This is *not* part of the ficwar, btw... it's just a temporary cease fire. :)
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***
Daniel entered the commissary and sighed. The place was packed; how was he ever going to find a table? Grabbing a tray and working his way through the line to gather his food, he navigated precariously through the room, bumping into a few people as he went. He was just about to give up and resign himself to eating in his lab when he saw it: a single table in the very far corner with one available chair
Dropping down into the seat with some relief, he set his tray down, adjusted his glasses and unwrapped his meagre sandwich. He was boxed in on all sides, out of sight over the countless heads of chattering airmen, but well within earshot of the two particularly talkative, eagerly-gossiping officers at the next table. With nothing better to distract his attention, Daniel let himself tune idly into the excited conversation that was in full flow between them.
He vaguely recognised them. As there weren’t many females on base, it was hard not to at least know them all by name. One of them, Captain Johnston, worked as a ‘Gate Technician, and he was pretty sure the other, Captain Moser, worked in Biology, but other than that he’d never really had any interaction with them. Even today, he probably wouldn’t have paid them much mind, except for some reason their conversation intrigued him.
“There’s no way they’re not,” Captain Moser said excitedly. “Have you seen them together?”
“All the time! I mean, it’s kind of hard not to,” Johnston replied, “but I’m not sure, you know? I mean, they do work closely together and everything - ”
“Exactly! *Very* closely.” Moser agreed. “I’m not the only one who’s noticed either.”
Johnston laughed lightly. “I think half the base is probably talking about it! I suppose it *is* possible, I mean, he is *gorgeous*, I certainly wouldn’t blame her. I’m just…I’m not sure…”
“You’re right, it is improbable, considering regulations and all. I’m just saying, the way they look at each other? It seems a lot more than just friendship to me,” Moser answered. “And I can’t help it, I love a good romance!” Both women giggled and, finishing their lunch, stood up to leave, never noticing the occupant of the table behind.
Daniel was motionless, staring bemusedly into the middle distance, his food and coffee both untouched. Certain aspects of that story had seemed somewhat…familiar. But surely not? Half the base talking? Other airmen in all departments noticing? Abandoning his tray, he weaved clumsily towards the doors.
Daniel was so deep in thought, half disbelieving what he’d just heard, that, as he worked his way back to his lab, he was paying absolutely no attention to anything around him and nearly crashed into Janet as he rounded a corner. Catching her elbow so she didn’t go flying backwards, he apologised profusely, but she just gave him an odd look.
“A little distracted, Daniel?” she asked, amused.
“Uh…yeah...sorry,” he replied, flustered. Noting her still-raised eyebrow, he realised he still had a hold of her arm and swiftly let her go, embarrassed. “Sorry,” he repeated. Janet continued to look at him questioningly. “It’s just…I just heard the strangest thing in the commissary…”
“About?”
“Well…Sam and Jack, I think,” he confessed.
“Sam and the colonel?” she repeated, intrigued. “What< about them?”
“Well…” Daniel glanced around, noticing a few airmen passing by and giving them odd looks. “Maybe we should discuss this somewhere else.” He looked furtively around again, and placing a hand on Janet’s back, steered the diminutive doctor towards the nearest elevator. “Somewhere private,” he added as they disappeared round the corner.
“I wonder what all that was about,” commented Major Halcyon as she and the rest of her group watched the two figures withdraw. The, shrugging carelessly, they continued on their way.
*~*~*
By the time they’d reached Daniel’s office, Janet’s curiosity was killing her. After a few moments of his indecisive silence, she couldn’t stand it any more.
“OK, out with it, Daniel,” she demanded.
“I think I overheard Captains Johnston and Moser…talking about Sam and Jack,” he confessed.
Janet looked at him expectantly. When he didn’t go on, she prodded him, “Yes, you said that…”
“No, I mean about Sam…*and* Jack,” he reiterated.
Janet looked at him blankly for a second, and then it clicked. “Oh,” she said, unintelligently.
“Yeah,” Daniel offered hesitantly.
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
“Ok.”
