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Title: Coffee and Confrontations Thanks, Karen, for the inspiration! I hope I did your challenge justice! Coffee and Confrontations Monday "Done," Jack and Daniel said in unison, shaking hands as Sam, Teal'c and General Hammond joined them in the conference room. They sat down without explanation, and Sam decided she had to ask. "Done?" she said, looking at them expectantly. "Don't tell me this is another bet." "What gave you that impression, Major?" Jack said innocently. Teal'c looked over at Sam knowingly. "They are indeed wagering again." "Maybe," Daniel replied. "This time it better not involve me," Sam said. "Or me," Teal'c said, in a slightly more intimidating tone of voice. "It's strictly between the two of us," Jack said. There was a pause, and then General Hammond spoke. "Okay, I'll ask. Just what was this bet, Colonel?" Jack leaned back with a satisfied look on his face. "I bet Daniel that he couldn't go without coffee for a week." Sam's eyebrows shot up. "How much do you have riding on this, Daniel?" she asked. "And I bet that Jack couldn't go for a week without losing his temper," Daniel finished. "I'd say my odds are pretty good." "I must not be keeping you people busy enough," General Hammond said, with an amused shake of his head. "Tell us about P09-234, Major." Tuesday "Ah ah ah - Daniel," Jack said, motioning to the coffee cup Daniel held as they came into the conference room. "Didn't we have a little bet going here?" Daniel smiled. "This is tea, Jack. You said coffee." He sat down, taking a sip of the tea and cradling the cup in his hands. "Do you know some teas have more caffeine than coffee?" Sam and Teal'c gave each other a long-suffering glance as they watched Jack's face start to screw up in anger, but he quickly schooled his expression into calmness. "No, but I'm guessing you did," Jack said, with a forced smile. "I'm realizing that I made this bet too easy, Daniel. How about we up the stakes? Double our money says you can't stay away from caffeine in any form for the rest of the week - coffee, tea, chocolate, diet Cokes - the works." "Would that not deprive Daniel Jackson of all sustenance, O'Neill?" Teal'c said with amusement. "He doesn't have to agree, Teal'c," Jack said. "He can wuss out and drink tea all week, of course." Daniel thought a moment, but the urge to take Jack up on his bet was too great. "It's only fair if we up the stakes on your side too." "Okay," Jack said. "Name it." "You also can't say 'oh, for crying out loud' or 'with all due respect' for a week," Daniel said, pushing his cup of tea away. "That's two things - I just added one," Jack protested. "Tea, chocolate, diet Coke..." Daniel started. "All right, all right - done," Jack said. "You should have pushed for at least one more cliché, Daniel. You gave in too easy," he said, grabbing Daniel's cup of tea and taking a sip. "We'll see," Daniel said, leaning across the table to seal the bet with a handshake. "So what do the MALP readings for P09-234 look like, Major?" General Hammond said as he entered, giving everyone a nod as he sat down. Sam switched on the conference room's projector, which cast the first of the images onscreen. "Well, there's a lot of mud there, sir," Sam replied, "Cold damp mud. No signs of habitation yet, but we're still doing reconnaissance." Jack looked at the screen in contemplation. "Hmmm. Sort of a mocha-colored, mud, wouldn't you say, Major? No, wait...cappuccino. A cappuccino-colored mud," he said with satisfaction, ignoring Daniel's glare. Wednesday "So, the likelihood that there was a civilization here in the past seems extremely likely, based on the formations of these mounds. They don't seem to be natural and their location would suggest that they were part of a ritualistic complex that could date back as much as...." Jack rubbed his eyes wearily as Daniel continued. "General, with all...." He looked up as everyone eyed him expectantly, and coughed a little. "With all this information, I think that we are more than prepared to lead a mission to P09-234," he finished, giving Daniel a glance. "I, for one, am convinced and don't need to see any more slides," he said with emphasis. General Hammond nodded. "You have a go. You can leave first thing in the morning," he said, looking over at Daniel, whose face was disappearing as he yawned widely. "It might be wise for you all to get a good night's sleep," he said. Daniel snapped his mouth shut guiltily as Jack smiled. "Dismissed." General Hammond left the conference room, and the team began picking up their own notes and files. Sam looked over at Daniel and Jack, the ghost of a smile on her face. "You know, there's a betting pool on which one of you will crack first," Sam said. "Oh, for..." Jack stopped himself when he saw Daniel raise one eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he finished benignly. "Who's ahead?" "Actually, it's a dead heat right now," she replied. "Who do you have money on?" Daniel asked curiously. She just smiled enigmatically as she left the conference room. "Teal'c?" Jack asked expectantly, but