Circles
Circles
by Explosion_Of_Colour
Summary: Sometimes life just keeps going round in circles. until something breaks the pattern.
Category: Action/Adventure, Romance
Season: any Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: G
Warnings: minor language
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).
Archived on: 03/09/04
Chapter One - The Dance We Do
The doorbell sounded a good ten minutes before it was supposed to. And on the one day Major Samantha Carter was actually running late. 'That's what falling asleep at your laptop will do to you, Sam.' Janet would've said.
"Hey, sir. Come in." She greeted her CO with a smile, pulling one hand through her still damp hair.
"I know I'm early - got bored at home. Six days stuck in the house is not my idea of fun." Colonel O'Niell explained, stepping into the house after her. He was dressed causally in combat pants and a dark t-shirt, looking his usual self - if not a bit more relaxed than usual.
"No Simpsons for you to watch, sir?" Sam asked, only half-kidding.
He smirked at her, "So what'd you do?"
"I spent a couple of days with Mark and the kids. It was nice to catch up."
"Well, you missed some quality pool hustling. Danny's gettin' good, got the nerdy thing down to a tee." Jack grinned smugly.
"Yeah, I can imagine." She laughed, then grabbed the towel from the back of the chair where she'd discarded it earlier. "Take a seat. I've got to get my stuff together then I'll be ready, I wasn't expecting you this early."
"Better than being late though, right?"
"Just for a change, sir?" Sam replied cheekily before she could stop herself.
"Hey, I'm not that bad! I'm only late when I can afford to be." Jack told her in no uncertain terms, sitting down on her sofa and helping himself to the magazine left on the coffee table.
" Like briefings?" She replied, turning from the mirror in time to see the magazine he was flipping through.
The Colonel grinned at the truth in that comment but never took his eyes off the oh-so-interesting images he'd found. "You don't happen to have underwear like this, do you Carter?" He asked her, keeping his face as innocent as possible. He turned to her just as she leaned over the back of the couch to pluck the magazine from his hands, inadvertantly giving him a quick glance down her top. Again he went over all the reasons he shouldn't be thinking about his 2IC in that way - just to remind himself.
"I don't buy it for the clothes *sir*. I like to keep up with films and books, and they publish good reviews."
"Sure you do, Carter."
She smiled and rolled her eyes in response. It was a cycle they went through, starting immeadiatly after the whole Anise and Zar'tac testing fiasco. They would have a couple of weeks where the flirting was subtle and relaxed, but definitly flirting by anyones standards, then the progression would take them too close to the uncrossable line and send them to distances as far as possible from one another. After some uncomfortable days, sometimes weeks, they would gradually ease back into the chatty one-liners and witty come-backs, and inevitably the flirting began again. And so it went on, both aware of it but neither discussing it with the other or having any idea how to break it. Sam wasn't even sure she would want to break the cycle, the little dance they took part in, as it would mean one of two things; commencing a relationship with Colonel O'Niell, or severing all ties with him. All or nothing.
No, this dance was a better option.
"I'll be five minutes, I just have to get some files on disc." Sam called, already half-way up the stairs.
She found her watch, collected together the floopy discs she needed on base, and was shutting the bedroom door when the strong aroma of coffee surrounded her. 'God, what's he up to now?' She thought as she descended the stairs.
"It's about time! Was beginning to think you'd gotten lost up there. Coffee?" Jack handed her a mug and smirked at her bewildered expression.
"Colonel, since when do you know your way round my kitchen?"
"Well I wouldn't say know my way round, just... opened all the cupboards and found the coffee jar. You've gotta take all the chances to drink decent coffee you can you know, the base only serves that black sludge stuff they call cappacinos." He shuddered dramatically and pulled a face, making her laugh again.
"I usually stick to Daniel's, he seems to have it on tap." She told him, noticing the mug he'd given her read 'total babe', a Christmas present from Cassie a year ago.
"I hope you don't mind me saying so, sir," Sam began, seeing him meet her eyes, she smiled. "But you seem very happy this morning."
"Really?" Colonel O'Niell replied, setting his empty mug down on the counter. "Must be your influence, Major."
Sam's head snapped up at that, eyes wide, wondering if she'd heard right. He was already moving past her towards the front door, but she caught a decidedly smug smile appear at her reaction. She smiled herself and placed her mug beside his on the counter before grabbing her keys, coat and bag from the table in the hallway.
"Get a move on Carter, we're going to be late!"
"Yes sir."
