits, O'Neill."
The Colonel shrugged towards Teal'c. "There something wrong with that?"
"Not 'wrong' perhaps," Teal'c conceded. "But it is most unusual."
"Hey, so I finally lightened up." He argued. "Not quite so cynical about the way I see things - and you guys are calling me on it!"
Sam wasn't entirely sure she bought his argument. Okay, so she could see how seeing a younger version of yourself might make you reconsider your perspective on life - maybe even completely change your outlook. But she knew Colonel O'Neill, young and old, and there was something that just didn' t-
And then she knew.
"He told you."
He looked towards her, and then quickly looked away (and now was *not* the time for her to suddenly feel how damn glad she was to see his face back at the briefing room table again). "Who told me what?"
"You. Well, young you. He told you what I said, didn't he?" She flushed slightly. He - younger he - had been right. She'd been enjoying herself far too much; though in her defence, at the time she hadn't known that there was still an older version of him around somewhere.
They both knew very well that she didn't have to specify any further, and he sighed, gesturing towards her. "Well what do you expect Carter? Initial annoyance aside, that's the kind of thing I'd be *dying* to tell myself."
Her eyebrows lifted. "Why's that sir?" Even as she spoke, her gaze suddenly moved to Hammond's office. Was it really a good idea to be discussing this while he was just a few yards away? Okay, so the door was closed and he was on the phone, but still...
"Why do you *think*? Someone said something nice about the way I look - young or not. And as I'm appropriately shallow, forgive me if I gloat for a while."
She couldn't help it - she chuckled. And his answer wasn't actually that bad; certainly nothing that should cause their superior officer any kind of discomfort. Unfortunately, her good mood and relief went a little too far. "Are you going to be like this every time I pay you a compliment?"
Whoops.
His smile disappeared. Then reappeared. Then seemed to be altogether stuck in time, as he slowly leant forward, somehow managing to frown, too. "That depends." His arms rested on the table, hands clasping together. "Are there more compliments...forthcoming?"
Oh yeah. Really shouldn't have said-"There may be. Eventually."-man, what was wrong with her?
The grin this time, was really quite...phenomenal. There was simply no other word for it. It spread, almost consuming his entire face; his eyes and expression alive with something...well, with something he was usually a hell of a lot better at hiding.
Despite the years of military training and her experience in the field, there was only one thing Sam could think right then:
Eep.
But it was a *good* eep.
So yeah, that might have been the reason she'd said the thing she shouldn't have said.
"In that case," He eventually replied, possibly still grinning although Sam wasn't sure because now she couldn't drag her gaze away from his. Shouldn't warning bells about regulations be going off right about now? "I'll have to work on my compliment accepting skills."
Once again, she said something she shouldn't have. "You be sure to do that."
Sam grinned at Jack.
Jack grinned at Sam.
Teal'c grinned to himself.
Daniel, who'd missed the entire original conversation, asked a question, and when the answer came it was in a chorus of three voices:
"Did I miss something?"
"No."
~FINIS