Waiting for a debriefing
Waiting for a debriefing
by grace
Title: Waiting for a debriefing
Author: grace
Email: levity12001@yahoo.com
Category: none
Season: Season 6
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: PG
Warnings: language
Summary: nail polish, weddings and wise Jaffa
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Jack O'Neill watched the seconds tick by on his wristwatch; Hammond was ten minutes late for the debriefing. It was unusual for the man to be late... ever. The Colonel's attention was drawn to his 2IC or more his 2IC's nails. She drummed them methodically on the hard surface of the boardroom table as if bored. A light clicking sound emanated each time a nail struck the table. The nails were a deep shade of pink and good quarter of an inch longer than they were on Friday, the last time he saw her.
Come to think of it they had never been that long in all the time he had known her. At least not that he ever noticed. In general details bored him, he considered himself a big picture kind of guy. Just tell him what needed to be done and he would do it. He left the details up to people like Carter. Still he noticed enough about her on a daily basis to know when something was different. Now that he was forcing his gray matter into gear he realized her nails were generally short and hands a bit on the dry side from all of the climate changes they endured.
The long, pink nails had the look of refinement that didn't quite fit her personality. Sure she was beautiful but definitely not a manicure kind of girl. She spent most of her working hours in the field or playing with gadgets, in her off time it wasn't much better, working on motorcycles or in her garden. Fake nails wouldn't last very long in her world. That is why it struck him as so odd that she would have taken the time and energy to do it.
Sam Carter looked around the room anxiously. There was so much in her lab she could be doing instead of wasting her time waiting on a debriefing she didn't really need. She scanned the rest of her teammates in the room. T'ealc seemed to be meditating with his eyes closed while Jonas entertained himself by doodling. She followed the Colonel's gaze, he was taking a distinct interest in her hands. She abruptly halted her nail drumming, hardly having realized she was doing it.
The Colonel looked up and met her eye, only to raise an eyebrow quizzically. It wasn't unusual for her CO to stare at her. She had caught him staring at her ass a few dozen times in the last few months alone. She smiled when she realized the reason for his interest. Bright pink nails weren't exactly her style. Still she was a bit surprised he noticed. He wasn't one to pay close attention to things like women's nails. Still she was a woman and he once mentioned he did like women....
"I was in a wedding over the weekend" She said to answer his unasked question. To an outsider this may have seemed strange. It wasn't often people started conversations midway. But to those in the room it was a normal occurrence. O'Neill and Carter had worked together so long they seemed to read each other's minds. For a brief while when Jonas first met SG1 he mistakenly thought the two were married. Later he learned that married humans generally don't refer to one another as 'Sir' or 'Carter'.
"The bride didn't appreciate the permanent grease under my nails so this is what I ended up with". She said shaking her head in amusement at the foreign objects on the tips of her fingers.
"I really need to find some time to have them removed". Carter continued a bit absentmindedly. She silently went over her week schedule in her head. Maybe they had manicurists on P3x-425...
"It was a beautiful wedding". Jonas said looking up from his notepad. 'Human weddings are so complicated, full of little rituals. I especially liked the smashing of that little cup and what was that? the throwing of the flowers?".
"The tossing of the bouquet" Carter corrected him peeling back a layer of the pink but the nail wouldn't budge. Ugh these things were going to be miserable to get off she sighed.
"You went to the wedding?" The colonel asked Jonas cautiously, try not to sound too interested. With Daniel gone he was pretty much out of the base gossip grapevine but something as big as a wedding rarely escaped his notice.
"I was Major Carter's escort". Jonas explained.
O'Neill was surprised to find he was a bit relieved she had chosen Jonas. It meant she wasn't seeing anyone... else. She couldn't ask T'ealc, not with a Gold emblem shining on his head, and she certainly couldn't ask her C.O. If she was asking Jonas it was a last ditch effort for a date. He hid a smile and kept his attention on the pencil he was twirling on the desk.
"A roommate from the academy got married. She's no longer Air Force". She knew the Colonel hadn't asked, but if the situation were reversed she would have been curious.
"What do you do with the flowers afterward?" Jonas asked after a slight pause had settled.
"Put them in water. Why?" Carter asked surprised Jonas had even noticed her catching the bouquet. About half way through the reception he disappeared with the Bride's sister, Andrea. The young woman had been quite taken with him...
"The flowers seem to hold some kind of stigma"
"What do you mean?" The Colonel asked, this conversation was starting to peak his interest.
"Well by the way Major Carter looked when she caught them, it must mean something not so good to 'catch the bouquet". O'Neill grinned, this was going to be good, very, very good. The slight redness creeping up Carter's neck made it all the more fun.
"Generally I understand it's a good thing". The colonel started. "It means of all the guests at the reception, Carter is going to get married next".
"Then why did they have to force you to join the other single women?"
"Yes Carter why?" Jack asked innocently, thoroughly enjoying the discomfort he was causing Carter. She narrowed her eyes at him and gave him that smile that told him that pay back was going to be a bitch if he didn't lighten up.
"I just had to use the restroom". This satisfied Jonas but not O'Neill who opened his mouth as if to ask another question.
"Was there cake?" Teal'c asked breaking his meditative silence and interrupting the conversation.
"Yes very good, very...big" Jonas replied.
"I like cake". stated Teal'c meeting Carter's eyes briefly before silently closing his to return to his meditation. She saw the twinkle in them and silently thanked him.
In his quietness T'ealc felt the rhythm of the room return to normal. The games MajorCarter and O'Neill played were at times amusing but today he had a headache and didn't need the tension flowing in the room to add to it. He smiled as Hammond entered the room at last. His headache was beginning to go away.
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