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Sam yawned as she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jack was sprawled at the sun-splashed breakfast nook with a newspaper spread out, reading glasses perched on his nose. BJ was curled up practically under his feet, his doggie snores the only sound in the room.
“Hey, BJ. Morning, General.” She poured herself a cup of coffee.
He peered over his glasses. “General?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to call you ‘Jack’. Besides,” she pulled out the chair beside him and snagged the front section. “I don’t exactly hear ‘Sam’ tripping off your tongue.”
“Point taken….Carter.” They grinned at each other.
“Where’s Teal’c?” Sam realized the house was very, very quiet. Without thought, she rubbed the dog’s back with her slippered toe. The little French bulldog inched over, following the heat of the sun across the tiled floor.
“Don’t know. He and Daniel took off early this morning. Daniel had something he wanted Teal’c to see, that’s all I know. Want some toast or something? I think we’ve got bagels.”
She rummaged until she found English muffins and butter. Glancing around as she waited for the toaster’s ding, she admired the kitchen, bright with white cabinets and a soft creamy yellow wall color. “I didn’t get to see much last night. I really like this color.”
Jack shrugged. “Daniel picked it out; it’s…burnt toast or something.”
She smothered a laugh as she sat back down and skimmed the paper. She could get used to more days like this.
*
Sam took a longer, more leisurely tour after breakfast. The house was elegant and stately and she wouldn’t have thought it would have suited the two men. But the living room was casually comfortable with inviting furniture and a large TV mounted above the fireplace. The office was clearly imprinted with Daniel’s personality, with tons of books in built-in shelves, a messy desk and a piano with sheet music spread over the top.
*
Teal’c and Daniel reappeared around eleven with several bags and boxes of assorted fruits and vegetables. “So,” Jack was unloading the dishwasher while Daniel stowed food, “where’d you get off to?”
“I took Teal’c to the Farmer’s Market.”
“That’s what you wanted to show Teal’c?”
“It very much resembles the open markets of Chulak.”
“Huh. Well, I guess business is business all over the galaxy.” You didn’t have to be a genius to understand why the market’s open stalls appealed to a memory stamped somewhere deep in Daniel’s brain. He peered into the box Teal’c had carried in. “So, what’ve you got, T?”
Teal’c obligingly produced several unscented candles, small jars of honey and some dark red jelly. Gently, he removed a small wrapped item that was revealed to be a hand-carved… something.
“It’s a totem,” Daniel offered as he disappeared back out to the garage.
Jack picked it up and examined it. “That’s some kind of workmanship; I didn’t know anyone still did that kind of work. Wonder if he’d carve on commission?”
“Daniel Jackson obtained one of his business cards.”
“Hmmm.” Jack began plotting how to stealthily get the card out of Daniel’s wallet. “Looks like you made quite a haul.” He commented as Daniel brought another box in.
“Local honey.” He began unloading the box. “Some jelly. And I thought Sam might appreciate the lotion.” He handed her a bottle.
“Oooh,” she uncapped it to smell. “That’s great. What is it?”
“I think it’s lily of the valley. There’s a lady who makes all kinds of stuff. Lotions, soaps, candles, even some perfume.”
Jack rolled his eyes as Daniel rattled on about the fresh produce. Being raised in the Midwest, Jack was well acquainted with the fancy-pants ‘farm to table’ movement; only in Minnesota, they’d called it ‘farming.’
*
Sam sighed as she sipped her beer around the fire pit situated on the back terrace. They had basically wasted the day, doing nothing more than getting caught up on each other’s lives, putting some steaks on the grill. Teal’c had used the farmer’s market vegetables for a salad and Daniel had produced some artisanal local ice-cream, sprinkled it with fresh berries and called it dessert. Jack had made them smile when he launched into the expected rant about artisanal anything. “Just a fancy way of saying ‘it’s gonna ya cost an arm and a leg.’”
