A/N: Well, here it is. The END of "Learned by Heart, Kept in Mind." These past few chapters have been a blast to write, but I amready to put this to rest. Eight updates and 31,792 words written (not just posted, but written) in eight days.
Your feedback is amazing. I cannot tell you how much it brightens my day when people all over the globe care enough about my work to tell me what they think of it. Good, bad or indifferent, your comments have touched me beyond belief. Thank you.
As I said before, the third part in this trilogy (which, originally, was only going to be a quick short story, go figure.) is next on my project list. The first 4 chapters are already up, so feel free to start reading. Promise I'll be right on it.
And, so… (Drum roll, please…)
Epilogue
Sam slammed a pair of pliers down on her workbench with enough force to shake every instrument resting upon it. In truth, it was all she could do to keep from performing a similar act with her head. The three days since her return from P5X-918 had been full of frustration and annoyances. She had no idea why she'd been so on-edge since getting back to the SGC, but there was no denying her short fuse and general inability to concentrate. Something was bothering her, though she had no idea what it was.
To make matters even worse, she'd gotten her period that morning. Why this bothered her so much was completely beyond her. Sure, it sucked to have the inconvenience right when everything else seemed to be falling into the toilet, but it was hardly worth getting upset about. And yet, when she'd realized her cycle was starting that morning, she'd mysteriously burst into tears. Hormones, she supposed, even though nothing like that had ever happened before.
Her most recent aggravation was a naquadah generator that was supposed modified for improved efficiency. However, so far, all Sam had actually managed to do was fry two of the main circuits. It would now be several more hours of work before the damn thing worked again at all. The combined stress of the past few days was enough to set her teeth on edge.
A tentative knock at her door pulled her attention away from the broken reactor. The lean, rugged figure in her doorway drew a smile from her lips, in spite of her crummy morning. "Hi, sir."
Jack looked a bit hesitant. "Is it safe to come in? Siler told me you almost beheaded him yesterday when he dropped one of your do-hickeys on the floor by accident."
Sam flushed slightly. She had been short-tempered with the staff since she'd gotten back, and she wasn't very proud of her behavior. "Yeah, I've had better weeks," she mumbled, looking sheepish.
Apparently satisfied that she wasn't going to inflict bodily harm on him, Jack wandered into her lab, examining his second-in-command's workbench. The area, which was usually clean enough to eat off of, was currently littered with a crazy assortment of wires, tools, and beeping instruments. "Jeez, Carter," he commented disbelievingly, "you must be having a tough time. My office is neater than this."
In spite of the less-than-flattering comments, Sam only felt the urge to smile. "I find that hard to believe," she said dryly. "Remember that time we found a petrified popcorn ball under all the reports in your in-box?"
Clearly not interested in her attempted subject-change, Jack just glared at her for a moment. When he spoke again, he pretty much ignored her last statement. "So," he asked pointedly, "You wanna tell me what's going on?"
Sam stiffened. "Nothing's going on." Her words were clipped and defensive.
Jack raised a hand. "Carter, don't get all mad at me. I was just asking because… well… nobody wants to come anyplace near your lab. They're all terrified of you. I figured if you were really acting half as badly as everyone is claiming, there might be a problem."
Sam smashed her hand down on her workbench with a loud crash. "I said, there's no damn problem!" Then, as her words sank in, her eyes grew wide. Belatedly, she added a lame, "Sir."
The 'sir' made Jack smile. Leave it to Carter to follow protocol even when blowing a gasket. "All right," he said reasonably, "I'm not gonna pry. But if you need to talk, you know where I am."
Sam sighed miserably. "I wish I could tell you what's bothering me, but I honestly haven't a clue." She shrugged. "I'm sure it's just readjusting to being back here. I've got three weeks of back-logged work to take care of, and most of it needed to be done yesterday."
Jack heard her reasoning, but didn't completely buy it. Carter lived on stress. The fact that it was bothering her now spoke of something bigger going on. Apparently, however, the issue was either too sensitive to talk about, or it really was something she couldn't identify. Either way, there wasn't much he could do about it. "Well then, I'll let you get back to work."
She nodded. "Thanks for stopping by, sir. I appreciate the gesture."
He shoved his hands in his pockets and started walking out. Just before reaching the door, however, he looked back over his shoulder. "Carter?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.
She looked at him. "Yes, sir?"
A small, enigmatic smile appeared on his face. "You wanna go out for some pizza and beer later?"
She was about to beg off, citing her horrible workload, when the significance of his question sank in. Pizza and beer. A smile of her own began to spread over her previously-grim features. "19:00 work for you?"
He nodded once. "You got it. I'll meet ya topside and we'll head over together."
As he strode from her lab, Sam felt a lightness begin to overtake her spirit.
