Causing A Scene In The Locker Room
Causing A Scene In The Locker Room
by Newromantic
Title: Causing A Scene In The Locker Room
Author: Newromantic
Email: Newromantic@Bolt.com
Category: Angst
Episode related: 317 A hundred days
Season: Season 3
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: G
Warnings: none
Summary: Sam's mighty pissed off and Jack wants to know why.
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).
Causing a scene in the Locker Room
I swear to god, if one more person asks me 'How you doin'?' or 'How are you feeling?' I think I may have to scream.
It started off okay; I mean all the well wishing was gratefully accepted. But after three days and approximately seven hours of people welcoming me home and patting me on the back as if I had just returned after being kidnapped by terrorists instead of spending three months farming...well, you get the point.
Now, don't get me wrong here. I missed everyone at the SGC, from my team mates to the guy who cleans the sleeping quarters (who, naturally, has full security clearance), but really, I was only gone for a short time.
Some even tell me 'well done'! As if I achieved some scientific breakthrough, or just won the Nobel Prize - which reminds me, must have words with Carter.
Where was I? Oh yeah, on my Soapbox.
Y'know, where does she get off being pissed at me? It's not as if I chose to spend three months of my life shovelling dirt on some God forsaken planet in the middle of nowhere.
Besides, at least she had her warm bed to go home to, and it's not as if I asked her to work herself to the bone trying to defy the laws of Physics.
Still, I could have been a little more pleasant to her when she turned up on Edora but I really needed to say goodbye to Laira. After all, if it hadn't been for her I think I would have gone nuts. But then if it hadn't been for Carter, I would never have got home.
Think maybe I should apologise.
So, with that in mind, I head towards her lab.
'Sanctimonious, self-righteous, ungrateful son of a...' Samantha Carter's right fist collided mercilessly with the punching bag as her left took aim. She had been in the work out room for over two hours, and only now was she beginning to feel the effects of spending most of that time beating the crap out of a leather sack. Her legs ached and her bandaged hands were raw, but still she kept on going.
'Obstinate, rude...' stopping mid sentence, she swung around a laid a hefty kick on the upper frame of the bag. It swung back hard and Carter grabbed it before kicking it again, this time with her left leg.
'Anyone I know?'
Surprised, she turned to face the intruder, and only just remembered in time that the bag was heading back her way. She deftly took a side step to the left and out of its path.
'Sir. What can I do for you?' she asked coldly as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
Colonel O'Neill was stood just inside the door, leaning lazily against its frame. He looked at the Major with barely disguised surprise before saying 'When did you learn to box?'
'I didn't sir. I learnt to Kick Box when I was in boot camp.' She looked at him scathingly before walking towards her towel and gym bag. 'Is there anything else, or can I go shower now?'
'I went to your lab, but you weren't there, and Daniel told me you were working out, so I came here and...'
'Wow, you really do have deductive reasoning skills.' She muttered.
Ignoring her biting remarks, O'Neill continued. 'I wanted to talk to you about Edora. And I'd prefer to do it without the sarcasm, Major.'
Defeated, Sam nodded mutely. She reluctantly placed her bag back on the floor before sitting on the bench. Then, draping her towel around her neck, she leaned heavily against the wall and closed her eyes.
After a moment's hesitation, in which Jack wondered whether getting too close was a good idea, he stalked towards his subordinate and determinedly sat down next to her.
He looked at her for a moment. She really was quite stunning, in a sweaty, angry kind of way, he thought to himself idly.
Unsure of quite where those thoughts were taking him, he shook his head and nervously cleared his throat. 'Listen, Sam. I wanted to thank you for working so hard to get me home.'
Carter opened her eyes in surprise at his use of her first name, and looked at him curiously.
'And that's why you're here?'
Jack nodded and looked back at her. 'I know I should have said it before, but I was so preoccupied with...'
'Laira.'
'Why do you say that?' he asked curiously. 'I was going to say my mission report.'
'Oh, come on Sir!' Sam looked at her commanding officer through narrow eyes. She really is furious. He mused. 'I heard what you said to Laira before we left. We all did. In fact, I'd be surprised if the whole damn village hadn't heard you!'
'What the hell has any of that got to do with you?' Jack felt his temper get the better of him, and he stood up and walked towards the punch bag before rounding on her once again. 'What I did, and who I did it with on Edora is no ones damn business except my own. Do you get that, Major?'
Sam stood to attention. 'Sir, Yes Sir!' she saluted at her superior before grabbing her bag and marching quick time to the locker room.
O'Neill paused for a millisecond before storming after her.
He pushed the door open so hard it banged noisily against the wall, but Jack didn't care. Carter was busily throwing her towel into her locker when he thundered up behind her and grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around.
'Just who in the hell...' the rest of the sentence became caught in his throat as he noticed the tears streaming down her face. Surprised, he removed his hand and she turned quickly away again.
Jack sat down on the bench in stunned silence. He watched mutely as Sam removed her shampoo from her locker and closed the door. He studied her closely as she rested her forehead on her locker door and closed her eyes, willing the tears to stop. After a beat he found his voice again. 'What happened?' he asked quietly. 'Why are you so angry with me Carter? What in God's name did I do to deserve this from you?'
'Nothing Sir.' She whispered, still refusing to face him. 'I was out of line and I apologise.'
'Unacceptable.' He stated quickly.
