Gigi Sinclair

If I didn't know better, I'd say Carter likes to meddle.

Of course, she is a chick (a woman, she'd probably insist on saying), but she doesn't usually act like it. I mean that as a compliment, although she'd probably have my balls if she heard me say it. To be fair, she doesn't act like most of the men I know, either. She's just Carter. I admire her, although damned if I'd ever tell her that.

For a while, I mistook those feelings for attraction, but then, after a few years, I got my head on straight and realized it was friendship. Not having had that many friends, I can see how I made the mistake.

I did nearly the same thing with Daniel.

It was Carter's idea, when we were all over at my house, unwinding with a few beers, to start the Big Discussion. I was happy demonstrating how the yo-yo had once been used as a weapon, but I nearly took out my TV screen and Daniel, so Teal'c confiscated it and we were stuck talking.

Finally, Carter suggested a game she'd played as a teenager. Which should have been my first clue we weren't in for a laugh riot.

"A game?" I asked, my hopes raised.

"Not really," she admitted. "We just take turns asking questions and everyone has to answer them."

"That's not a game. That's a freaking inquisition."

"Interesting questions," Carter clarified. "It's a great way to get to know people."

I snorted. "We've been working together for five years, Carter. If we don't know each other by now, I think we're doomed."

"I find the idea most fascinating, Major Carter." Teal'c jumped to her defence right away. "On Chulak, we have a similar ritual…"

"OK, OK." Time to nip that line of conversation in the bud, unless I wanted my fun, relaxing evening degenerating into a cultural seminar. Which I didn't. "Who's going first?"

"I would be honoured to commence the ritual," Teal'c replied, and got the googly eyes from Carter for it. Jeez, do these people know how to suck the fun out of an evening or what? "My question is this." He looked at us all like we were the final contestants on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" and he was a demented Regis Philbin. More demented, anyway. "If you were to choose one person who has had the most impact on your life, whom would you select and why?"

"Good one," Carter gushed.

"Does it have to be people we know personally?" Daniel asked. I could see him running through his mental address book of 19th century archaeologists and dead linguists.

"Yes," Teal'c replied, and Daniel's face fell. Obviously, the real person address book was a little thinner.

"I think it's my father," Carter jumped right in. "I joined the air force because of him. And I admire him as a person."

"Don't you mean, 'people'?" I corrected, swigging from my beer.

"I would also select my father," Teal'c agreed, ignoring me. "His death when I was young set in motion a chain of events which brought me to where I am today."

"Lucky you, huh?" I snorted. I wondered if Daniel was going to pick his dead dad, too, but after a long moment of furrowing his brow and pursing his lips, he said:

"I'd say Sha're." I felt a sharp pain in my chest at that and decided it was time to cut back on the pretzels. Nothing worse than pretzel heartburn. "She really opened my eyes to a lot of things." I realized that was my cue to make a lewd comment. I never miss a cue.

"I bet she did." I laughed, and he gave me one of his patented Daniel Looks. The one that says, "You're an idiot, but I'll tolerate you for now." I like that one, much better than the "You're an idiot, and I'm going behind those rocks to ignore you till it's time to leave."

"Your turn, Jack." Carter prompted. "Who influenced you the most?"

I knew the answer to that one. The question was, did I want to tell everyone? I glanced over at Daniel, who had taken a handful of pretzel sticks and was lining them up according to height.

"Daniel."

He looked up. "Yes?"

"That's my answer. Daniel's influenced my life more than anyone. I mean, until he opened the Gate, I never thought I'd give a rat's ass about sarcophagi and System Lords." Never thought I'd give a rat's ass about some other things, either, but that's a whole other kettle of fish. Sarcophagus of snakes. Whatever.

Daniel looked down at his pretzels and blushed a little, but he didn't say anything.

"My turn." Carter grinned. "It's a good one." She looked at us. "Would you ever have a relationship with a member of the same sex, and under what circumstances?"

I was seized by a sudden coughing fit. Daniel got redder as Teal'c leaned over and helpfully patted me on the back, until I could gulp down some beer and calm myself. "What the hell, Carter?"

Carter gave me one of her smug smiles. "It's my question, Colonel."

"OK, there is no way you can call me 'colonel' after asking a question like that." Not that I was going to answer it with any kind of honesty, anyway.

"In accordance with the rules Major Carter set out, I would be pleased to answer her question," Teal'c replied. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was trying to score points or something. "Such matters are not viewed in the same manner on Chulak. Intimate friendships between warriors are respected and encouraged." I guessed that by "intimate", he didn't mean going fishing and having "Miller Moments." "I was involved in several such friendships during my time there. I found them very satisfying."

"That's so…mature," Carter smiled at him. Daniel gaped. I could understand why. Now, Teal'c wasn't just our big Goa'uld-carrying Jaffa friend, he was our big bisexual Goa'uld-carrying Jaffa friend.

"Uh, Teal'c, you haven't…" For once, I tried to find the least offensive phrasing. "I mean, since you've been on Earth, you haven't had those…urges, right?"

Teal'c looked down his nose at me. "Rest assured, O'Neill, I have no desire to copulate with you."

"Well, good."

"In any case, I ceased such relations with the advent of Ry'ac. As a father, it was assumed I had too much responsibility to engage in pleasurable liaisons." Yeah, I remembered going through the same thing when Charlie was born. "It also diminished my attractiveness to other warriors."

"So, Junior there wasn't a turn-off, but Ry'ac was?"

"Jack, don't be an ass." That was Daniel, who seemed to have recovered the power of speech.

I shook my head sympathetically. "Men are pigs."