“Yea-”
“Stop saying that!” she chided. “What did they say *exactly*? I mean if it was just idle gossip from two frankly over-active imaginations…”
“They mentioned something about ‘half the base knowing’.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“What do you mean?” Daniel asked, confused.
“As their friends, I think we have an obligation to stop this before it can do any damage.”
“Damage? Janet, it’s just gossip!”
“Yes, but if *you* overheard it, what prevents someone like…General Hammond from hearing it too...”
“Oh,” Daniel replied, understanding the problem.
“Exactly,” Janet answered. “We have to make sure this doesn’t get out of hand. We’re gonna need to know who thinks they know what and stop this spreading to the *other* half of the base, and quickly.”
Daniel nodded. “Imagine…all those rumours…”
*~*~*
“…so then he noticed us looking and they split.” Major Halcyon blew on her coffee to cool it. “But not before I overheard him talking about going somewhere ‘private’.”
“Wow!” Sergeant Ottley commented. “They’ve never been so…obvious before!”
“Do you still have any doubts?” Captain Moser asked Johnston.
With a look of admiration she replied, “That is some convincing evidence.”
“See! I told you!” Nurse Lucy Elmer chimed in. “I knew it before anyone else! Told you I wasn’t projecting, there’s always been a glimmer of something there!
“Yes, we admit it, you’re a genius,” Halcyon laughed. “So what now? I mean, that’s almost concrete proof!”
“Isn’t it funny,” Moser commented cheerfully, “and we were just talking about them in the commissary this afternoon.” Johnston nodded her agreement.
“Come on, we gotta go tell somebody!” Ottley broke in. “The others are never going to believe this!”
*~*~*
“So how do we go about this?” Daniel asked.
“First of all, we can’t let Sam and the colonel find out,” Janet advised. “They really don’t need to deal with this on top of everything else.”
“You’re saying it’s up to just us then?” Daniel asked, panicked.
“Well who else do you think could help? Teal’c?” Janet asked.
“…I see your point,” Daniel agreed. “But you still didn’t answer my question of *how* we’re going to do this.”
“First, we have to talk to some people, find out who’s spreading these rumours about. A bit of simple recon.” She smiled dangerously. “Starting, I think, with your friends in the commissary.”
“What do you wanna do? Just walk up to them and say, ‘Hey! Heard any good rumours lately?’”
Janet glared at him. “Maybe something with a *tiny* bit more subtlety would be in order.” She thought for a moment. “You could always use your good looks and manly charms to coax it out of them,” she teased. “One smile from you and any women on the base’ll tell you anything you want to know!”
Daniel looked affronted. “What do you mean by that?”
Janet fought the urge to roll her eyes; the man could be so oblivious sometimes. “Nothing,” she muttered. “Just make some excuse to start talking to them…Captain Johnston works in the control room, right? So just ask her how she’s doing sometime!” Janet instructed. “Moser works in the Biological Sciences division, so I should be able to get to her.”
Daniel sighed. “I still don’t see how I’m supposed to get her to tell me what rumours she’s been spreading!”
Janet smiled mischievously. “I’m sure you’ll think of something,” she replied sweetly. “Just remember…be subtle. We don’t want anyone to know what we’re doing and we *definitely* don’t want any of this getting back to the major or the colonel. If they knew we’d heard any of this…”
“…they’d be pretty mad,” Daniel finished, acknowledging his own gross understatement with a grimace. “Got it.”
“Good luck then,” Janet said, rising from her chair. “Let me know how it goes.”
“Now?!” Daniel squeaked.
“Now,” she nodded, pointing towards the door. “Control room’s that way.”
Daniel groaned. “Ok, but don’t blame me if I fail miserably,” he said pitifully.
“That’s the spirit!” Janet encouraged. “I’ll meet you for breakfast tomorrow and we’ll compare what we’ve found out.”
“About eight?” Daniel suggested.
“Sounds good! See you then,” Janet replied, before heading out of the lab on her own mission.
TBC… *eg*
On to Part 2
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