She had missed this: the four of them winding down their day sitting around a fire. Realistically, she knew that SG-1 had been luckier than they should have been. To have lived as long as they did and to have remained a team for nearly ten years would have been unheard of at any other military installation.
“So,” Jack dropped another log on the fire before he handed Sam another beer. “What’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”
“Well, Teal’c wants to do some tourist things. So we thought we’d do Arlington, maybe the Vietnam Wall.”
“No Smithsonian?”
“Daniel Jackson has informed me that the Smithsonian is not simply one museum but is housed in several buildings and cannot be adequately appreciated in one visit.”
“So, you guys come another time, spend about a week and camp out at the museum.”
“I know Sam would like to see the Air and Space Museum.” Daniel added.
“It has been awhile since I’ve been there.” She admitted.
The quiet twilight was interrupted by a musical tinkling from Daniel’s pocket. He frowned as he dug his phone out. “Jack, did you reset the ringtone again?”
Jack grinned as Daniel walked toward the house. “Would I do that?”
Teal’c rose to follow Daniel into the house. Sam twisted around to watch them. “What’s up with that?”
“T is afraid Woolsey is going to try to beam Daniel up while he’s not looking.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. He called and asked if I would give permission for him to ‘permanently rid the SGC of the abominable presence of Mr. Woolsey.’ Unfortunately, I had to dissuade Teal’c although I personally like the idea of never having to deal with Woolsey again.”
“The IOC…”
“Pardon my French, Carter, but fuck the IOC. They’ll do whatever Woolsey wants them to do and if Daniel hadn’t wiggled his way out, they’d have ‘terminated’ him.” Jack snapped air quotes.
Sam took a long drink. “I can’t believe they would actually have….”
“Woolsey lost a lot of credibility over the Khalek thing. He’s the one who wouldn’t listen to Daniel but somehow that’s now Daniel’s fault. Woolsey used the same damned argument that Daniel made, only his version was that if Khalek was too dangerous to live, then Daniel was twice as dangerous. Bastard.”
“So that’s why Daniel is now attached to the Pentagon?”
“The IOC might run the SGC but they don’t have squat to say about what goes on in the Pentagon. It’s the only protection I could give him. He wanted to resign altogether but that was too dangerous. A civilian who knows too much about the big secret? Daniel would have disappeared without a trace and we wouldn’t have any leverage. This way, the Joint Chiefs have a vested interest in keeping him alive.”
“Smart thinking, sir.”
“Took some maneuvering. But between General Hammond, Davis and a couple of others, we worked it out.”
“Now he’s driving the Chiefs crazy.”
“Are you kidding?” Jack snorted. “Chief Ryan thinks he walks on water because he’s been in the wars and still has the balls to tell them exactly what he thinks.”
“Daniel Jackson has the same genitalia as any other human male.” Teal’c eased up behind them.
“Dammit, Teal’c! One of these days you’re going to give me heart failure. Where’s Daniel, by the way?”
“A difficult translation that required some clarification. I was assured that Daniel Jackson is in no danger from Dr. Mayson.”
Jack rose to throw another log on the fire. “So you guys are going to Arlington?”
“Daniel Jackson promised many years ago to arrange a visit to this most hallowed of ground.”
“He did?” Jack sounded surprised.
“At Major Kawalsky’s wake, Daniel Jackson attempted to define ‘hallowed ground’ and vowed to demonstrate the premise by means of this cemetery.”
“As a final resting place, you could do worse.” Jack commented.
“Daniel Jackson assured me that both you and Major Carter would be welcomed due to your military service.”
Jack grinned. “Well, T, I appreciate the thought but I don’t plan on going for a long, long time.”
Sam looked around the shadowy yard, lit only by the fire pit. Jack was slumped in his seat, Teal’c waited patiently as Daniel, followed by a prancing BJ, carried a tray that contained the makings of s’mores. “Me neither, sir.” She raised her bottle. “Me neither.”