Disclaimer - MGM/Gekko/Double Secret own them.
Future fic, set in season seven though written before any season seven episodes aired. Potential season seven spoilers, but only in the sense of certain cast changes that I figure everyone knows about anyway ;)
Spoilers for 'Meridian', 'Redemption, Part 2', 'Descent', 'Smoke and Mirrors', 'Forsaken' and 'Prophecy'. Feedback would be appreciated.
*
He'd been brooding for at least fifteen minutes, frowning heavily as he poked a stick into the fire - just to help make it a really *good* brood - when she spoke.
"You should talk to him."
The stick paused. His head lifted. "Who?"
How long had she been there?
As far as he'd been aware, just a few moments ago she'd been a dozen yards away, snoozing peacefully (so yeah - he *may* have been watching her for a while. Maybe. But wasn't that part of his duties while on watch?). Yet here she was, awake and alert, on the other side of the fire, telling him what to do.
Quite obviously, she hadn't been asleep at all.
"Who do you think?" She asked, turning her head away and nodding towards the guy currently lying on his back with his mouth wide open.
He knew what she was getting at. He knew. But instead of giving her a straight answer - because really, when it came to 'emotions', how often did he do that? - he lowered his head and moved the stick again. "He's asleep."
"No he isn't," She argued softly, making him look up again as she tilted her head to one side and smiled - barely. "It's his last night as a member of SG-1. Do you really think he's sleeping? Do you really think *you'd* be able to sleep in his position?"
Jack really wished she'd stop making sense sometimes. "Dunno, he looks pretty comfortable lying like that..."
"*Sir*..."
Okay, okay. Geez! "What do you want me to say, Carter? The fact that he's pretending to be asleep - a common occurrence around here," He added with a deliberate look at her, earning another smile for his trouble. "Leads me to believe that he doesn't *want* to talk."
She lifted her eyebrows. "When have you ever known Jonas *not* wanting to talk about something?"
That was true enough - there was nothing that Jonas didn't like discussing. Still... "In any case, I don't know I have anything to say to him." Unfortunately, there were a few clichés he lived up to. 'Man of few words' was one of them.
"Nothing at all?" Carter asked. And was it his imagination, or was she shifting closer? Her voice lowered, in tone and volume, when she spoke again. "I know you were starting to warm up to him."
How was it only *she* could get away with saying stuff like that?
How was it even possible that he could pretend not to know the answer to his own question?
"He volunteered, Carter. Daniel finally passed the physical, and Jonas volunteered to leave the team. That's the situation. I don't see why we need to 'talk' about anything."
She remained patient, and unmoved. How did she *do* that? "Because as glad as you are that Daniel's back," Yeah - *that* was putting it mildly. Not that he'd ever say so. "You were getting used to working without him. Even liking it."
He knew it was coming. He *knew* it.
And then it did.
"Liking Jonas."
The stick dug into the fire, sending a few sparks flying into the dark. Liking Jonas? The idea was just...stupid. This was the guy, after all, who'd betrayed Daniel. While not responsible for his 'death', at the very least he'd tried to cover up the truth of the accident. It didn't matter that in the end he'd told the truth, done the right thing and brought the naquadriah, or that he'd worked as a part of SG-1 for the last year, proving himself as being a capable soldier and effective member of the team. It didn't matter that he'd helped save Earth, or his life, or Carter's life, or Teal'c's life, or helped Jack get out of jail, or didn't mind standing up to him, or was prepared to die if it meant saving the SGC, could pull a fast one with the best of them...
Aww, dammit!
He *did* like Jonas.
And he also knew, at that particular moment, that he was doing that 'denial' thing again.
Jack met, and held, Carter's gaze.
Made sense that she'd know what he'd been doing. Made *too* much sense.
Her smile was broader, this time. Understanding. "I know you don't like saying goodbye..."
He snorted. "Hell, this wouldn't be goodbye. It's not like the guy's leaving the SGC - just the team."
"So you'll be okay?" She teased. "You'll be able to go on, knowing that - even if you're not working together - he's still around?"
Arching an eyebrow, he lifted the stick up with intent. "I'm gonna throw this at you in a minute." There was only so far even *she* could push him.
Carter chuckled, enjoying herself *far* too much. "Seriously, though..." Her laughter subsided. "It'll be weird having Daniel back again." Glancing away, she stared at the ground. "I actually feel a little guilty about that, you know? I mean I'm thrilled, I'm so happy Daniel is back, but...I don't want Jonas to go."
Which more or less summed up how he felt. He was finally beginning to understand that liking Daniel *and* liking Jonas weren't mutually exclusive. "Well it's Daniel's fault you feel guilty," He joked, because he didn't know anything else to do. "He *had* to go and ascend, leaving us with a place to fill. Still...at least some of us haven't left."
With her head still angled down towards the floor, she nodded. "I can't imagine ever wanting to leave you."
Just short of his heart actually exploding inside his chest at that admission, her head snapped up, eyes wide.
"Oh! When I said 'you' I didn't mean...you know, I meant SG-1. As a whole. A group. A tea-"
"I got it, Carter." As uncomfortable as that'd been, he did enjoy it (probably too much) when she was the one who suddenly had to re-think what she'd just said for once. Had a nice sense of irony to it, for him. "You meant 'the team'. Not any one person."
"Well," She stood, suddenly, and though he regretted the movement it was probably a good idea. "I should actually try to get some sleep. Are you gonna...?" She gestured towards the non-sleeping form in the darkness.
"If I do it's certainly not gonna be anything deeply personal."
"I know," She nodded.
"Probably joke about his 'super powers'."
"I know."
"Make fun of his endless enthusiasm."
"I know that, too."
"And it *definitely* won't happen while anyone else is around to see it."
Understanding, she nodded. "Yes sir."
She didn't move, though.
She didn't move at all.
He frowned up at her. "Something else, Carter?"
Her smile had long since faded. "What I said earlier...about not imagining ever wanting to leave SG-1..."
"Yeah?"
"I *was* talking about the team."
Jack kept right on frowning - though this time, for a different reason. "Yeah. You already made that clear." Hmm. Maybe that could have sounded a *little* less bitter. Man, he was needy.
"But that doesn't mean..." She sighed, looked at him, and said it. "That doesn't mean it doesn't also apply to something - or someone - else."
Then giving him no time to form any kind of response at all (and really, he probably wouldn't have been capable), she turned, walked (ran?) away, and all but dived for her bedding.
Well.
Well. Well.
Oh. There was the self-satisfied, stupid grin.
Shaking his head, he looked down at the dirt he'd absently been dragging the stick over for the last few minutes.
Oy. There was no mistaking it. He'd scrawled her name into the dirt.
Muttering at himself and his own lack of control, he heavily crossed out his handiwork with the stick, then stamped his foot over it for good measure.
Crap. Why'd they have to go and develop these 'feelings' anyway?
Throwing the stick into the fire, he wiped his hands off and slowly stood up. He was annoyed with himself, Carter, and their situation - now was the *perfect* time to 'talk' with Jonas.
Heh.
~FINIS