Ficlet: Anathema
Title: Anathema
Author: Pepper
Rating: PG
Season: Anytime 4 - 7
Featured Character(s): Sam, Jack, Teal'c, Daniel
Pairing(s): *gives evil laugh*
Summary: Why are Daniel and the Colonel avoiding Sam? Has she done something to annoy them - or are they hiding a secret?
A/N: To
surreallis, with great and tooby wuv.
---
"Sir," said Sam, putting her head around the Colonel's open office door. "Got a minute?"
O'Neill was seated behind the desk he always denied having, glowering at the computer he denied knowing how to use. He glanced up, and Sam could've sworn he winced. "Can it wait? I'm kind of busy right now," he said, shortly.
Sam smiled winsomely. She knew it was a winsome smile; it almost never failed her, even with the Gate technicians, who were notorious for their single-minded focus on their One True Love: the Stargate. "Yes, sir, but this will only take a minute. I need to ask you about-"
"Carter," interrupted O'Neill, with a distinct lack of patience, "I really don't have time for it right now." He stood up abruptly. "In fact, I have to go and - be somewhere else. I'll see you around."
He was past her and out the door before she had time to say another word.
Well. That was... odd.
Shrugging, knowing her Colonel could be moody at times, she left it, and went back to her lab. She could always catch him at lunch.
---
He wasn't at lunch.
Sam wound her way through to the table where Teal'c sat alone, utilising the extra table space to spread out his dishes. She looked over the array of dishes, involuntarily adding up the calories in her head, and sighed jealously. Still, at least they'd established that Teal'c could put on weight, once they introduced him to the wonders of donuts. He'd come to her almost in tears (well, not exactly, of course, but as close as Teal'c got) a couple of years back, when he'd been unable to get into his normal BDU's. She'd had a chat with him about hidden sugar, and fried foods, and nutritional balance, and he'd taken it all in and adjusted his meals with enviable discipline. Now, when she tried to tease him about his donut fetish, he would merely remark that he had not had his complete calorie intake for the day. It was deeply unfair.
"Hey, Teal'c."
"Major Carter."
Teal'c moved a dish of fruit salad aside, and she put her tray down. "Thanks. Daniel and the Colonel not here? I was hoping to catch the Colonel. I need to ask him about something in his last mission report."
Teal'c looked enigmatic. "I believe Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson are otherwise occupied," he said, thoughtfully.
Sam frowned at him, and opened her mouth to enquire further, when she caught sight of a familiar figure in the doorway. The Colonel had shown up, after all. She lifted her hand to catch his attention, and he glanced her way - and paled, turned on his heel, and departed.
"Hey," objected Sam, hand still raised. She dropped it, and looked at Teal'c. "Well it can't have been something I said. What was that about?"
Teal'c lowered his eyes to his meal. "I have been forbidden to speak of it."
Sam looked thoughtfully at Teal'c for a moment. If Teal'c said he wasn't going to tell her, he wasn't going to tell her. "Okay," she said, resignedly. She could always catch the Colonel later.
---
But she couldn't seem to find him all day. Neither he nor Daniel seemed to be around anywhere she usually ran into them, and even when she finally gave in and actually searched, they were no where to be found. Finally, after searching the gym, the infirmary, Daniel's office, the Colonel's office, the briefing room, the library, and the Gateroom, she gave up and headed to the MALP room to fix number 16 (strictly speaking this was Siler's job, but he let her do it when she wanted something to occupy her hands, to give her mind time to tick over).
Having given up, naturally she found them both immediately.
She switched on the light in the MALP room and stopped short. Daniel and the Colonel were sat next to one another on the floor, their backs against one of the MALPs. They both looked up, blinking at the light.
"Sam?"
"Carter?"
"Colonel? Daniel?" replied Sam, befuddled. "What're you doing down here?"
Daniel and the Colonel exchanged embarrassed glances. "It's quiet," admitted Daniel.
"And dark," said the Colonel, scowling at his hands splayed over his knees.
Sam gazed at them. "...Oh. Well, I just came to work on one of the MALPs, but I was looking for you, actually, sir-"
Jack shoved himself quickly off the floor. "I'd better go and let you get on with it," he said. Daniel gave him a concerned glance. It was too much for Sam.
"Sir, wait - can I ask - have I said or done something wrong?"
Jack glanced at her, and she could've sworn she saw panic in his eyes. He was practically sweating. "I, er..." he said, and started edging past her. "Danielcanexplain," he said in a rush, and was off again.
Sam stared at the empty doorway, and then swung around again to Daniel. "Daniel?"
Daniel winced. "Well, you see, Sam, it was this last mission," he began.
"That's what I'm trying to ask the Colonel about," said Sam, a little exasperated. "Since I couldn't go on the mission, I needed him to clarify something about his report. It was a very brief report," she said. "In fact, so was yours, Daniel. That's not like you."
