Disclaimer: I don't claim ta own anything that hasta do with Stargate: SG-1. The storyline is mine, an' that's about it.

Summary: A brief visit to a new planet has some lasting results with the SG1 team. Underlying Sam/Jack.

Note: This is my first lengthy Stargate: SG-1 fic, so I'd really appreciate feedback on this. The story is finished, and I will post a new chapter every night, or when I get atleast one review. So please review for me if ya wanna read more!

More Than Words

ONE

While his mind reeled with various forms of archaeological information he had no clue, nor desire to learn, Colonel Jack O'Neill held his best uninterested expression, just hoping that his buddy Daniel would get the hint. He didn't. Rolling his eyes, Jack waved a hand partially with arms both crossed casually across his chest. "As interesting as I'm sure this all is Danny-boy, it still doesn't answer my question," He eyed the younger man steadily, watching Dr. Jackson's eyes light up and widen with rememberance.

"Oh, right right, you're question," Daniel made a face, brows furrowing as he fought to push back the information he was going on about, back-tracking in his memory banks to try and remember what Jack had asked him. Squinting one eye, he lifted a hand slowly with a pointed index finger. "Ah, you asked if I was ready to head to the commissary for dinner," At Jack's exasperated nod, Daniel nodded with a faint shrug. "Um, yeh. Sure."

Jack turned on his heel and was already striding down the hall before the response had even left the archaeologist's mouth. He was intent on getting a good meal then going to sleep before their mission in the morning, especially since he hadn't got much rest the previous night. A restless sleep had left Jack tired and grouchy in the morning, and all he wanted to do was get some good, quality sleep.

A certain blonde-haired Airforce Major had caught Jack's attention as he strode in the nearly-vacant commissary, assuming Daniel wasn't far behind. Samantha Carter had held a special place in Jack's heart for quite some time now, but because of military regulations and restrictions, he never dared act on his feelings. Besides that, the Colonel wasn't sure whether or not Sam still felt the same way.

Smiling in that usual bright way of hers, Sam looked up from her plate of food. "'Evening Colonel,"

"Carter," Jack greeted in what he felt was a neutral tone. Seating himself across from his Second in Command, he was so immersed in Sam's presense and kind smile that he completely forgot about getting his food before sitting down.

"Not hungry Sir?" She questioned with a raised brow.

Blinking, Jack was torn from his semi-unfocused stare. He scratched at the back of his head before yawning tiredly and standing up. "Oh, uh, yeh. Right. Wasn't thinking. Tired," He replied lamely with a faint grin before turning to gather his meal.

Sam couldn't help but watch him go for a moment, then her attention was stolen by Daniel fumbling to take a seat. She couldn't help but smile laughingly. "Don't tell me you forgot about going up to get your food too?"

"Huh?" Daniel sent her a confused look. Realization dawning, he cocked his head to one side and smiled, resting his arms on the table and shaking his head. "Oh, no, I didn't forget. Just gonna wait awhile that's all. Not quite starving yet," He smiled again with a jerk of his chin in greeting when he saw Teal'c making his way toward them.

The Jaffa gave a nod of acknowledgement before taking a seat beside Sam. "Major Carter, Daniel Jackson," he greeted in that familiar stoic way of his.

"Hey Teal'c," Sam smiled at him before fixing her eyes on her plate and pushing around the remainder of her food.

Sam's greeting was mimicked by Daniel as he gave a partial smile. His mind wandered to thoughts of their off-world mission taking place in the morning. The planet was designated P2J-795. By the probe censor readings and MALP video footage, it seemed to be a rather desolate planet, though there was some footage of a small village not too far from the gate. Daniel, as always, was excited about the culture of the people they may find there, even though the video from the MALP showed it to look rather abandoned.

Jack returned to the table in a short time, having gathered a plate full of spaghetti and meatballs and a can of soda. "Heya T," he greeted the Jaffa, getting a slight incline of his friend's head in return. He dug into his food distractedly, the chatter of his friends and teammates (mostly scientific prattling between Sam and Daniel) going well over his head.