"I've never had a relationship with a woman," Carter admitted, to, I think it's safe to say, the disappointment of all present. "But I think I would if I found the right one. God knows I haven't had much luck with men."

"Neither have I," Daniel said, suddenly. "But I'm always up for trying again. If I met someone who could give me a good time."

I stared at him, but he was absorbed in the pretzel cataloguing again. I was still staring when Carter said: "OK, Daniel, what's your question?"

"Hold up a minute." I tore my eyes away from Daniel. "I didn't answer the last one."

She didn't exactly roll her eyes, but it was damn close. "I think we all know what you're going to say, Colonel."

I was too annoyed to get hung up on the use of rank. "Oh, you think so, do you?"

"I believe Major Carter is referring to the simple fact that you are not the most open-minded of men, O'Neill." Jeez, et tu, Teal'c? "It is not a shameful state, simply a product of your religious upbringing and adulthood in a closed, notoriously conservative society."

"Is that what you think, Daniel? I'm some kind of goddamn…Republican?" I looked over at Daniel. He raised his eyes.

"Come on, Jack. Are you trying to tell us you've got a rainbow flag and a white tank top in the back of your closet?"

"No." I answered, huffily. Well, who wouldn't be huffy after finding out his friends, the people who supposedly knew him, actually thought he was a straight-and-narrow small-town hick? "But it might interest you to know, I've had a buddy-fuck or two in my time. And," I continued, as they gawked (well, Daniel and Carter gawked. Teal'c just looked serene.) "I would do it again, except I'm too old for meaningless sex." It was hard on the knees, too. If I'm going to suffer for sex, I like the sex to at least be good. And nowadays, that means more than 'wham, bam, thank you, airman.'

"Oh." Carter looked a little embarrassed. Served her right. I smugly sipped my beer and said:

"Now, Daniel, what did you want to ask?" He was so shocked by my little admission, it took him a minute to compose himself. Score one for the "straight-and-narrow" colonel.

Daniel stuttered for a minute, then said: "If you found out you only had one day to live, what would you do?"

"Oh, the Goa'uld are giving advance notice now, are they?" I smirked.

"An intriguing question, Dr. Jackson." Teal'c was sucking up to him now. I wondered if I should just leave the three of them alone together. "I would wish to return to Chulak, but at the same time, I would desire to be with my Tau'ri family here on Earth."

"Oh, Teal'c. That's so sweet." Carter reached over to put a hand on his arm. Teal'c looked back at her and, as it was getting almost embarrassing, Daniel said:

"It's getting late. You probably want to get to bed, Jack."

"I can stay up past nine, Daniel. I'm not that old." I glanced at my watch and saw it was nearly two-thirty. Shit. Time flies when you're bearing your darkest secrets.

"Yes, it would perhaps be advisable for us to depart." Teal'c stood. "Major Carter, if I may offer you a ride home?"

"If it's no trouble." Carter smiled brightly. I wondered, for a minute, but no. Carter and Teal'c…there was no way. Right?

"Daniel Jackson, may I also offer you a ride?"

"I've got my car, thanks, Teal'c."

"You can't drive it. You've been drinking all night," I pointed out.

"I've had one beer, Jack." He lifted up his single empty bottle. Oh. I wasn't sure why I felt disappointed.

Carter and Teal'c said their good-nights, then Daniel started picking up empty glasses.

"You don't have to do that."

"I'm just helping." He disappeared into the kitchen and I realized Teal'c still had my yo-yo. "So," Daniel said, when he came back out. "I guess I should be going."

"You don't have to," I repeated. "I mean, if you wanted to hang out some more. Maybe watch some TV."

"It's two-thirty in the morning."

"Right." That was why, as soon as Teal'c and Carter left, my heart started hammering and my stomach churning. Tiredness.

"I don't feel like watching infomercials, Jack."

"OK."

Daniel looked at me, and it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. For a second, I wondered if I was having a stroke, but then Daniel said: "You know, I never got to say what I'd do on my last day," and I realized I didn't care if it was a stroke. I wasn't going anywhere.

"Oh yeah? So what would you do?" He inched forward, and I took half a step back. It wasn't enough. Daniel's face went out of focus, and I wondered if it was glaucoma as well as a stroke. Then I felt his lips against mine, and I realized it wasn't either. It was just regular, run-of-the-mill insanity. But I wasn't complaining.

He pulled back a little. "Did you really mean it, that I've had the most influence on your life?"

"Sure." I mean, even now, he was definitely influencing the comfort level in my briefs. Which were suddenly way too tight.

"I'm not interested in a 'buddy-fuck'," he continued, blushing a little as he said the words, which was just so freaking sweet I had to put my arms around him. He didn't object.

"Me neither, Daniel."

He came in for another kiss. When his tongue touched mine, just a careful, hesitant touch, I was swept away. I grabbed onto him like he'd just risen from the dead, again. I was so far gone, I couldn't think of a single linguist joke.

Another thought did appear in my mind, though. When Daniel pulled back, keeping his arms tight around my waist, which I didn't mind one bit, I said: "Do you think Carter set us up?" I have a suspicious mind, anyway, but even Mr. Innocent Daniel had to admit it was pretty damn strange. The questions, the sudden departure…but then, I remembered, their departure had been Daniel's idea. One I heartily supported.

"Maybe." Daniel considered this, putting his head to one side in that way that just makes me want to jump him. I have the same reaction to all of his head movements, hand gestures, and breathing patterns. "She's Carter."

She was. And on Monday morning, she would be Carter with a brand-new Harley-Davidson calendar on her desk. I'd get her something girly, like flowers or a bra, but I don't think she'd appreciate it as much.

And I really appreciated what she'd done for Daniel and I. Twice, in fact, and again in the shower the next morning.