Spin the Stargate

SPOILERS: Message in a Bottle, Window of Opportunity

RATING: PG13, nothing explicit, just lots of kissin'

SUMMARY: O'Neill's not the only one who had a little fun during the time loop.

NOTES: Happy birthday, cagey! It's only a few months late, but better late than never.

"You know," Sam said, grinning at Daniel as O'Neill leaped to his feet and ran out of the room. "I think you just created a monster."

Daniel stared after him, eyebrows raised. "Captain, I'm frightened," he murmured softly.

"Actually, that's 'Major, I'm frightened,'" Sam said good-naturedly as she rose, picking up her breakfast tray. Daniel stared after her for a moment, then got up and followed her.

"So, do you really think the Colonel could learn Latin without one?" she asked in the same tone.

Daniel grinned. "Right," he said. "So, we won't remember having this conversation in the next loop, because this one will never have happened"

Sam stopped and looked at him for several long moments. "Daniel, that's the worst pick-up line I've ever heard," she said solemnly.

"That's not what I meant!" Daniel said quickly, then closed his mouth for a moment. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't such a ridiculous idea after all. "But, now that you mention it..." He allowed his voice to trail off suggestively.

Sam stared at him for several long seconds, then waved a hand helplessly at him. "You're seriously suggesting that...you and I?"

Daniel nodded slowly. "Why not?" he asked, a slow grin forming across his face.

Sam looked at him dubiously, and he knew she was going to put a stop to it, so he decided to try a different tactic.

"An experiment? To test what hypothesis?" Sam leaned against her workbench, arms folded across her chest as she waited expectantly for his answer.

Daniel thought for a moment. "Um, the hypothesis that we're in a time loop?" he said after a moment.

"It is too an experiment!" Daniel protested. "It meets the criteria of hypothesis testing."

"That we aren't in a time loop, of course." Daniel licked his lips and decided to just go with it and hope for the best. "It's like this. The null hypothesis is that we aren't in a time loop, and the alternate hypothesis is that we are. The independent variable is unusual behavior. Kissing, in this instance, and the dependent variable is whether or not we remember it. If we do, retain the null, no time loop." He spread his arms out wide as he said the last bit and looked at Sam expectantly.

Sam shook her head, laughing incredulously. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

"And we'll know that from the results of the experiment," Daniel persisted. "Besides," he added. "You saw the look on Jack's face. He isn't going to be working on those translations today, so why should we?"

Sam chewed her lower lip for a moment, then looked over at him. "Okay," she said after a moment, then she stepped forward, slipping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her lips to his.

The kiss was stiff and self-conscious at first, but as Daniel recovered from the initial shock her abrupt change of heart caused, he started to enjoy the warmth of her mouth moving against his. Instinctively, he deepened the kiss, losing himself momentarily in the taste of her.

It was several long moments before they parted, both breathing heavily. Daniel grinned at her, a goofy, dazed smile. "Nice," he whispered.

Abruptly, she pulled awy. "Nice?" she asked incredulously. "Nice? I kiss you, and all you have to say it is nice?"

Daniel was confused and opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Helplessly, he looked back over his shoulder; maybe she was addressing someone else who might possibly come to his rescue. It was a good thing this will never have happened in a few hours, he thought, shaking his head.

"Daniel, you're a linguist! Nice is a little tepid, don't you think?" she asked. "I'd have settled for 'The earth moved' or something more earth shattering. Nice is so...nice."

"I don't get this at all," Daniel said, shaking his head. "We could try again," he said hopefully.

Daniel was reluctant to end the game just now. "How about this," he said, sitting beside her on the lab bench. "We toss a coin, and the person who wins the toss has to kiss the next person who walks past the door." He didn't bother to mention that they'd already probably collected sufficient data for their little "experiment." If Sam wasn't going to bring it up, then neither was he.

"You're really getting off on this, aren't you?" Sam said with mock disgust. "Whoever walks past the door?" she asked.

"Even if it's someone of the same sex?" she asked, and he noticed a blush creep up her neck.

That was a good question. He hadn't thought about that. But after a moment he nodded. "I'd kiss a guy in the name of science," he said. He was smart enough not to add that he could definitely watch Sam kiss another woman in the name of science.

He wondered if Sam would actually play along on this one. It was one thing to kiss him, since he'd come up with the idea. It was another thing altogether to pounce on unsuspecting people walking down the hallway and kiss them as well, time loop or no time loop.

But Sam surprised him. She glanced over at him with a really wicked gleam in her eye, telling him she'd definitely play along. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a quarter, flicking it into the air with her thumb. "Call it," she said.

"Heads," Daniel said, and watched as Sam caught it and slapped it down on the back of her other hand.

"Damn," she said, as they both peered intently at the coin. "Tails," she said.

"Okay," she said. "But then you have to kiss the second person, whoever it is, that walks past the door. Deal?"

They both sat, side by side, on the bench, watching the door intently. For twenty minutes the hallway outside remained empty.