Maybe things weren't quite so bad after all.
Sitting in his office with both feet up on his desk, Daniel shook his head in Teal'c's general direction. "I'm telling you," he said emphatically, "it was like nothing had happened between them. I'd have sworn I was going to find things drastically changed between them, but when we dropped in, they were exactly the same as they've always been." He wrinkled his forehead in frustration. "I've usually got better instincts than this."
Teal'c raised one eyebrow. "Perhaps they were simply misleading you. If they wished to keep their affair clandestine, then they may have simply been acting for your benefit."
Daniel sighed. "You could be right," he admitted, "though if they were acting, they both deserve Oscars. They were very convincing."
Looking puzzled, Teal'c inclined his head. "Who is Oscar?"
Smiling in spite of himself, Daniel was about to explain when a familiar voice floated in from the hallway.
"Danny! Teal'c! Good to see ya." Jack walked in, carrying a cardboard box. His face was set in a cheerful smile.
Daniel looked at him oddly. "You're in an awfully good mood," he noted.
Jack shrugged. "I'm just really glad to have my television back." He paused. "Not to mention flush-toilets and real, hydrated food."
"I suppose I can understand that," Daniel agreed. "You catch up on all your Simpson's episodes?"
"Yes," Jack replied, "and thank you for taping them for me."
Daniel shrugged. "Thank Teal'c. It was his idea."
The large Jaffa merely bowed his head briefly in acknowledgement.
Jack clapped a hand on Teal'c's back. "T, my man, you're a kindred spirit." Dropping the box on Daniel's desk, he looked at the archaeologist with an evil grin. "So, Danny, I hear you had some fun with Anise while I was gone."
Looking at Teal'c with a stricken expression, Daniel spoke stiffly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Jack wasn't about to give up on his teasing. "Well," he explained gleefully, "I understand you weren't getting anywhere with negotiations, so you used your magical puppy-dog eyes on her." His smile grew truly wicked as he continued. "It's my understanding that you buttered her up with sexual favors."
Daniel glared at Jack. "There were no sexual favors granted. And if someone," he said, turning his glare on Teal'c, "could keep their mouth shut, I wouldn't have to explain this to you."
Teal'c gazed at Daniel levelly. "I did not divulge this information to him, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel looked confused. Nobody else knew about his, er, unconventional diplomatic methods except Teal'c and… Suddenly, a smile broke out on his face. "So, Jack," he said knowingly, "Did Freya want to work off some of Anise's frustration with you? I'm sure she must have needed someone to talk to about recent events."
Jack's face instantly grew dark and menacing. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he muttered. Obviously eager to end the discussion now that the teasing had turned back upon himself, Jack pointed to the box on the desk. "That's got all the stuff from your pack in it. Carter found it when we were surveying the blast zone. Most of it is pretty well trashed, but we thought you might want to look it over before we tossed it out."
Still smiling from his sound victory in this recent verbal sparring match, Daniel nodded absently. "Sure, Jack. Thanks for bringing it." As his friend turned and left the room, he called out after him, "Tell Freya I said 'hi!'"
Jack's only response was a wordless, single-fingered salute.
Laughing, Daniel turned his attention back to Teal'c. "That was fun." Then, opening the box, he began rummaging through its contents.
Teal'c shook his head. "The Tauri have a very odd sense of fun."
Daniel shrugged. "Yeah, probably. But I can't help it. I never get to tease him back." Suddenly, Daniel made a noise of excitement. "Hey, look at this!" Reaching into the box, he pulled out the heavily damaged camcorder he'd brought with him on the mission. "Damn," he muttered after inspecting it closely. "This looks beyond repair."
Nodding, Teal'c agreed. "It is, as O'Neill would say, 'toast.'" He paused to gauge Daniel's reaction to the phrase. Once satisfied that the expression was suitable, Teal'c continued speaking. "Perhaps the tape is still useful?"
Daniel looked at the warrior with surprise. "That's a darn good idea, Teal'c. I can't believe I didn't think of it." Standing up, he quickly took the five steps to a small television/VCR combo used to review his mission recordings. In a few moments, he had the small tape from the camcorder situated into the VHS adapter. Plugging the tape into the VCR, he hit rewind. "I don't think I had more than a few minutes of video on this," he said quietly. "I'm pretty sure I got a few shots of the ruined city in the valley, and maybe one of the gate." When, after a few more seconds, the tape hadn't finished rewinding, he looked confusedly at Teal'c. "Maybe I left the tape running?" He was about to eject the cassette for further inspection when suddenly, the machine clicked to a stop. Hitting play, Daniel was excited to see the images he'd taken of the ruined city materialize on the screen. "It still works!" he exclaimed happily. "Thanks, Teal'c. This was a great idea."