Daniel nodded, and sucked in a breath. "It, er..." he began, and then trailed off, looking pained.
"What happened on the mission, Daniel?" asked Sam, gently. Daniel was staring vaguely into space. She knelt by him and touched his arm, and he glanced at her, seeming almost startled. "Did something happen to you and the Colonel?"
Daniel opened his mouth to speak, then had to blink rapidly. "I..." he said, and then sprang unexpectedly to his feet, nearly knocking heads with her on the way up. "I have to go, Sam, I'llseeyoulater."
And he too was gone.
Goddammit.
---
In a very dark mood, Sam fixed the MALP and decided to call it a day. If none of her teammates respected her enough to tell her whatever had happened, she was damned if she was going to force them to talk. She had enough trouble as it was, without being regarded as a nosy woman. She stomped up to her lab, and tidied a few things away for the night. "Men!" she exclaimed loudly, watering her plant like a vengeful tsunami. "And their goddamn secrets! What is their problem, huh?"
Sadly, the Saintpaulia ionantha had no answers.
As she shut down her laptop, however, her sense of personal hurt began to be eclipsed by a greater worry. What if there actually was something wrong? She'd been excused from the mission, as it was a fairly simple trip to maintain diplomatic relations with the Asgard, and she had several important projects on the go. The three other members of SG-1 had returned at the expected time, had their usual check-up, of course, and -
- Sam lifted her head, suddenly. Janet! She should talk to Janet.
Snapping the laptop closed, Sam sped for the elevator. What if she had been missing signs? She, as much as anyone on this base, should know better than to ignore peculiar goings-on. Her impatience only increased in the freakishly slow elevator journey, and she pressed the button for level 21 possibly more times than was healthy. Finally it stopped, and she slipped between the doors before they were fully open. She hurried along the corridor, rounded the corner - and hurtled right into the Colonel. He fell back, grimacing and wrapping one arm protectively around himself.
"Sir!"
"Ugh!" He squinted at her as he leaned against the wall. "Carter? Where's the fire?"
"Um, sir, I - I was just wondering..." She stopped, caught in a dilemma. What if he was under alien influence? It wouldn't do to give away that she'd realised something was wrong. On the other hand, if he wasn't under alien influence, he probably wouldn't appreciate her querying his peculiar behaviour with Janet before she spoke to him. But before she could decide, she was stopped by quick steps from the infirmary.
"Colonel, you forgot the levofloxacin." Janet stepped out, and paused as she saw the two frozen out there. "Oh, hey Sam. Are you here to check on the Colonel?"
Jack shot the doctor a glare. "No," he said, and grabbed for the pill bottle that Janet was holding out.
Sam's eyes had widened in alarm. "Sir, what's wrong?" She looked to the doctor. "Janet?"
Janet huffed slightly, and it looked awfully like she was trying to hide a smile. "Nothing to worry about, Sam," Janet reassured her quickly. They both looked at the Colonel, who was still leaning against the wall. Now Sam came to think about it, he did look a little... ragged.
"You could've warned me," complained the Colonel, to Sam's confusion. He looked up at her, eyes looking darker against skin that was definitely a bit pale.
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Sir?" What could she possibly have told the Colonel about the Asgard that he didn't already know?
"There was a dinner in our honour." The Colonel sighed, and rattled the pills at her. "The things I do to keep diplomatic relations sweet with those little grey pains in my-" He broke off the sentence abruptly, and straightened from the wall. "Uh, Janet-?"
The doctor stepped aside as the Colonel hurried back into the infirmary. There was the unpleasant sound of retching. Janet leaned in to speak to one of her nurses. "Put him bed when he's done," she said, firmly. "I don't think he's in any shape to argue any more." Then she turned back to Sam, whose mouth had widened into an 'oh' of comprehension.
"Little yellow squares, by any chance?" asked Sam.
Janet held up her hand, thumb and forefinger curled. "He ate three."
"Omigod." Sam had often tried to forget her own encounter with Asgard cuisine, sadly to no avail.
"When next I see Thor, I'm having words with him about the human digestive system," said Janet, grimly. "But honestly, if those two hadn't been trying to be stoic about it, they could've just spent the day in the infirmary like sensible boys. Instead - according to Daniel - they've spent the day dashing back and forth to the toilets." Sam winced. "Daniel's in here, if you want to visit," added Janet. "I've got him on a drip for dehydration." She paused. "Oh - was there something you were coming to see me about?"
Sam smiled. "No - just..." she shrugged her shoulders when Janet looked curiously at her. "Just crazy paranoia. For a moment there, I thought they were avoiding me."
Janet chuckled. "Yeah, right," she said. "Like they'd ever do that." She patted Sam's arm. "I tell you what, bring them something to keep them occupied whilst they're in here, and they'll love you forever."
