TITLE: The Rachel Files: Recon

AUTHOR: Vid Z.

PAIRING: Jack/Rachel

TIMELINE: damned if I know...

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc of the TV show Stargate: SG-1 are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fic. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yes, I'm back with The Rachel Files. I got inspired to write more by Yasmine Lupin and her kind reviews. I hope you like it. And of course leave a review if I should continue writing this series.

SUMMARY: Reconnaissance: actively seeking to determine opposition's intentions by collecting and gathering information through direct observation or questioning of pertinent subjects.

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"Major Carter!?"

Sam, who was just about to unlock her car in the SGC parking lot, turned toward the unknown voice. "Yes?"

In the illumination provided by the powerful spotlights grouped together into streetlights, dotted around the parking lot, she could see a woman had approached her.

Carter did a quick visual check if she knew the woman. She was slightly shorter than Sam, had dark brown long thick hair that was now framing her face in thick waves, dark brown, almost black, eyes and a dark, olive complexion. She was quite slim, but dressed more or less conservatively, loose fitting jeans pants, which contrary to the popular style of which Sam was a proponent did not emphasize the wearer's legs and ass, and a dark blue pullover under an also jeans jacket. Carter could see the woman was beautiful, but strangely the woman neither carried herself nor dressed in a way to try pointing that out. It was as if the woman wasn't really aware of her beauty, for she did nothing to flaunt it, which had Sam surprised. 'If you've got it, why not show it?' was Sam's motto, but obviously not this woman's.

From somewhere in her busy and cluttered mind, full of doohickeys and particles and quarks and tasks yet to do, a distant memory flashed. "Major...?" she tried and prompted for the name.

"Rachel Hamilton." the other woman introduced herself and extended her hand.

Sam shook the hand, assessing further. Major Hamilton had a good shake, she gripped Sam's strongly, revealing strong personality. She also made eye contact upon shaking. She had a scientist's hands. Strong, yet small, with long slim fingers. The skin on her palm and her fingertip pads obviously wasn't that of a bureaucrat, but also not of a regular combat soldier. While it was obvious the woman was military by her presence and that she had no problem handling a weapon, it wasn't her usual fare. Her hands suggested she mostly worked in the lab, with instruments.

"What can I do for you, Major Hamilton?"

"This is strictly woman-to-woman, Major Carter."

Sam was getting a bad feeling about this. Still, her curiosity prompted her to ask. "Yes?"

The woman hesitated for a second before visibly summing up the courage. "I just wanted to ask you what your intentions in regards to Colonel O'Neill are?"

"Excuse me?" Sam was taken aback. Never before had anyone asked her about her relationship with Colonel O'Neill or where she intended to take it. Either this woman was incredibly dumb or incredibly brave.

"I wanted to ask what your intentions towards the Colonel are." Rachel repeated.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Sam snapped, becoming defensive and angry.

"I'm not asking this out of being nosy, Major Carter." the dark woman said soothingly. "I don't care if you have any special feelings for the Colonel or not nor what they are, I would just like to know whether you plan to keep it professional or deepen it some time in the near future. Or if you even have any concrete plans for any time in the future."

"Colonel O'Neill is my commanding officer." Sam stayed with the line she always used. It was her foxhole for hiding before the feelings she'd never wanted for the man and a defensive position against outsiders.

"I'm taking that as 'no romantic plans'." Rachel checked and Sam only stared silently at her.

Suddenly a happy smile lit up the lovely woman's face, making her even more beautiful than Sam had thought possible. "Good, thank you, Major Carter, for your time."

Sam just nodded and silently watched the dark woman walk away.

"What was THAT all about?" she mumbled to herself as she unlocked the car and got in. But she soon forgot the incident because she suddenly thought of an equation and had to stop the car to scribble it down on a gas receipt. Then she turned around to get back to her lab to try it out and by that time she didn't remember she had even talked to someone in the parking lot.

She remembered the conversation only a few days later when, upon seeing her Colonel, only that he wasn't hers, and the olive-skinned Major sitting together in the commissary, she realized that she'd just given another woman permission to claim the Colonel. And with a sinking heart she realized that Rachel had done just that.

Her constant defensiveness over her relationship with the Colonel, denial over there being anything special between them and unwillingness to more clearly consider plans for a future with him, instead of doing what she did, keeping those unwanted feelings locked up in that iso room, had cost her the best man she'd ever known.

And, watching them interact, Sam had the sinking feeling Major Hamilton intended to avoid making Sam's mistakes and wouldn't be letting Jack go.

From that day in the commissary until the end of her life Sam regretted ordering the Colonel to keep it all in that room.

THE END

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