Saying Nothing
by Suz suzvoy@tesco.net

Disclaimer - MGM/Gekko/Double Secret own them.

Well, it's the day after a new episode, so take a wild guess what this is. Yup, it's a 'Forsaken' episode addition. Spoilers for 'Divide and Conquer' and 'Forsaken'. Feedback would be appreciated.

*

This was reaching new levels of patheticness, it really was.

Still, that didn't stop Jack O'Neill from standing outside the infirmary, just short of actually blocking the doorway and already, he'd planned his escape. Should anyone start walking towards him from inside he'd see them well in advance and would be able to move. If anyone started walking towards him from *behind*, he'd hear them in enough time to make it look as if he'd been intending to head straight into the infirmary all along.

The thing was, he'd already been in there once. Checked up on Carter, teased her a little, appeared appropriately concerned (but never *too* concerned), before claiming he had to get his report done.

Instead, he was hovering in the corridor, eavesdropping.

There hadn't been that much to listen to so far. Jonas had been in the infirmary since before Jack had initially arrived and was still there now: discussing the ramifications of the mission and what would probably happen to the 'prisoners'.

Jack didn't particularly care, as long as he never had to see them again.

Fraiser's clipped heels echoed around the room and well into the corridor occasionally, and Carter...Carter wasn't saying much.

That in itself was pretty odd.

And then Jonas said it. The thing Jack had wanted to ask ever since he'd let slip about what the woman had done...

"You know Major, I can't help but wonder..."

"Wonder what, Jonas?" To Jack she still sounded a little groggy, but he was probably worrying too much. He had a tendency to do that where she was concerned.

"Given the methods Tanis used to try and...befriend me...well, it's probably a method that she and the others have used before, and..."

"Corso didn't try anything, Jonas."

The relief was almost physical. Not that he didn't think she couldn't take the guy down even if she *wanted* to, but...

She continued speaking, completely ruining his brief moment of peace. "Well, not exactly."

Not *exactly*? He needed specifics here!

"What do you mean?"

Thank God Jonas was so inquisitive.

Jack couldn't believe he'd just thought that.

"Well...let's just say he was *very* friendly, and was inordinately interested in whether I was seeing anyone or not."

Fraiser's voice interrupted as her shoes suddenly clicked into life. "Now *that's* an question I would've loved to have heard the answer to."

She wasn't the only one.

"Janet..."

"Your tests came back clean; no sign of concussion. In fact, nothing at all aside from the bump on the back of your head." Fraiser spoke in that 'I wasn 't saying anything' tone, and Jack could just imagine her holding a clipboard, studiously ticking something off.

"*Janet*..."

"Sam?" Now she'd be looking up.

"Stop it."

"Uh," 'Uh' was apparently the only way Jonas could break into the conversation. "Am I missing something here?"

Jonas wasn't the only one. Jack liked to *think* he wasn't missing anything, but...well, he really shouldn't take *that* for granted.

"The only 'something' you're missing," Carter responded. "Is the fact that Janet's in a good mood and is therefore bringing up a subject she would never otherwise bring up."

"Why is she in a good mood?"

"Funny you should ask, Jonas. I've been thinking over that..."

"Sam..."

"And the only thing that's different around here lately..."

"*Sam*..."

"Janet?" Wow, she had pitch-perfect innocence down to an art form.

"Stop it."

"No, I don't think I will." And general evilness, too.

"Okay," Jonas said. "I think I really *have* missed something."

Fraiser completely ignored him. "In that case, Sam, you leave me no choice but to insist that you tell us *all* about what you told Corso."

Evidently Doc had hit a nerve, because Carter kept quiet for a long time - Jack was kinda disappointed by the fact that she didn't have a comeback. "Nothing. Nothing big. He asked me if I had someone special; I said it wasn't something I wanted to discuss."

Was there really any need for the corner of his mouth to curve up, just slightly? Was there really any need for his whole damn day to have suddenly improved? Was there really any need for him to feel like whistling jauntily as he walked away, hands slung into his pockets, stupid grin on his face?

Not that he was moving any time soon.

"You mean you and Colonel O'Neill?"

Damn that Jonas for being so inquisitive!

Her response was exactly the same as his would have been. "There *is* no me and Colonel O'Neill."

"Oh I know you're not *together*, but..."

"Jonas, there's nothing there."

He didn't seem to be listening. "It's just that..."

"Trust me. There's nothing."

"What happened with the Tok'ra za'tarc machine is included in the official report."

"I...it is?"

That would've been his reaction, too.

She continued. "So you...read about it."

"I did."

"Oh."

Oh. Oh. *Oh*. Most of Jonas's first few months on Earth had been spent reading over Daniel's journals and old mission reports, so he'd known about *that* before he'd even really known *them*?

Man, he hadn't even thought about that.

"But, I...I'm not making a judgement about it, Major. I was just curious. The za'tarc incident was over two years ago, and things could have changed by now, couldn't they? That's more than enough time for someone else to-"

"Jonas," Fraiser interrupted quietly. "I really don't think this subject is particularly appropriate, and shouldn't be open for discussion."

What happened to the woman who'd been teasing Carter less than two minutes ago?

"Of course Doctor. I apologise, Major. I didn't mean to intrude or cause you any embarrassme-"

"No,"

Huh?

Jonas must have thought much the same. "I didn't embarrass you?"

"No."

"Good, I'm glad to-"

"That's not the question I was answering."

As with most of their 'relationship', it was what she didn't say. The truth through omission.

"Janet, can I go now?"

"Of course you can; just let me know if you suffer any more headaches."

"Sure. See you later. 'Bye Jonas."

"Goodbye, Major. Again, I really didn't mean-"

"It's okay," She said softly. "Don't worry about it."

She was moving, so he had to. If he had any sense of self-preservation at all, he had to move *now*.

He didn't.

He didn't know what it'd cost her to at least admit something to others after all this time, but as she stepped into view and saw him, he knew precisely what he had to say.

She paused, obviously surprised by his presence.

Jack pressed his left hand against the edge of the doorway, holding his weight, nearly holding his breath. He didn't do stuff like this.

"It hasn't. You know that, right?"

Her shocked expression, ever so slowly, melted into the tiniest of tiny smiles. "Jonas was the one asking - maybe you should tell him."

Oh, evil was *right*. "Ya know, I really don't see that happening."

Carter shrugged, her grin growing. "Shame. Would've loved to have seen his expression." She moved again, walking away, intending to leave it at that.

And for some reason he was walking after her, grabbing her arm, and turning her around.

What the hell was he *doing*?

He wasn't saying anything.

He wasn't doing anything.

He was just holding her arm, and looking at her.

This time, she didn't really seem surprised, holding his gaze as she spoke. "I know,"

He squeezed harder, just for a moment, before letting his hand fall away. "Good." That was all he could say. That was all he would say.

She smiled one last time, hesitated as if about to say something, but then apparently decided against it and turned away.

He was okay with that. As with most of their 'relationship'...

It was what she didn't say.

~FINIS

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