"Looks like this is a bust," Sam said, with a sigh of relief. Now that she'd had time to think about it, Daniel realized she was probably beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea.

"Not so fast," Daniel said, not quite ready to give up. "We had an agreement. You have to kiss the next person who walks by." And then Daniel thought of something. "And no chaste kisses, either," he said. "It has to be a big, wet, sloppy...tongues and everything..."

"Clinical about what?" a voice asked from the doorway, and both Sam and Daniel turned to find Janet leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh, yes!" Daniel said, jumping up. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that Sam was looking a little dubious. Before she could protest, he stepped forward and lead Janet into the room. "Sam and I are conducting an experiment, and we need your help." Over Janet's head he saw Sam glare at him for a moment, then look sheepishly down at Janet.

With a small sigh of defeat, Sam put her hand on Janet's shoulder. "Just remember," she said, "that we're in a time loop and that in a few hours none of this will ever have happened." At Janet's questioning look, Sam shot another brief, irritated glance at Daniel, then slid her arm around Janet's back, pulling her close and kissing her.

Daniel saw Janet stiffen and try to pull away. "Time loop," he reminded her gently. He saw her eyes dart over to look in his direction, confused for a moment, then understanding dawned on her. The change was instantaneous. Janet released Sam's arms, which she'd grasped reflexively in surprise, and locked them tightly around Sam's neck, taking control of the situation and kissing Sam enthusiastically.

For his part, Daniel just enjoyed the show, knowing that he'd not only never get an opportunity to witness this again under any other circumstance, but also that in a few hours this event would cease to exist. He didn't think he could devise a way to remind himself about this on the next pass through the loop.

When Sam and Janet parted for air at long last, they stood clutching each other unsteadily, gasping for breath and staring, dazedly at one another. "Okay, Daniel," Sam said, her voice ragged as she continued staring at Janet. "Your turn."

"Oh good," Janet breathed, then slipped out of Sam's grip. She grabbed the front of Daniel's t-shirt in her fist and dragged him down to meet her lips, kissing him passionately.

Kissing Sam earlier, then watching Sam kiss Janet, had had an arousing effect on him, and Daniel found himself surrendering completely to Janet. Sam, the lab, the world all faded away as he slid his fingers into Janet's hair.

"I meant," Sam said loudly, clearing her throat. Daniel moaned softly in frustration when Janet abruptly pulled away from him. "That it was Daniel's turn to kiss the next person who walked by."

Janet turned to stare up at Daniel, his shirt still clutched tightly in her fist. "Oh," she said, loosening her fingers and smoothing the fabric against his chest with her palm. Turning back to Sam, she shrugged. "Sorry." Daniel didn't think she looked the least bit sorry, and he knew he wasn't. Both woman stood staring at him expectantly.

Feeling like he was suddenly back in junior high and had just been called on to solve a math problem on the board at a horribly inopportune time, he quickly sat back down on the bench. After a moment Sam and Janet joined him, one on either side. All three stared intently at the doorway.

"So, which one of us is the better kisser, Janet?" Daniel couldn't resist asking.

Daniel turned to look at Sam. "And you said I was getting off on this," he observed quietly.

"Major Carter?" General Hammond stepped through the doorway, and Daniel stiffed. He could feel both women looking at him as all three stood.

"Not a hope in China!" he said quickly, knowing he was seriously reneging on his deal. He simply didn't care.

"Have you made any progress in figuring out how to break this time loop?" he asked.

Daniel could see that Hammond didn't look at all convinced, as he slowly looked at each one of them in turn. He took a moment to admire that fact that both Sam and Janet wore completely calm, professional and innocent expressions on their faces. If he hadn't just participated in this little "experiment," he'd never have guessed something was going on.

After a few minutes, Hammond nodded reluctantly. "I'm almost afraid to say this," he said. "But, carry on." Turning on his heel, he quickly exited.

Daniel sat back down with a sigh of relief. "Thanks," he said. He really hadn't wanted to kiss General Hammond, and was grateful that neither of the two women had pressed the issue.

"Yeah," Sam said, nodding understandingly. "But no weaseling out of the next one, okay? No matter who it is."

For a moment Daniel frowned, then it dawned on him. "You're right," he said. "Since Jack and Teal'c remember everything that happens in each of the loops we have to make sure they don't find out about this."

The two women returned to their seats, and the three sat in companionable silence for another fifteen minutes. It was getting a little boring, sitting there staring at the doorway but when he cleared his throat at one point, intending to suggest that maybe they call it quits, Sam shot him such a threatening look that any words he might have spoken died immediately on his lips.

"Major Carter?" Another voice from the doorway, another male voice, Daniel thought with dismay. But this time it didn't belong to General Hammond and there was no escaping.

"Major Carter? I need your signature on these testing and maintenance checks." Graham Simmons stepped nervously in the room. Glancing over at Janet, Daniel could only surmise that the Lieutenant's trepidation had to stem from the wide, Cheshire Cat-like grin on the doctor's face.

"Certainly, Lieutenant," Sam said, rising and taking the clipboard from his hand. However, instead of signing the forms, she placed it firmly on the lab worktable. "But first I need you to assist me in some data collection."

