Title: A Safe Bet
Author: Jodi Marie
Email: ag4bk@juno.com
Status: Complete
Category: Tag Scene for Grace
Pairings: S/J
Spoilers: Grace
Season: Seven
Sequel/Series Info: None
Content Level: C
Content Warnings: None
Summary: How Grace led into Chimera
Disclaimer: Not. Mine. (Sigh)
File Size (Kb): 13 in txt
Archive: Jackfic, yes.
Author's Note: Ick! I hate writing angst! (Glares at muse..)



Sam stretched her stiff neck and slowly opened her eyes to the softly
lit room. The only sounds were the muted beeps of several pieces of
machinery, most of which were currently attached to *her*.

"Hey."

She recognized the voice immediately. "Jack?"

O'Neill was seated nearby, his head supported by his hand. Both of
his eyebrows went up at the sound of his name. Carter never called
him that; the concussion must have been worse than he
thought. "Excuse me?" He spoke but then paused. He should have let it
go. It wasn't as though he really minded. It actually sounded kind of
nice.

"Sorry, Sir." She forced her professionalism to reassert itself.

"Yes, well," O'Neill stood and took a step toward the bed.  "A
*massive* concussion will tend to disorient one." He offered her a
reassuring smile, no harm done.

"How long was I out there?"

"It's all relative Carter. That whole time-space continuum thing."

For once it was Carter who balked at having to hear something
scientific. She closed her eyes wearily. "Sir."

"Four days."

"I could have sworn it was weeks."

There was a short, comfortable pause before he spoke again, quickly
changing the subject to something lighter. "Uh, Teal'c and Daniel
say, 'Hi'. Um. They're planning a little bit of a shindig for when
you're up and around. There's talk of cake."

Sam couldn't help but smile. Apparently some real planning was going
into this event. "Cake?"

"My idea."

If she'd been more alert she'd have laughed at the huge grin on his
face. He was obviously proud of himself. As it was she settled for
just smiling back at him. "Can't wait."

He was satisfied enough, even though her smile had been a weak one,
and went on. "Need anything? Magazine? Yo-Yo?"

"I'm fine."

"Yes, you are." There was that smile again; it touched her all the
way down to her toes.

"Thank you, Sir."

"For what?"

She suddenly realized she'd forgotten O'Neill wasn't on the
Prometheus with her. The whole conversation she'd had with him was
still fresh in her mind; only it had been another 'him'. This one
didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "Nothing."

He didn't seem to be overly confused by the remark and gave her
another smile before leaving. "Think nothing of it. I've got plenty
of that."

The simple joy she'd always felt in his presence struck her as he
turned to leave and reminded her of something she'd repressed now for
years. Eons even. She blushed and hunched her shoulders as she
recalled her own fantasy about kissing him. *That* wasn't something
she could pass off as just another hallucination. It wasn't the first
time she'd allowed herself to imagine the feel of his lips on hers.

As quickly as the idea surfaced, she squashed it down. Wasn't that
what the whole 'hallucination' thing was about? Her and her hang ups,
one of which was centered on the man who'd just left.  Maybe all the
talking to herself really did have a point, but it could wait. For
right now she was home, safe, and in a day or so she'd be on the
Colonel's deck with a whopping big slice of cake. She snuggled down
further into the pillow and let herself fall back to sleep.

<><><>

Two days turned into seven before Janet was willing to release her
patient. Yes, the external injury was barely noticeable, but the
headaches still came, bringing with them surges of nausea, an
indication that her brain was still recovering from the injury. The
Doctor stubbornly refused to grant any release until a full 24 hours
had gone by with no significant headache and at least one full meal
being eaten- and kept down.

It was just as well, Carter had to concede, the potent medication
she'd been given to ease the nausea made her so drowsy she'd missed a
good portion of those seven days anyway.  Now, finally though, enough
was enough. Fraiser grudgingly signed the papers, and only after Sam
agreed to daily check-ups for at least three or four more days.