Slowly she turned to look at him, no longer caring whether or not he saw her tear stained cheeks and red eyes. 'It's not negotiable, Sir. There is nothing wrong, and it was insubordinate of me to speak to you the way I did. I apologise.' Her face was stony, expressionless, but her eyes were so filled with conflicting emotions that Jack could feel his heart beat painfully in his chest.
'I've known you too long Sam. I can tell when you're lying to me.' He looked down at his hands for a moment before making eye contact again. 'Look. If you won't do this for my sake, or yours, then at least do it for Daniel and Teal'c.' she cringed inwardly at the mention of her team-mates, knowing what he was going to say next.
'There is no way SG1 are going to be able to function as a team if we continue to have this, this...atmosphere between us. You have to stop messing around and tell me what in the hell I did wrong, or one of us is going to have to transfer to another team.'
Sam momentarily toyed with the thought of being reassigned to another SG team. It would certainly be easier on both her and the Colonel if she were no longer under his direct chain of command; not that there was anything going on. But it would be a lot easier to concentrate on the job at hand if she didn't spend all her waking hours worrying herself about why she was having unprofessional feelings towards her CO.
But then, she reasoned, it would be almost impossible to find another team like SG1. Over the past few years they had grown as close as a family. Relying on each other, not just on missions, but in their personal lives as well. Together they had rescued Teal'c's son, Ryac from the hands of Apophis, they had mourned Daniel's death together, then celebrated when he was found alive and well, and yes, they had all worked harder than ever before to ensure the safe return of their Colonel when he was stuck, helpless, on another planet.
And the one thing she was more grateful for than anything else in the world; together they had saved the life of her father and ensured a long lasting treaty with their most important ally to date. And for this action alone, she could never leave her team.
Sighing in defeat, Sam sat gently down next to her CO, and stared intently at her hands, resting on her lap.
'You didn't want to come home.' She said quietly.
'Huh?' Carter could picture the confused look on her Colonels face, and though she still could not bring herself to meet his gaze, she smiled quietly despite herself. 'When we came to Edora to take you home, I heard you tell Laira that you weren't happy to leave.'
Realisation dawned, and Jack looked sharply at Sam before turning quickly away. 'Oh.'
'Yeah. Oh.' She hugged herself tightly; unsure as to whether or not saying the next sentence would be wise. Oh well, she smiled miserably. In for a penny...
'While you were away, I worked pretty long hours trying to build the Particle Beam Generator we needed to get you back.'
Jack winced. 'Carter...'
'No. Please Sir. Just let me finish.' She glanced at him for a moment and he nodded. Returning her gaze to her hands, she continued. 'One night Janet came to see me, and asked me if I missed you.' She paused. 'I said I did...we all did. Daniel, Teal'c, Hammond - even Janet. But,' she paused again, not sure how to say what had to be said if her team were to ever stay together. 'Then Janet asked me if it was a problem.' She looked at Jack. He was staring directly ahead of them, his face expressionless. 'I said it wasn't but, but I lied. I think it might be.' Forcing herself to keep her eyes on his face, Sam took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before slowly letting it out again. 'So?' she said quietly.
Jack tore his eyes away from the opposite wall and looked at his Major. 'So,' it was his turn to think carefully about what to say. Of all the things she could have said to explain her temper, this was the least expected. He'd known all along there was - something between them, but neither had ever been prepared to find out what that was.
'The thing is, Carter, it's not been a problem before.' Sam looked at him incredulously. 'Now don't act like that.' He said smiling. 'This has been hanging over us ever since we met, but it's never affected our working relationship before. Most of the time it lays dormant, which is a good thing.' He said, desperately trying to convince himself as much as Sam. 'But you can't expect it to not show itself every now and then - like when you were made to wear that blue dress, or' he grinned evilly 'when you tried to seduce me' he looked around 'in this very room.'
Sam blushed at the memory. 'My point is, Carter, that we've dealt with this fine for the last few years, and I don't see why anything needs to change.' Jack made eye contact with her and smiled, but Sam wasn't finished.
'The thing is, sir, I think these...feelings are getting stronger, and I don't know how much longer I can continue to do my job without them interfering with our work.'
Jack grimaced and looked at his hands. 'I know. I've got the same problem. Even when I was with Laira, I couldn't help wondering...' he looked up at her again. 'But the point is that, at least for now, we can control them. As long as we both agree to be honest with one another the moment they begin to get the better of us, I think we'll be okay.'
Sam nodded her agreement. 'It's a deal.' She said. 'Now if you'll excuse me sir, I really have to shower.'
Jack smiled. 'Sure. Go ahead. I have work to do.' He turned and walked towards the door. As he reached for the handle, he turned thoughtfully back to his Second in Command and said ' Carter?'
Sam looked up from her locker and smiled at him. 'Sir?'
'That thing with Laira? I just want you to know that, well, nothing...happened. I mean, she wanted to -and I started - but, you know, I couldn't.' He looked sheepishly at his feet, completely missing the huge grin spread across Sam's face. 'I told her I'd drunk too much...'
Slowly he raised his head until his eyes were parallel with hers, Sam's face had returned to its composed expression, and she quietly said 'Yes, Sir. Thank you.'
Nodding more to himself than to Sam, he turned again and left the locker room.
Well, that went well. Turns out talking about 'feelings' isn't as painful as you'd think. Still, wouldn't wanna go through that too often.
So, Carter's got feelings for me. Okay. Uh, I have a few more questions, but I think they can wait until I lose my self control...may not take to long.
Until that time, I think I'll just shut up and count myself lucky.
Very damn lucky.
End.
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