-

Sam strode down the halls of the base that night, passing by the open door of Colonel O'Neill's on-base quarters to find her CO curled up on the bed, sound asleep. She stopped in the doorway, smiling faintly when she realized he'd passed out in his clothes, not having bothered to change. Stepping cautiously inside, Sam did a quick check to make sure no one was coming, then reached for the crumpled blanket by the Colonel's feet and pulled it over him. "'Night Jack," she whispered softly, backing out of the room and closing the door to make sure he wasn't disturbed.

Remembering her previous destination, Sam headed toward Daniel's lab to see what he'd found out (if anything) about the world they'd be exploring in the morning. She contemplated bunking in for the night instead, but decided she was too eager to discover what the archaeologist was up to before she could get any sleep.

-

By morning SG1 were all standing on the ramp to the gate, preparing to embark on their next mission, travelling to a previously undiscovered world as they had done many times before. Jack stood ahead of his team, dressed in green BDUs and black vest, with signature ball cap and goggle-like shades hung around his neck. He held a P-90 in one arm, a light pack of supplies on his back while he stood glancing back at Teal'c, Daniel, and Sam. With a nod and a grin, he glanced up toward the viewing window above where General Hammond stood watching. With a stiff salute, he turned around again, facing the puddle-like matter within the center of the gate. "Okay kids, let's go adventuring," he announced jovially, then stepped forth into the wormhole.

Teal'c followed the SG1 leader straight away, followed by Major Carter, and then Dr. Jackson.

Jack first stumbled down the rocky steps after exiting the wormhole, not yet turning to make sure his team was behind him. Lifting his chin, the seasoned Colonel took in his surroundings, noting the rather flat landscape with tall, dry, grassy plains. In the distance off to the side of the gate he witnessed a mountainside that reminded him of Colorado.

Touching the brim of his hat, Jack squinted slightly to peer across the seemingly endless field, being just able to make out what appeared to be the rooves of some sort of housing in a small village.

Daniel stepped up beside Jack, the first indication the man had that his team had indeed made it safely through the wormhole behind him. He squinted, staring in the direction where the Colonel's focus currently was. With his poor eyesight, even with glasses, he didn't see much besides the tall grass. "Anything?" He questioned.

"Yep," Jack gave a sharp nod and started trudging through the field. "Village straight ahead, just like the MALP showed us. Let's move out people."

Sam quickly fell into step beside Jack while Teal'c remained on his other side and Daniel lagged behind slightly while he fathomed what type of living beings they might encounter. She smiled faintly at the archaeologist's enthusiasm. She herself was excited about the technologies they would potentially find.

During their cautious approach to the village, Daniel nudged Jack's arm when he spotted a humanoid female head poking out from the opening of a hut that looked to be made of reddish-brown clay with a slightly-domed, thatched straw roof. "Uh, hello," Daniel rose one hand in a wave, a hesitant smile on his face.

The girl emerged from the hut, revealing herself to the team. She was very human looking, although, upon further inspection she had slightly pointed ears. Long and wavy red hair cascaded down towards the center of her back, her skin was very fair, and she wore a flowing green dress with tattered-looking ends that stopped above her knees. "Hello," came the gentle greeting.

Sam gave a friendly smile along with Jack, while Teal'c allowed a short bow of his head to suit as a greeting.

Daniel took another step closer, followed closely by Jack, who was well aware that his buddy could be very naive when it came to meeting new species on other planets. Gesturing toward himself, Daniel smiled in a friendly manner. "I'm Daniel, and these are my friends; Jack, Sam, and Teal'c," He waved a hand toward each member of the team as their name was spoken. The archaeologist already assumed the girl spoke their language, though she could have just mimicked his greeting when she said 'hello'. "We're explorers, come to visit and learn of your culture. What is your name?" Daniel waved a hand toward her.

