Work Text:
Sam walked into the SGC, nodded at Siler, and settled into her lab.
I slept with a Goa’uld System Lord, she thought, bringing up the section of the Asgard database concerning their beam weapons.
The beam weapons were fascinating and probably the only thing in the database she was making any headway on. Not enough to be able to reverse engineer their own though… that could take decades. But the design was intricate and amazing, so far above their understanding and so Asgard that Sam found herself missing Thor every time she looked at them. She wondered how they’d managed to get the weapons to pack such a punch from a relatively small power source.
Ba’al could help with that, she thought idly.
Except Asgard technology was completely off the table, particularly weapons technology. She could just imagine his face if she brought it to him.
Actually she would love to give him some of the database that they hadn’t been able to make heads nor tails of, partly because it was killing her not even knowing what it was, never mind not understanding it, but mostly… Mostly it would be really funny to watch the frustration on Ba’al’s face when he couldn’t understand it.
It was something of a disappointment that she couldn’t take the risk.
Sam shook her head and refocused on the computer.
Tapping her pen on the table, she realised she really needed some test data on the weapons. Sure, they’d used them enough times, but they’d never really run extensive test firing. Mostly because they’d trusted the Asgard and the Asgard had installed them and shown them how to operate the weapons.
Sam chewed on her lip. Would Landry let her use either the Daedalus or the Odyssey to do the testing? Unlikely, as both ships had a hectic schedule. Maybe she could convince them that the potential data was worth it…
‘Ohh, don’t tell me you’re working too.’ Vala interrupted Sam’s work by walking straight into the lab and turning big wide eyes on Sam.
Sam couldn’t hold her gaze.
Instead, she looked back to her computer, thinking; I slept with a System Lord.
Was it branded on her forehead? It felt like it.
‘Yeah, sorry, I’m working.’ Sam realised Daniel must be buried in his archaeology books somewhere. ‘Have you looked for Cam?’
Cam was helping to train new recruits, which Sam actually thought Vala could help with. Landry had had other ideas, though. Still, if Vala were to just turn up…
Vala leant on Sam’s desk and pouted. ‘He took the recruits off world.’
Sam smiled. ‘Did you try and sneak through the gate?’
‘No!’ Vala denied, before relenting. ‘Well, sort of. I thought if I got geared up and just walked next to Cameron like I was supposed to be there…’
Shaking her head Sam felt a rush of relief; well it wasn’t tattooed on her forehead, like a Jaffa symbol, at least. It should be. Sam wondered if she’d hoped it would be, that someone would call her out before she went any further. If it was possible to go any further.
Even the dreaded morning after hadn’t been so bad, despite Sam waking up in Ba’al’s apartment, hell, in his bed, without him there. For a second she had been pretty insulted; typical arrogant see yourself out attitude.
Sam’s irritation had been cut off moments after when Ba’al had stuck his head back into the room, wearing such a cat-got-the-cream expression that Sam hadn’t known whether to be flattered by, or seriously disturbed.
Ba’al, it turned out, had work.
Which was a perfectly normal thing for someone to have on a weekday, really, because Sam had work, too. But it was Ba’al so Sam had just sat there, in his bed, naked and staring at him until she gave into the urge to giggle.
Sam was pretty certain she was losing her mind.
She’d left the apartment with him, which should have lessened the walk of shame a bit, but hadn’t because Ba’al’s smug expression hadn’t dropped at all… and the way his eyes raked over her had made it pretty clear he was still interested.
And so was she.
Of course, there was always the option to make it just that one time, a slip of judgement. Only her judgement had slipped a while ago and, well, if she was putting everything at risk then she was damn well going to get the rewards out of it.
‘Hey? Sam?’ Vala’s voice cut through Sam’s musings and she realised she was smiling absently at her computer screen. Shit. ‘You haven’t written anything for the last ten minutes.’
‘I was just thinking,’ said Sam, which wasn’t even a lie.
‘And not about your…’ Vala peered at the screen. ‘…whatever that is, I would bet. Come on, Sam, you’re tired and alternately between smiling at your screen and looking like you want to bolt for the exit. Who’s the lucky guy?’
A flush crept up Sam’s neck as she fumbled to think of a reply. A good, convincingly reply, that wouldn’t suggest questionable activities with a Goa’uld System Lord.
‘I was working, Vala, seriously, that’s all.’
Oh yeah; that was convincing. Sam tried not to grimace.
‘Ooooh, it’s a secret, I won’t tell anyone, promise.’
Sam shook her head and tried to remember what she was working on. Oh, yeah. Asgard beam weapons. There was no need to blush about Asgard beam weapons. ‘There’s nothing to tell, honestly.’
Vala grinned and tapped her nose in a conspiratorial manner. ‘If you ever want to talk about nothing, I’m here.’
Asgard beam weapons, Sam told herself, firmly. Asgard beam weapons.
‘So…’ Vala eyed the computer again. ‘What is that?’
‘Asgard beam weapons,’ said Sam, so quickly Vala gave her a weird look. ‘We really only have a very basic understanding of them,’ Sam continued before Vala could say anything. ‘I would love to do some in depth testing now we have the database, but it would take up a significant amount of one of our ships’ time.’
‘I know!’ Vala nudged her. ‘If Landry won’t approve it, we could always just borrow the Odyssey for a while…’
‘I haven’t even asked him yet,’ Sam admitted, reflecting that Vala when she was bored could be disturbing similar to Ba’al. Just with less chance of explosions and general (deadly) destruction.
Although, Sam was actually curious whether Vala could succeed in stealing the Odyssey, after all, she’d managed to get hold of the Prometheus… She nipped that thought it the bud, deciding Ba’al was definitely a bad influence.
‘Well let me know if he refuses.’ Vala winked at her. ‘I’ll start on the plan.’
Vala sauntered back out of the room, not really any the wiser to Sam’s recent activities.
I slept with Ba’al, Sam thought at her retreating back.
And grinned.