Daniel noticed that Graham had that little smile on his face, the one that said 'I've got a secret crush on you,' as loudly as a big orange and red billboard.

"You have to kiss Major Carter," Janet said quickly. Daniel turned and frowned at her. Not that he minded. He didn't particularly want to kiss Graham Simmons, but fair was fair.

Simmons was obviously confused, Daniel thought, as he looked from Sam to himself to Janet, then back to Sam. "Kiss...you?" he asked, his voice rising an octave on the last word.

It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did, Graham positively glowed. His face turned an absolutely astonishing shade of scarlet, but he looked at Sam and gave her a dazzling grin. He moved toward her, but Janet stopped him by placing one hand on his chest. When he looked down at her, clearly confused again, she gave him an innocent smile. "But first you have to kiss Doctor Jackson." When Sam gave her a look, Janet shrugged and added, "AB design. It has to be counterbalanced."

Graham actually took a step away from them, and Daniel thought he was going to bolt. "Kiss...Doctor Jackson?" he asked thickly. Janet's tactic was kind of cruel, Daniel thought, but clever; what happened next was up to Graham and hinged completely on how badly he wanted to kiss Sam. Daniel had to truly admire Janet--he'd never imagined she could be so devious and it made him truly sorry that he'd probably lose that information once the loop reset itself. It was the kind of information about your doctor that you wanted to have, he thought.

The young lieutenant took another moment to think about it, then slowly nodded. "Okay," he said slowly. "First Doctor Jackson, then Major Carter, right?"

"Right. Doctor Jackson?" Janet grabbed him by the arm and led him over to Graham. Taking a step back from then, she held her hands out and gestured for them to start at any time.

Daniel took a deep breath and looked at Graham. The kid looked like he wanted to run away and hide under a blanket in a dark room somewhere. Daniel didn't blame him since he felt that way himself.

"Could we just get this over with?" Graham blurted suddenly, then turned beet red. That made Daniel feel ever so much better, he thought, as he glared at Graham. "Sorry," Graham breathed weakly, then he leaned forward.

Though it only lasted for fifteen seconds or so, kissing Lieutenant Graham Simmons was probably the single most uncomfortable and embarrassing decade in Daniel's life, he was certain. Okay, long enough! some part of his brain screamed, and he pulled away, immediately wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He noted that Graham was doing exactly the same thing. "Is that...meat loaf?" Daniel asked, his lip curling in disgust. "You had meat loaf for breakfast?"

Graham wasn't listening to him. He was busily rummaging through his pockets, and after a moment triumphantly pulled out a small packet of breath mints.

"Give me one of those," Daniel said, holding out his hand. After a moment, Graham reluctantly slapped the half-empty container into Daniel's hand. "Okay, Sam."

Sam stuck her tongue out at him, then with a last glance at Janet, she stepped over and put her arms around Graham's neck. "I'm only ever going to get one chance at this," Graham whispered, sliding his arms around her waist and dipping her. "So I want to make sure I do this right."

As he watched Sam kiss Graham, Daniel realized that his head was tilting slowly to the side, angling to align perfectly with the two Air Force officers' bodies. Glancing over he noted that Janet was doing the same.

"Boy, he didn't kiss you like that," Janet observed. He detected a distinct note of jealousy in her voice.

"No," Daniel agreed. "No he didn't." Despite his feelings of only a moment ago, Daniel couldn't decide whether or not to be happy or disappointed.

After a long time, a very long time, Graham straightened and reluctantly released Sam, taking a moment to steady her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Clearing his throat, Graham reached past her and picked up his clipboard. "Thank you, Major," he said, grinning foolishly at her.

"You're welcome, Lieutenant," Sam answered, grinning back. "Thank you." For a moment, Daniel watched amused as the flummoxed Lieutenant backed slowly out of the room, that silly smile not slipping one notch, as he kept nodding.

Just when Daniel was certain Graham was going to stand there all day the alarm sounded and he heard Janet's name called over the loudspeaker. "That's my cue," the doctor said, and with a last glance in Sam's direction, she quickly left the room, grabbing Graham by the wrist, and spinning him around to drag him out of the room behind her as she went.

He and Sam were alone in the lab again. "Not a bad day's work," he mused aloud, thinking that the day had hardly begun. And might not even be at all in a few hours, he reminded himself.

Sam was thoughtful for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Not bad at all. We got the data collected. Now we can take some time to analyze it," she said pointedly.

That was Sam's way of calling a halt to the game, he realized. They'd had their fun, but they'd pushed things about as far as Sam was willing to go. On base, anyway. It was time to stop; things could only go so far.

Of course, it was a minor miracle in and of itself that he'd managed to get her to play along this far, he mused.

With a nod he turned to leave, deciding to go see what Jack and Teal'c were up to. But at the door he paused and turned to look back at her, trying to emulate Graham's secret little smile. When she looked up at him he nodded. "Better than 'nice,'" he said. "*Way* better than nice."