---
THE END.
Author: Pepper
Rating: PG
Season: Anytime 4 - 7
Featured Character(s): Sam, Jack, Teal'c, Daniel
Pairing(s): *gives evil laugh*
Summary: Why are Daniel and the Colonel avoiding Sam? Has she done something to annoy them - or are they hiding a secret?
A/N: To
surreallis, with great and tooby wuv.
---
"Sir," said Sam, putting her head around the Colonel's open office door. "Got a minute?"
O'Neill was seated behind the desk he always denied having, glowering at the computer he denied knowing how to use. He glanced up, and Sam could've sworn he winced. "Can it wait? I'm kind of busy right now," he said, shortly.
Sam smiled winsomely. She knew it was a winsome smile; it almost never failed her, even with the Gate technicians, who were notorious for their single-minded focus on their One True Love: the Stargate. "Yes, sir, but this will only take a minute. I need to ask you about-"
"Carter," interrupted O'Neill, with a distinct lack of patience, "I really don't have time for it right now." He stood up abruptly. "In fact, I have to go and - be somewhere else. I'll see you around."
He was past her and out the door before she had time to say another word.
Well. That was... odd.
Shrugging, knowing her Colonel could be moody at times, she left it, and went back to her lab. She could always catch him at lunch.
---
He wasn't at lunch.
Sam wound her way through to the table where Teal'c sat alone, utilising the extra table space to spread out his dishes. She looked over the array of dishes, involuntarily adding up the calories in her head, and sighed jealously. Still, at least they'd established that Teal'c could put on weight, once they introduced him to the wonders of donuts. He'd come to her almost in tears (well, not exactly, of course, but as close as Teal'c got) a couple of years back, when he'd been unable to get into his normal BDU's. She'd had a chat with him about hidden sugar, and fried foods, and nutritional balance, and he'd taken it all in and adjusted his meals with enviable discipline. Now, when she tried to tease him about his donut fetish, he would merely remark that he had not had his complete calorie intake for the day. It was deeply unfair.
"Hey, Teal'c."
"Major Carter."
Teal'c moved a dish of fruit salad aside, and she put her tray down. "Thanks. Daniel and the Colonel not here? I was hoping to catch the Colonel. I need to ask him about something in his last mission report."
Teal'c looked enigmatic. "I believe Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson are otherwise occupied," he said, thoughtfully.
Sam frowned at him, and opened her mouth to enquire further, when she caught sight of a familiar figure in the doorway. The Colonel had shown up, after all. She lifted her hand to catch his attention, and he glanced her way - and paled, turned on his heel, and departed.
"Hey," objected Sam, hand still raised. She dropped it, and looked at Teal'c. "Well it can't have been something I said. What was that about?"
Teal'c lowered his eyes to his meal. "I have been forbidden to speak of it."
Sam looked thoughtfully at Teal'c for a moment. If Teal'c said he wasn't going to tell her, he wasn't going to tell her. "Okay," she said, resignedly. She could always catch the Colonel later.
---
But she couldn't seem to find him all day. Neither he nor Daniel seemed to be around anywhere she usually ran into them, and even when she finally gave in and actually searched, they were no where to be found. Finally, after searching the gym, the infirmary, Daniel's office, the Colonel's office, the briefing room, the library, and the Gateroom, she gave up and headed to the MALP room to fix number 16 (strictly speaking this was Siler's job, but he let her do it when she wanted something to occupy her hands, to give her mind time to tick over).
Having given up, naturally she found them both immediately.
She switched on the light in the MALP room and stopped short. Daniel and the Colonel were sat next to one another on the floor, their backs against one of the MALPs. They both looked up, blinking at the light.
"Sam?"
"Carter?"
"Colonel? Daniel?" replied Sam, befuddled. "What're you doing down here?"
Daniel and the Colonel exchanged embarrassed glances. "It's quiet," admitted Daniel.
"And dark," said the Colonel, scowling at his hands splayed over his knees.
Sam gazed at them. "...Oh. Well, I just came to work on one of the MALPs, but I was looking for you, actually, sir-"
Jack shoved himself quickly off the floor. "I'd better go and let you get on with it," he said. Daniel gave him a concerned glance. It was too much for Sam.
"Sir, wait - can I ask - have I said or done something wrong?"
Jack glanced at her, and she could've sworn she saw panic in his eyes. He was practically sweating. "I, er..." he said, and started edging past her. "Danielcanexplain," he said in a rush, and was off again.
Sam stared at the empty doorway, and then swung around again to Daniel. "Daniel?"
Daniel winced. "Well, you see, Sam, it was this last mission," he began.
"That's what I'm trying to ask the Colonel about," said Sam, a little exasperated. "Since I couldn't go on the mission, I needed him to clarify something about his report. It was a very brief report," she said. "In fact, so was yours, Daniel. That's not like you."
