The Rum Deal
By Clara

Disclaimer: They�re not mine
Summary: They don't have rum on Kelowna
Category: Sam/Jonas friendship, Sam/Jack
Rating: PG

Author�s Notes: It�s taken a year but my Paradise Lost fic is finally done! Thanks go to Jojo for her insight and the beta. Also thanks to Jo R for encouraging me to finish the damn thing.
***
 
�So let me get this straight�� Sam swirled the ice around her glass before lifting it to her lips and taking a sip. �On Kelowna... you don�t have rum?�
 
Now that she thought about it, it really wasn�t that surprising. But with her mind pleasantly fuzzed by alcohol she didn�t think she was capable of explaining *why* she wasn�t surprised.
 
�Well, we�ve got a couple of drinks that come close, but nope. No rum.� Jonas sat staring down into his glass, arms crossed across the table, watching as the ice slowly melted.
 
Sam smiled slightly as she glanced across the table at him. She was beginning to think he wasn�t as sober as he�d first appeared. Apparently Kelownans were no better at holding large amounts of alcohol than humans.
 
Sam Carter really wasn�t the sort of person who used alcohol to forget. When she was sixteen she�d sneaked a six pack out of her brother�s closet and had spent most of the night throwing up. Since then she�d tried not to get drunk, but tonight was different somehow.
 
The colonel had returned from �paradise� seventy-two hours earlier and, just then, she wasn�t entirely sure what to say to him. Her breakdown on Teal�c�s shoulder had bothered her and though she knew Teal�c hadn�t shared the information with Colonel O�Neill, she was still feeling a little embarrassed about the whole thing, but that didn�t mean she wanted to be alone entirely.
 
So when Jonas had expressed an interest in leaving the base for the evening she�d offered to bring him home with her for dinner, a movie and drinks. To her it had seemed like a god send, a way not to be alone without having to ask for company.
 
She�d never thought of herself as being someone who was easily read but Teal�c had known her for so long she wasn�t surprised that he had followed her to the locker room. But Jonas didn�t know her and that was the point.
 
�Sam?�
 
She shook her head and returned back to the present, smiling at Jonas again. �Yes?�
 
�Why are we here?�
 
Sam�s smile became more forced as she shrugged lightly. He wasn�t supposed to ask questions, that just wasn�t how this worked.
 
�Well, you haven�t been off base that much� I figured we should change that.� She said brightly.
 
�Bullshit, Sam.�
 
�Bullshit?� she looked up at him and giggled. An effect of the alcohol she told herself. �Where�d you pick that up from?�
 
Jonas shrugged off the question and took a sip of his drink. �It�s not that I�m not having a good time, Sam, but what�s the real reason?�
 
She set her now empty glass down on the table and stood up. �You know, Jonas, I could use another drink. What about you?� she tossed back over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen, fingers running through her hair.
 
Jonas wasn�t supposed to notice these things. That was the real reason they were there. If she�d wanted to discuss her feelings she would have invited Janet, who would have made her go over the whole thing to make sure she wasn�t suppressing anything. That never proved to be good.
 
�Sam!�
 
Jonas also wasn�t supposed to follow her.
 
�Jonas, I really don�t want to get in to this with you.�
 
She busied herself with opening the cupboard, getting the rum out and opening it. Anything that gave her a reason not to turn around and look him in the eye.
 
�Come on Sam�� Jonas leaned against the door frame to keep him from wobbling more than anything else. Now that she thought about it, he probably wouldn�t have the courage to push this with her if it wasn�t for the alcohol.
 
�Jonas�� It came out almost as a growl, a warning that he probably should have taken, but didn�t.
 
�He missed you.�
 
She sighed and put the glass down on the counter but still didn�t turn around. �He missed all of us.�
 
Jonas shook his head. �No, he missed you.�
 
Sam didn�t reply, instead she picked her glass up again and gulped the remaining liquid down. Didn�t Jonas understand? She wasn�t entirely sure she could talk about him right now without loosing it.
 
Jonas took pity on her then and broke the silence. �Wanna watch a movie or something?�
 
Finally, she turned around and gave him a tight smile. �Sure�go ahead and pick one.�
 
Sam waited until Jonas had walked back into the lounge before walking over to the phone on the kitchen counter.
 
She took a deep breath and reasoned with herself, that she�d have to face him some time. It might as well be when she had company.
 
Before she could talk herself out of it, she picked the handset up and hit 2 on her speed dial.
 
It rang twice before a male voice came on the line. �O�Neill.�
 
�Hey...it�s me.�
 
 �Hey Carter. Whatya doing?�
 
�Jonas is here�we�re just watching movies.�
 
She could hear him smile slightly. �Sounds fun.�
 
She looked down at the floor. �You want to join us?�
 
There was a pause. �Sure�let me just swing by and get Teal�c.�
 
�Okay, we�ll see you soon.�
 
She was about to put the phone down when he carried on talking. �Oh and Carter, thanks.�
 
She knew what he was talking about. �Anytime sir.