The large Jaffa merely shrugged. "You would have thought of it eventually."
Daniel was about to reply, when, suddenly, the video cut out. "Wow. I really didn't take more than a few seconds of tape." He was about to hit the eject button when the sound of a familiar sarcastic voice emitted from the speakers.
"Well, not to diminish your geekish glee, but this camera isn't going to be taking pictures of anything." A pause and some shuffling noises could be heard before Jack continued. "The light goes on, but nothing appears on the screen."
Daniel blinked. "Sounds like Jack was trying to get the camera working."
"Drat."
Teal'c and Daniel exchanged quick glances. Unquestionably, the second, feminine voice belonged to Sam. "Apparently, Major Carter was also trying to help," Teal'c said softly.
"C'mon, Carter, look on the bright side. No camera means we won't waste any time taking boring pictures of fallen trees."
Daniel smiled. That was Jack, all right.
"Boring pictures of fallen trees? Jack, we're talking about firsthand data of alien geological phenomena! This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to–"
The two men listening to the tape then heard Sam's voice stop mid-sentence. At first, Daniel thought that the camera had finally cut out, and was again ready to eject the tape. However, as he reached for the button, a small, breathless noise whispered out from the speaker.
Suddenly, Daniel's eyes grew wide. Could he be hearing what he thought he was hearing?
"You were saying?"
The note of satisfaction in Jack's voice left no doubt in Daniel's mind. His gaze flew to Teal'c's. "Did you just hear that?" he asked incredulously.
"I have no idea. But clearly it wasn't as important as I thought it was." Sam's voice was breathy and intimate.
Teal'c's mouth twitched up in the corner. "Indeed," he said, answering Daniel's question.
"This might not be a bad place to set up camp for the night."
Daniel's jaw dropped open. The suggestive note in Sam's words was obvious.
"Camp? But it's barely past noon. Even if we walk back to retrieve our packs, it won't be much past two o'clock. We could probably reach the cliff by tonight if we keep moving."
Rolling his eyes, Daniel shook his head. "Jack, Jack, Jack! Listen to what the girl is saying." Teal'c, also hearing Jack's complete cluelessness, couldn't repress a smile.
"Walking to the base of the cliff isn't a bad idea, but I can think of better ways to spend the afternoon…" This time, Sam's sensual tone was beyond blatant.
Suddenly, Daniel looked at Teal'c again. "Uh, maybe we shouldn't be listening to this," he speculated aloud.
"Oh!" Jack's voice now held understanding. In spite of Daniel's intention to shut off the tape, the novelty of the conversation between his friends was really too much to resist. Besides, Teal'c wasn't exactly lunging for the eject button, either.
"You know," Jack's voice continued, "that obstacle course really took a lot out of me. Maybe we'd better rest before we go back for our stuff." Now it was his voice which sounded blatantly suggestive.
In spite of the personal nature of the tape, Daniel couldn't suppress a chuckle at how completely un-Jack-like the voice on the tape was. The Jack O'Neill he knew never let his guard down that far.
"Well, I can't have you getting tired, can I? After all, you old guys are pretty fragile. I wouldn't want you to strain anything,"
Even Teal'c had to smile at Sam's witty retort.
"Old guys?" Jack was clearly pretending to sound offended. "And, let me get this straight: You wouldn't want me to strain anything? If I were you, Carter, I'd worry more about what you might strain this afternoon."
Daniel felt a flush creep into his cheeks. Maybe now would be a good time to-
"Whatever you say, sir."Sam's words were carried by a breathless, carefree laugh. At that point, no further words were spoken, but Daniel could clearly hear the sounds of… other activities.
Lunging forward, he slammed his finger into the "stop" button. Looking up at Teal'c, he saw the same amused shock on the Jaffa's features that certainly must be on his own. "Teal'c," he said quietly, "You do know what this means, right?"
The warrior nodded once, slowly growing serious. "O'Neill and Major Carter will need our support."
Daniel looked quietly at the floor. "Yeah," he agreed. As he considered the implications of what he'd just heard, Daniel felt the respect he felt for his friends grow exponentially. In the face of what was clearly a deep, personal relationship, both of the Air Force officers had chosen their duties over their feelings. It was humbling. Daniel was not sure he would have made the same choice. Suddenly realizing something else, his head snapped up and he once again focused on Teal'c. "Hey, can you-"
Before he'd even finished his sentence, the Jaffa smiled knowingly. "I will put it in the same 'safe place' as the thermal images."
Daniel nodded, glad to know it would be safe. Then, slowly, a smile spread over his face.
Well, hot damn. He'd been right after all.
A/N: Now go read Reap What Is Sown if you want the real happy ending.