Daniel nodded, and sucked in a breath. "It, er..." he began, and then trailed off, looking pained.
"What happened on the mission, Daniel?" asked Sam, gently. Daniel was staring vaguely into space. She knelt by him and touched his arm, and he glanced at her, seeming almost startled. "Did something happen to you and the Colonel?"
Daniel opened his mouth to speak, then had to blink rapidly. "I..." he said, and then sprang unexpectedly to his feet, nearly knocking heads with her on the way up. "I have to go, Sam, I'llseeyoulater."
And he too was gone.
Goddammit.
---
In a very dark mood, Sam fixed the MALP and decided to call it a day. If none of her teammates respected her enough to tell her whatever had happened, she was damned if she was going to force them to talk. She had enough trouble as it was, without being regarded as a nosy woman. She stomped up to her lab, and tidied a few things away for the night. "Men!" she exclaimed loudly, watering her plant like a vengeful tsunami. "And their goddamn secrets! What is their problem, huh?"
Sadly, the Saintpaulia ionantha had no answers.
As she shut down her laptop, however, her sense of personal hurt began to be eclipsed by a greater worry. What if there actually was something wrong? She'd been excused from the mission, as it was a fairly simple trip to maintain diplomatic relations with the Asgard, and she had several important projects on the go. The three other members of SG-1 had returned at the expected time, had their usual check-up, of course, and -
- Sam lifted her head, suddenly. Janet! She should talk to Janet.
Snapping the laptop closed, Sam sped for the elevator. What if she had been missing signs? She, as much as anyone on this base, should know better than to ignore peculiar goings-on. Her impatience only increased in the freakishly slow elevator journey, and she pressed the button for level 21 possibly more times than was healthy. Finally it stopped, and she slipped between the doors before they were fully open. She hurried along the corridor, rounded the corner - and hurtled right into the Colonel. He fell back, grimacing and wrapping one arm protectively around himself.
"Sir!"
"Ugh!" He squinted at her as he leaned against the wall. "Carter? Where's the fire?"
"Um, sir, I - I was just wondering..." She stopped, caught in a dilemma. What if he was under alien influence? It wouldn't do to give away that she'd realised something was wrong. On the other hand, if he wasn't under alien influence, he probably wouldn't appreciate her querying his peculiar behaviour with Janet before she spoke to him. But before she could decide, she was stopped by quick steps from the infirmary.
"Colonel, you forgot the levofloxacin." Janet stepped out, and paused as she saw the two frozen out there. "Oh, hey Sam. Are you here to check on the Colonel?"
Jack shot the doctor a glare. "No," he said, and grabbed for the pill bottle that Janet was holding out.
Sam's eyes had widened in alarm. "Sir, what's wrong?" She looked to the doctor. "Janet?"
Janet huffed slightly, and it looked awfully like she was trying to hide a smile. "Nothing to worry about, Sam," Janet reassured her quickly. They both looked at the Colonel, who was still leaning against the wall. Now Sam came to think about it, he did look a little... ragged.
"You could've warned me," complained the Colonel, to Sam's confusion. He looked up at her, eyes looking darker against skin that was definitely a bit pale.
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Sir?" What could she possibly have told the Colonel about the Asgard that he didn't already know?
"There was a dinner in our honour." The Colonel sighed, and rattled the pills at her. "The things I do to keep diplomatic relations sweet with those little grey pains in my-" He broke off the sentence abruptly, and straightened from the wall. "Uh, Janet-?"
The doctor stepped aside as the Colonel hurried back into the infirmary. There was the unpleasant sound of retching. Janet leaned in to speak to one of her nurses. "Put him bed when he's done," she said, firmly. "I don't think he's in any shape to argue any more." Then she turned back to Sam, whose mouth had widened into an 'oh' of comprehension.
"Little yellow squares, by any chance?" asked Sam.
Janet held up her hand, thumb and forefinger curled. "He ate three."
"Omigod." Sam had often tried to forget her own encounter with Asgard cuisine, sadly to no avail.
"When next I see Thor, I'm having words with him about the human digestive system," said Janet, grimly. "But honestly, if those two hadn't been trying to be stoic about it, they could've just spent the day in the infirmary like sensible boys. Instead - according to Daniel - they've spent the day dashing back and forth to the toilets." Sam winced. "Daniel's in here, if you want to visit," added Janet. "I've got him on a drip for dehydration." She paused. "Oh - was there something you were coming to see me about?"
Sam smiled. "No - just..." she shrugged her shoulders when Janet looked curiously at her. "Just crazy paranoia. For a moment there, I thought they were avoiding me."
Janet chuckled. "Yeah, right," she said. "Like they'd ever do that." She patted Sam's arm. "I tell you what, bring them something to keep them occupied whilst they're in here, and they'll love you forever."
---
THE END.