Chapter 7. Squeeze
Sam pushed open the commissary door and glanced around the room in search of her teammates, smiling as she caught sight of Daniel. He was sitting across the table from Jack in a far corner of the room, moving animatedly as he talked in that intense rapid-fire way he had perfected.
Daniel was definitely keyed up about something and Sam couldn’t prevent her smile broadening as her eyes moved to Jack. He was the picture of composure, leaning back in his chair, totally at ease, eyes fixed on Daniel. He could have been the poster boy for relaxation as he calmly listened to the younger man’s animated argument. She shook her head slightly and started across the room towards them, already wondering what their discussion hinged on this time.
“Come on, Jack! What were you doing…a tribute to my most embarrassing moments?”
“Well, no, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Hey, guys!” Sam slipped into an empty chair, smiling at her two companions.
Daniel stopped mid-sentence and looked up at her with slight confusion in his eyes. “Hi Sam!” Then he immediately turned his attention back to Jack. “What else did you do, Jack?”
“Nothing, Daniel!”
Sam chuckled and glanced at Jack who just shrugged his shoulders and leaned forward resting his elbows on the table.
“How was the field trip?”
“Oh, don’t ask, Carter.”
“It…didn’t go well, Sir?”
“I thought it went great.”
“Right, Jack! Don’t believe him, Sam. His actions were humiliating and disruptive. He made a shambles of the whole thing!”
Sam turned towards Jack, dipping her chin and raising her eyebrows in a silent, familiar question.
“I did nothing of the kind, Daniel! And correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you beg me to go with you?”
There was a moment of silence as Daniel stared at Jack and Sam turned her head repeatedly between the two.
“Yes, I did. I can’t imagine what I was thinking!”
“Wait a second, I thought you were going to the elementary school…a “show and tell” kind of thing.” She paused for a moment watching as each man shook his head in agreement. “So, what happened?”
“One of the teachers asked me to give the kids a look at archeology…Egyptology, if you will…to give them the benefit of my experience, fuel their interest.”
“Ok, that sounds like a great idea.”
“Yeah, well…Jack decided to illustrate my lecture.”
Sam’s head cocked to one side as her eyebrows pulled down in a frown, confusion clouding her features. “Illustrate?”
Jack holds up his hands in a “surrender” gesture as he spoke to Sam. “Overhead projector.”
“Ah!”
“It was boring; the kids were falling asleep…” He continued his defense, turning on his total innocence as he presented his side of the issue.
“Daniel, I know how much you love your work but…”
“Oh, sure…side with him! I should’ve known!”
“For cryin’ out loud, Daniel! All I did was add to what you were saying! How is that bad? Those kids think you’re the real life “Indiana Jones.”
“Jack, that is not what archeology is about. You can’t just go around haphazardly…”
Jack opened his eyes wide at Daniel’s words and finished his sentence for him. “…picking up things when you’ve been told NOT to, turning on things when you don’t know what they do, wandering off alone in unknown terrain? Give me a break!”
“I had my own illustrations, Jack!”
“May I see them?” Sam interrupted and smiling warmly, held out a hand to Daniel.
He paused for a moment and then reached into the stack of papers beside him pulling out a few and handing them to her. Sam quickly scanned the pages of precise drawings. They were impressive. Scenes of the pyramids, some familiar symbols and generally known icons of Egypt adorned the pages.
“These are very good…” Her voice trailed off as her brain completed the thought silently, “good, but not awe inspiring. Jack’s right, they are boring.”
Then she tipped her chin upward slightly and locked onto the eyes of her CO. “Sir?”
Jack released a loud sigh, reached inside his jacket and pulled out a handful of crumpled papers tossing them casually across the table. Sam smoothed them with her hands and began to study the crudely drawn images, a timid smile creeping slowly across her features.
The drawings mimicked Daniel’s precise scenes but were definitely more along the lines of “cave drawings”. Jack had embellished his images with small details of their adventures – or misadventures, you might say, most of them starring Dr. Daniel Jackson.
As Sam stared at the pictures, Jack suddenly reached across the table and riffled through the pages. Finding the one he wanted he moved it to the top of he stack for her to see. He watched for a moment, waiting for the sparkle of amusement to appear in her eyes. And when it did, he spoke right on cue.
“So, what do you think, Carter, isn’t mine the best?”
“Umm…”
Sam tried unsuccessfully to hide her smile as she stared wide-eyed at the picture. She immediately recognized the image of a Unus holding onto Daniel by one leg and dragging him into a nearby cave. She pressed her lips together, still attempting to restrain her obvious amusement but finally giving in to a small fit of giggles.
Daniel shook his head in disbelief. “Oh, great! Good. Thanks, Sam!”
Sam tried to smother her reaction and soothe her friend’s ruffled feathers.
“I’m sorry, Daniel, but you have to admit…” She glanced up to see that Jack had resumed his smug, relaxed posture and Daniel was gathering up his books and papers. “They wouldn’t realize…I mean, the kids wouldn’t know…it just looks like a cave man, Daniel. I’m sure the Colonel didn’t mean…”
She turned her head to look at Jack again hoping that he would agree and help to calm Daniel’s irritation instead she saw an evil grin tugging at his lips and totally belying her explanation. He raised his eyebrows in a quick waggle and she succumbed to a new bout of exuberant laughter.
“Oh, you’re no better than he is!” Daniel stood up and started to leave the table.
“Daniel, I’m sorry…”
He turned and lifted his chin in obvious disapproval. “You’re not. You’re enjoying this almost as much as Jack! I’m going to find Teal’c.” Then he turned away and stormed out of the room.
Sam and Jack collapsed into a chorus of unrestrained laughter as she flipped through the remainder of the pictures. The other people in the commissary looking up for only a moment as they wondered what mischief SG-1 was up to now.
Sam finally squelched her giggles and looked up semi-sternly at Jack. She glanced around to see who was nearby before she continued.
“That was sort of mean, Sir.”
“Oh, come on, Carter! You were laughing so hard you’ve got tears in your eyes!”
She looked up at him and nodded slightly. “But still, you know how Daniel is, how serious…”
“Oh, forget it, Carter! He’s just pissed because he was trying to impress the teacher! I think she’s his new squeeze.”
“Squeeze?”
“Yeah, his new girlfriend, crush, heart-throb…you know, his main squeeze.”
“Really?”
“You should have seen his face when I started singing the National Anthem!”
“Oh, Sir! You didn’t!”
Sam was holding her stomach to ward off the waves of laughter and now people were watching.
“Oh, it was great, Carter! The kids joined right in…they thought it was great!”
“You truly are evil, Sir.”
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and stood to leave, Jack did the same, moving close to her ear as he spoke.
“Yes, but you love me anyway!”
She turned to meet his eyes, seeing the silliest grin possible plastered confidently across his face. “Yeah, I guess I do.”
They started to move towards the door, Jack stuffing the drawings back into his pocket.
“How did you come up with this idea anyway, Sir? I mean did it just come to you on the spur of the moment?”
“Actually, Carter, it was Teal’c’s idea.”
Sam came to an abrupt stop looking deep into his smile to see if he was teasing her.
“Oh, my God!”
Another fit of laughter attacked her and as the people in the commissary again looked up from their meals, Jack placed one hand against her back and practically shoved her out the door.
“Yeah, who’d a thought? The big guy’s got a sense of humor.”