received a similar response as he followed Major Carter. "So - the base is betting on who'll lose this bet?" Daniel asked. "I think we've created a monster." "A more important question - why aren't they giving us a cut?" Jack asked as they left. Daniel entered Jack's office, staring down at a file he was reading as he walked. "Jack, do you have the...." he looked up suddenly. "What is that smell?" Jack leaned back, his hands behind his head. "Hazelnut Coffee Dreams," he said, nodding over at a candle he had burning on his credenza. "Guaranteed to burn at least 100 hours. Smells nice, doesn't it?" Daniel ignored him with effort. "Do you have the MALP telemetry for P09-234?" he asked. "The planet with the cappuccino-colored mud? Right here," Jack said, putting a file in Daniel's hands. "Can't wait to go there. Of course, it'll be a little cold and damp. I'll be sure that we have lots of coffee - oh, and herbal tea, of course," he said, smiling at Daniel's frown as he took the file and left the office. "I am so going to win this bet," Jack said, going back to his work. Thursday Jack's eyes lit up as Daniel entered the locker room, putting down a steaming cup by his bag. "So - couldn't take it any longer?" Jack said gleefully. Daniel lifted his cup so that Jack could see the tea bag that hung from the side. "It's tea, Jack - and before you say it, herbal tea." "I brought everyone Starbuck's," Jack said innocently, motioning over to where several styrofoam cups sat nearby. "Columbian blend. Cream and sugar. Oh - and double chocolate chip biscotti." Daniel pulled off his jacket and flung it into his locker with a little more force than he intended. "I've had breakfast, thanks." "Suit yourself," Jack said, pulling on his boots. "It's there if you want it." "That would be the most expensive cup of coffee I've ever bought," Daniel said, shrugging on his BDUs. "I thought you'd like to know - there seems to be a cottage industry of bookies here on base. I had Nyan check out the latest and there are all sorts of bets down on you and me." "And what would those bets be about?" Jack said, trying not to seem interested. "There's this bet, of course - and the odds are actually in my favor now," he said. "It's going on four days." "Then lots of people are going to lose their money. And?" Jack said, his mouth turning down in a frown. "Well, there's a ongoing pool that pays based on which one of us comes back injured from a mission - that pool never seems to get very large because neither one of us is very lucky in that area," Daniel said. "Juvenile," Jack said, checking his radio and putting it inside his vest pocket. "Is that the worst they can do?" "Well, there are some more...personal ones," Daniel said, busying himself with tying his bootlaces. "You probably don't really care about those," he finished. "Tell me," Jack said tightly. "It's not important, really," Daniel said. "Forget I mentioned it." "Damn it, Daniel..." Jack stopped as Daniel looked over at him expectantly. He took a deep breath, then smiled. "I think I need some coffee," he said, walking away. "Almost had him," Daniel mumbled, closing his locker. Friday Jack peered through his binoculars at P09-234's landscape, then pulled back, checking the settings. He then tried to focus, but got the same result. "Problem?" Daniel said, coming up behind him. Jack jumped, startled, then turned to nail Daniel with an annoyed glance. "You know, Daniel, it's not really safe to sneak up on someone who's been in black ops." Daniel thought a moment. "Shouldn't it be impossible to 'sneak up' on someone who's been in black ops?" With effort, Jack ignored the comment. "I think there's something wrong with these," Jack said, trying to adjust the binoculars again. "Do you have your binoculars?" he said, reaching a hand back for them. "Binoculars, binoculars.." Daniel said absently. "Was I supposed to bring those?" Jack turned around, a sharp reply at the ready. "Yes, Daniel, you were," he said, maintaining his calm. "You know, they're probably back on that shelf in my locker - the one where I keep my spare glasses and those really uncomfortable...." Daniel said, unshouldering his backpack and rummaging through it. "Do you or do you not have your binoculars?" Jack asked again, rolling his eyes. "Wait, I think they're...no, no, not here, that's something else," Daniel said, engrossed in the contents of his pack. "Can you hold these?" he said, pulling two books from his pack and handing them to Jack. Jack glanced at the titles. "You really need these?" he asked Daniel. "Isn't this just more weight to carry around?" "Well....they are paperbacks, Jack," Daniel said, looking up for a moment before going back to looking through his pack. "You know what, forget it, Daniel. I don't really care what's over that ridge," Jack said, handing the books back to Daniel. "No, wait, wait wait," Daniel said, pushing several more items into Jack's hands, causing him to balance the armful awkwardly, almost dropping the whole load into the mud. "They're here, I just know it." "Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel! Just stop looking!" Jack said, putting the items back in Daniel's pack. Daniel stopped. "What did you say?" he asked innocently, starting to smile. "Shit," Jack said, glaring at Daniel. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? That's called entrapment." Daniel shrugged. "Two hundred dollars, please, and I prefer cash, as you know from our past transactions," he said, closing up his backpack and standing. Jack shook his head in disgust. "I should have known you'd resort to some sneaky, underhanded trick." Now it was Daniel's turn to glare at Jack. "Sneaky? Underhanded? This coming from Mister 'I brought us all Starbucks...doesn't this candle smell great....doesn't that mud remind you of cappuccino'? Please." "Since I'm paying two hundred dollars for the chance to get angry, I believe I'll get my money's worth," Jack said, getting in Daniel's face. "Starting with why you were kitted out with 'References on Ancient Burial Complexes' instead of binoculars," he said, backing Daniel up. "Just how much of an up close and personal look at mud did you think I'd need?" Daniel raised his voice to match Jack's, stepping backwards again. "Keep talking and you'll get a closer look at it than you want," Jack hollered in full drill sergeant mode, leaning in closer to Daniel, who took another step back. Daniel's foot hit softer mud and he lost his balance, stumbling into a puddle of mud up to his waist with a sickening splat. Jack backed away immediately, keeping himself out of the quagmire that Daniel had fallen into. Hurriedly, he looked around for anything he could use for leverage. There wasn't a rock, tree, vine, anything nearby. Just mud. "Don't move," Jack said to Daniel. "I know the drill," Daniel said, keeping still as the suction of the mud pulled him a little deeper. Jack flattened himself out on the ground, reaching for Daniel's hand, which he clasped in a mud-slicked hold. "Teal'c, Carter - do you read?" he said into his radio. "We read you, sir...is something..." Sam started, but Jack cut her off. "I need you to get up here right away, and we need Teal'c's staff weapon. We're on the ridge right in front of you." He turned back to Daniel, trying to tighten his grip. The coolness of the mud was already starting to seep through his clothes as he lay flat on the ground - he could only imagine how cold Daniel was getting, submerged up to his armpits in the slimy mud now. With his free hand, he groped for some type of handhold as he slid a little closer to the edge of the pool. "Jack, I'm pulling you in," Daniel said, in a voice a lot more calm than Jack felt. "They'll be right here," Jack returned, as he slid a little closer. The mud was clawing at Daniel's arms now. "Jack," he said again, his eyes holding Jack's with an intense stare. "Don't do this." Jack didn't answer as he slid forward again, only managing to move himself backwards an inch or two against the pull. Without warning, Daniel released his hand, and just as quickly, Jack lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, his other hand plunging into the sucking mud. Teal'c quickly grabbed Jack's legs and hauled him backwards, holding him unsteadily as he tried to maintain a foothold in the slippery mud. Sam ran alongside him and held out the staff weapon for Daniel to grasp, which he did gladly, allowing Jack, with Teal'c's help, to free his arm from the mud and back off. Sam sat down in the mud and scooted as far away from the edge as she could, keeping the staff weapon in a firm grip. Behind her, Jack grabbed her waist, and in turn, Teal'c grabbed Jack's legs, forming a human chain. It took several minutes of pulling, punctuated by a few frightening episodes when they all lost their footholds in the mud and slipped forward, before they managed to pull Daniel out of the mud and to safety. As they were catching their breath, a cool wind blew over them, causing even Teal'c to shiver. Daniel looked positively chilled to the bone. "Enough playing in the mud," Jack said, trying to clean off some of the mess from his BDUs. "Let's get out of here and find ourselves some hot showers." "And coffee," Daniel said, accepting a hand up from Jack. "Tea is just not going to cut it after this." Teal'c and Sam exchanged a look. "So does this mean..." Sam said. Daniel just smiled as Jack spoke. "Yes, Major, it does. But it wasn't a fair fight," Jack grumbled. "I was tricked." "Sore loser," Daniel said. "I believe you owe me fifty dollars," Teal'c said to Sam with a smile. "You'll get it when we get back to base," she said, shaking her head. "Couldn't you hold out a little longer, sir?" "Sorry, Carter," he said, looking over at Daniel. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, though. Nice of you to support your commanding officer," he said, with a meaningful look toward Teal'c as they started back toward the gate. "I don't suppose there's any more biscotti left from yesterday morning," Daniel said, as they walked. "For you - no. Buy your own damn biscotti," Jack said, with a
playful punch to his shoulder. Feedback? Please email me! Back to completed stories on Kelsie's Stargate Page |