The young-looking woman smiled. "I am called Arcana." She told them proudly. For a moment Arcana glanced back toward the other huts before turning back to SG1.

"Uh... Okay, so where is everybody else?" Jack asked blatantly, looking around with furrowed brows. He saw no more curious people poking their heads out from the little huts. It made him a little uneasy.

Arcana smiled brightly. "They are out in the forest," she said casually, then began returning to the huts, waving them along to follow her. "Come strangers,"

With a shrug, Jack made a gesture to his team. "Strangers," he smirked faintly and walked along after the girl once his team had begun moving.

They had followed Arcana into a darkened hut, trying to adjust to the lack of lighting until she turned on what appeared to be an oil lamp. The room was sparsely decorated, pretty much only dwelling on the bare necessities. There was a set of bunk beds against one wall, with a heavy wooden table in the center of the room, and not much else. The team had guessed other facilities must have been in a different hut of some kind.

Jack took a look around, venturing outside the hut. Teal'c watched him go but said nothing, and the others didn't seem to notice their leader's departure. They were more focused on the girl as she explained about the rest of the people in her village.

"They should be returning soon. Many times we head out into the forest to gather food. It also serves to provide well hiding places from the Goa'uld." Arcana smiled gently.

Daniel's brows furrowed. "How did you know that we weren't Goa'uld?"

The elf-like girl smiled again. "The Trao'chi did not inform us of a Goa'uld presense coming from the Ring."

"Okay," Daniel looked over at Sam and Teal'c, speaking his thoughts aloud. "Well the Ring is obviously what we call a Stargate," He turned to Arcana once again. "Tray-oh-chee?" He tried to pronounce the word carefully. "What is that?"

She waved a hand outside of the hut. "The Trao'chi are the protective creatures of O'runak."

"O'runak," Sam repeated perfectly. "Is that what you call this planet?"

"Yes," Arcana nodded with a smile.

Teal'c rose an eyebrow before turning and bowing his head slightly to exit through the short door of the hut. With his hands clasped behind him, he walked out to find Colonel O'Neill wandering along the treeline into the forest.

Sam watched the Jaffa leave with furrowed brows, suddenly realizing that Jack wasn't with them as well. She smiled politely toward Arcana as Daniel spoke to the elf-like girl about her culture, then the Major headed outside. "I'm just going to take a look around,"

"Mm-hm," Daniel muttered absently while taking a seat and studying the girl across from him.

Jack kicked his booted feet in the dirt while he studied some odd-looking plantlife leading into the forest. He tilted his head to the side and lifted the brim of his hat, accidently knocking off his sunglasses that rested there. Bending down to retreive them, and reaching into the tall brush, something pricked his hand. Jerking back with a muttered, "Dammit," Jack plucked a jagged black thorn from the side of his hand, sucking at the bit of blood that sprouted up. He snatched up his glasses without getting stuck by anymore plants, then stood straight and headed back to where he spotted Sam and Teal'c exiting the hut.

Daniel soon came out of the hut with Arcana. He had a big grin on his face.

Must've learned somethin' good. Jack mused with a faint smirk.

"Uh, Arcana has invited us to stay for a meal," Dr. Jackson told the rest of SG1.

Sam looked to the girl. "Will the others be joining us then?" She asked curiously, still wondering why Arcana was the only one of her people that remained at the village while the rest had gone out.

"Many of my people are wary around strangers such as yourselves." Arcana smiled brightly. "I, however, am certainly not one of them."

"Certainly," Jack muttered flippantly with a wave of his hand. He caught Sam rolling her eyes at him with a faint smile, and couldn't help but feel a warmth inside. That smile of hers could really do things to him.

"So... Will any of the others be joining us?" Daniel inquired with a raised brow.

"I'm sure the younger ones will come around. They have had no ill experiences with strangers and do not know to fear." Arcana began walking through the village toward another hut.

With a shrug, Jack went along with Arcana, followed closely by his team.