**
Okay, so this was probably a little closer to the regulation line than CO and 2IC were meant to get, but, Jack convinced himself, she only needed a ride to work for a couple of days. Who would blame him for helping out one of his team when their car was in the shop? After all, if she couldn't get to the SGC all week then how was SG-1 supposed to operate properly?
There are such things as taxis, a little voice at the back of his mind taunted him. And Daniel's not going to be around for a while after that broken arm. Sam could've easily -
"- did the General tell you, sir?" The woman in question was talking to him while he drove, now smiling at him, apparently amused by the fact he'd zoned her out and hadn't heard a word he'd said.
"Sorry what, Carter?"
"I asked if the General had spoken to you about a temporary replacement for Daniel while he's out of action?" Still smiling, she turned to the front to pick through his glovebox, blond strands of hair falling onto her face as she moved.
"Not that I know of. Why do you know of a newbie to our little group?" He replied, glancing at her rumaging hands but not saying anything.
"No, but if the mission today is to go ahead I assume there'll be one."
"Let's hope it's not a scientist shall we? Another one might just send me over the edge." He told her with his usual flippancy.
Carter shot him a joking look of annoyance, before pulling out a cassette and pinning him a with a dazzling smile.
"Eric Clapton, sir?"
"What?" Jack tried his best to look innocent, whilest endevouring to avoid admiring how attractive she was when her eyes lit up with mischief.
"The way you look tonight?" She pressed, immensally enjoying the embarrassment she was causing him.
"So I'm a closet romantic! I thought you women loved romance in a guy!"
"'You women', sir?"
"Yes, Carter. Are you telling me you don't come into that category?"
The idle banter continued until they reached the SGC, and after a few curious looks from the airman at the perimeter regarding their arriving together, they finally got to the briefing room - only ten minutes late.
"Glad you could join us, Colonel, Major."
**
Definitly not the best start to the day, Carter had decided, sparing a quick glance at the Colonel, who - as usual - hadn't seemed the least bit ruffled by the questioning stares they were getting since they arrived at the base. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up from his doodling to catch her eyes, flashing her a quick grin before going back to his doodling again. Sam couldn't help smiling - he really did have the attention span of a five year old.
"So General, do we get a new kid to play with or not?" He said eventually, tactful as ever.
"If, Colonel, you are asking about an additional member of your team while Dr Jackson is recuperating, I have assigned Colonel Karrington to SG-1. He will be arriving shortly from the Pentagon. While we wait I need to make a few phone calls."
"No problem, sir. We'll just... hang." Jack threw him his patented confused-at-his-own-words look, then grinned. Once General Hammond left the room, he turned to Carter and Teal'c. "Well kids, it looks like we're going to have a replacement for Daniel for a while. Colonel something-or-other -"
"Colonel Karrington, I believe." Teal'c corrected, accurate as always.
"Colonel Max Karrington, sir. He worked at the pentagon when I worked there, although I never met him." Carter informed him.
"Max? That's a dog's name! In fact I had an alsation named Max when I was a kid!" He told them with exaggerated bewilderment.
"Is that so, Colonel? Well blame my parents." A new voice entered the room, unnoticed until he spoke. The man was tall with dark hair and piercing greeny hazel eyes, his build similar to the Colonel O'Niell's. He was dressed in the USAF formal atire, looking slightly out of place compared to SG-1's green fatigues.
"Ahh..."
"Colonel Karrington, it's nice to meet you." Carter stepped in, saluting sharply and giving her best winning-over smile. One of her roles as Colonel O'Niell's second in command seemed to be fixing diplomatic matters when he (not always unintentionally) put his foot in it.
"Major Carter I presume?" Karrington smiled at her, his eyes taking in her appearance approvingly, something O'Niell was quick to catch.
"This is Teal'c, and Colonel o'Niell." She gestured to each of the men. Teal'c bowed his head slightly and O'Niell gave a half-hearted wave in greeting, already taking a dislike to him. Karrington acknowledged them both and then he set his gaze back to Carter, Jack noted with distaste. 'Don't even think it *Max*'
"Your reputation precedes you, sir." Carter was saying, blatently unaware of his letcherous looks. "I read a lot of your work when I was based at the Pentagon."
"Hey!" O'Niell interjected, seeing an opening to tactfully draw this guy's attention away from his 2IC. "What about me? Don't tell me you'd never heard of me before you came to the SGC, Carter?"
She laughed, turned to him with an insuborinate cheeky smile lighting her face. "Don't worry Colonel, I'd heard a lot about you."
Her response provoked a proud grin from Jack. "Sweet."
The exchange did not go unnoticed by Karrington, making him wonder if some of the things he'd heard about the two of them were true - were they more than just collegues?
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