The first two days at home she actually had some peace and quiet. Of
course, she also had a babysitter. Daniel was called upon
for 'sitter' duty as his work was most easily done from an alternate
location.  He somehow managed to remain unobtrusive by immersing
himself in a detailed translation on his laptop. Except for the
occasional offering of pain medication or tea, and hearing him absent-
mindedly muttering to himself, she barely knew he was there.

After the third daily check back at the base, and an unauthorized
stop off at her lab, Sam found herself typing away at her computer,
oblivious to the fact she wasn't yet cleared for even light duty. The
hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she had the distinct
feeling she was being watched.

Without looking up she smiled and spoke aloud. "Can I help you, Sir?"

O'Neill was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. He'd
actually been there for a few minutes before she perceived his
presence. "I wasn't aware Fraiser had cleared you yet."

"Uh, she hasn't. I'm not really working, just going over a few
things."

He moved closer and stood where he could see the computer
screen. "God, Carter, I can't understand a single thing on there!
Sure looks like work to me."

She started to object, but when she glanced up she knew she'd been
caught. His smile disarmed her. Damn, the man. The thought flicked
through her mind that she really did need to get a grip on the
situation between them.

He drew a set of car keys out of his pocket and spun them around his
index finger. "C'mon. My turn."

"I really don't need a babysitter anymore."

"Maybe not, but the fact that you are here when you should be at home
or at least elsewhere, proves that you *do* need a keeper."

"Sir?"

"Someone to make sure you follow your Doctor's orders."

"Oh, yeah, like *you* have experience in that area." She winced at
the harshness of her own voice. She'd meant to say it jokingly, but
it came out a bit strong.

O'Neill wasn't fazed. "Ah, but this is not me; it's you. Time to go.
Do I need to make it an order?"

She lowered her eyes, somewhat miffed he'd used the one thing she
wouldn't deny him: his status as her Commander. "No, Sir. Just give
me a minute." She tapped a few keys to save her work and exited the
program. As she waited for the computer to complete her request she
noted O'Neill's attention was elsewhere for the moment, and quickly
pocketed a disk from the computer drive bay. There was no reason she
couldn't work on the same project at home, but she wasn't about to
let *him* know that.

Her car was still on base, and she made a move straight for it once
they were on the surface. Only O'Neill's long stride cut her
off. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home, Sir. You can follow me if you like."

He looked somewhat stricken. "You'll miss out on the cake."

It took a minute for that to sink in. So, the 'shindig' was on for
tonight. Apparently it was to have been a surprise. "Oh, well-" She
paused to consider it. "When you put it like that-"

His face brightened noticeably.

"I still want my car though. Janet said I could drive now, and I'd
rather be free to head home when I'm ready instead of imposing on
someone else."

"Okay, but you won't run out early, right?" When she nodded he
continued. "And don't let on you knew what was up. Teal'c has this
*thing* about surprises."

"No problem."

<><><>

The 'bash', that's what Teal'c called it, turned out to be quite fun,
though tiring. They'd managed to have her favorite take out, lemon
pepper chicken, her favorite dessert that wasn't Jell-o, chocolate
fudge ice cream and her favorite old movie, Casablanca. There were
also nearly a hundred balloons decorating every corner of the
Colonel's house, and Teal'c had boasted how he'd blown up every one
by himself.  That, of course, led to a comment from O'Neill.
Something about 'hot air'. 

Carter let herself relax, comfortable in the company of the team
she'd grown so accustomed to over the past few years. In a way it
felt just like it did on the ship, her 'guys' looking out for her.
The memory made her sigh. She hadn't yet owned up to exactly what
she'd been through during her four-day struggle to save herself and
the crew of the Prometheus.

The sun was just beginning to dip low enough in the sky to make red
streaks appear in the clouds overhead. The movie had been wonderful
and the cake, delightful, even though Carter couldn't finish the
monstrous piece she'd been served. As an after-dessert dessert, she
and the Colonel were on his deck sharing a small tub of 'Ben and
Jerry's' while Daniel and Teal'c were inside mulling over a game of
chess.

She rolled her tongue around the ice cream in her mouth and let it
melt a bit before swallowing it.

"You do that with Jell-O too."

She was unaware she was being watched- at least that closely. "Sir?"

"Not swallow right away."

She smiled and scooped up another spoonful. "I like the flavor. If I
just swallow it down I'll miss it."

"Uh, huh."

She could feel his raised eyebrow so she demonstrated by taking the
bite and exaggerating the movement of her tongue and jaw as she let
the confection saturate her taste buds. "Mmm. Good." She swallowed it
down and licked her lips.

O'Neill was mesmerized by the sheer sensuality Carter displayed and
averted his eyes. "Okaaay."  He quickly changed the subject. "So,
you've got a full week of downtime coming, and since Fraiser's seen
fit to cut you loose...plans?"

"Actually, yes." Carter let her head fall back to rest against the
back of the chair. "I thought I'd go see Mark in San Diego. I know
it's kind of soon to take a trip that far away, but who knows when
I'll have this many days off together again. Janet said it would be
okay."

He took another bite of ice cream and nodded. "You're flying out,
when?"

"I thought I might take the Indian."

O'Neill's eyebrows flicked, and his head jerked in her
direction. 'Indian?' he thought. Suddenly he remembered the make of
her bike. 'Oh, *that* Indian!'  "Is that *wise*?"

"No headaches, no nausea. The fresh air should do me good. I need to
spread my wings a bit."

His eyes fell away from gazing at her and then returned to her face.
She had her eyes closed, looking completely relaxed.  He bit his
lower lip and narrowed his eyes in thought. Something was different
about his 2IC ever since the Prometheus thing; he just couldn't place
what it was. There was a hint of something he could only call
restlessness. He glanced away again.

As he reached over to dip his spoon in the tub for another helping of
ice cream, she did the same, and their hands collided. Immediately
their eyes went to each other's. Both cracked a small smile.

"You know," O'Neill began as he withdrew his hand and let her go
first. "I didn't mind it when you called me 'Jack'. Just surprised,
that's all."

"I know." Her hand moved back without obtaining what she'd reached
for. She set the empty spoon on the table and shifted slightly in her
seat, suddenly looking quite ill at ease. A clear sign something was
on her mind. "Sir." He knew that was a bad sign too, especially since
he'd just in effect given her permission to call him by his first
name.

"I've been thinking." Another bad sign, coupled with her hands, which
were now clasped in her lap. "About choices I've made and what things
I've allowed to be a part of my life..." She paused long enough to
take a breath. "Or not." Quickly she continued. "That's partly why I
want to go away from here for a bit. I need to clear my head. Maybe
make some decisions." She could not, would not look at him, even
though she was sure he was staring at her. She couldn't bear to see
the look she knew would be in his eyes.

"That's a good thing, right?"

His voice was so soft and uncertain sounding she almost caved.
Just.  "Yes. I think it will be."

They sat in silence for some time, and the sun sunk lower in the sky,
lengthening the shadows it cast. Carter soon stood to her feet and
motioned for O'Neill to stay put when he began to rise. "It's late. I
can see myself out. See you in a week." She finally turned her head
toward him. "Sir."

He sat back in the chair and nodded silently. Her hand was already on
the door latch when he spoke. He had to force the words out, afraid
to say anything, but more afraid to not.  "You know; if you...I'll
always be there for you."

Her back was to him, so he could plainly see how her shoulders
tensed. She turned her head just slightly to one side, nodding a
single time.  When she answered, her voice was barely above a
whisper. "Sounds like a safe bet to me."

She pushed the screen open and walked through, sliding it closed
behind her. Her heels clicked as she went inside, and he could hear
the murmured goodbyes as she took leave of the other members of the
team. A minute later she appeared in the driveway and strode to her
car, not looking back.

The chess game was complete, so Daniel and Teal'c said goodnight as
well. As they left they talked happily with each other, not noticing
their host's lack of response.

The deck was now completely in shadow, as the sun neared the
completion of its journey. The ice cream pooled at the bottom of the
tub, as it warmed to the ambient temperature, uneaten. And a man sat
on his roof, setting up a telescope for a long night of stargazing.
Alone.

~fin.