-

After eating a meal of relatively odd-looking food that tasted pretty damn good, SG1 were all about ready to head back to the gate. Their mission was simply to see if the planet was inhabited, determine if the inhabitants could be potential allies or not, and return to the SGC. Now that they knew about living beings on the planet that spoke their own language, Colonel O'Neill had no doubts that Daniel would request a mission from General Hammond to return to the planet in order to do some research on the people that lived there.

Jack had been slightly relieved when a few of the others emerged from the forest as Arcana said they would. Like she had predicted, they were mostly the younger ones, though two brave adults joined the meal, curious about the strangers to their world. The people were all kind and friendly, and they all had pointed ears just like Arcana, and were dressed in clothing of very natural colors and textures, probably useful in helping them blend in with their surroundings while in the forest.

"Thanks very much for the meal, and I hope to visit again soon to learn more about you," Daniel said with a smile as the team prepared to depart while Sam finished dialing home.

A young boy named Jeran, whom they had met while eating, ran up to Daniel and held out a basket of the delicious fruits they had the pleasure of tasting for desert. "This is for you," he exclaimed happily with a big grin.

"Thank you," Daniel smiled at the little blonde-haired boy, taking the basket with another thankful nod.

"See ya folks," Jack waved as the gate was activated and Sam jogged over to join the rest of SG1 on their way up the steps.

"It was very pleasureable meeting you," Teal'c said in his usual stoic manner with a slight bow of his head before turning.

The elf-like people watched as their new-found friends departed, venturing into the shimmering blue within the marvelous metallic Ring.

-

Emerging from the gate back at the SGC, Jack fought to stay still for a moment, involuntarily swaying on his feet, slightly disoriented. Teal'c looked to his leader strangely for a moment before the Colonel managed to straighten and walk down the ramp on his own accord. The booming voice of General Hammond over the speakers from above had grasped the Jaffa's attention, and he gazed upward sharply.

"Welcome back SG1. I'll see you all in the briefing room within an hour." With that said, the General was gone out of view.

Adjusting the pack on her back, Sam strode along with her team, leaving the gate room. She noticed the Colonel lingering behind slightly, but chose to put it out of her mind for the moment.

After seating herself in the briefing room once her post-mission check-up was completed, Sam wasn't surprised when Jack busied himself distractedly, doing anything he could to focus less on the General's all-too-familiar questions and concerns about their mission. She failed to hide a smile as her CO began drumming on the table during Daniel's explanation of what was found on the planet.

Finding that Jack was decidedly more distracted than usual, Daniel quickened his explanation and the de-briefing was soon over with, the end result being that the archaeologist could return to P2J-795 at a later date to do more research. Besides that, SG1 were allowed to head home for the night, and Daniel had offered to let Teal'c stay at his place with permission from the General.

Not having bothered to change in the locker room before heading home, Jack hung up his P-90 with the rest of his off-world gear and started to leave the base in just his BDUs. While he strode down the corridor, determined to leave as soon as possible, the Colonel nearly slammed into his 2IC, but she managed to sidestep quickly enough, balancing with a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir!" Sam exclaimed with surprise, smiling bashfully afterwards. "Sorry Colonel, didn't see you there right away." She shifted on her feet slightly. "Heading home?"

"Yep," Jack gave a sharp nod, regretting it when a slight pounding began to beat into his skull. Blinking, he rubbed his forehead before dropping his arm to his side. "How 'bout you Carter?"

She nodded. "Yeh, just stopping to grab a few things in my lab," Sam watched him clench his eyes shut before rubbing at his forehead again. Her eyes scanned over him with some concern. "Are you alright Colonel?"

"Hn." He grunted, clearing his throat. "Just tired." Jack began continuing on his way down the corridor. "Have a good night Sam," The informal use of her name slipped, but he ignored it and continued walking, too tired to correct himself.

"Yeh...uh..you too..." Sam watched his retreating form with confusion, then whispered faintly, "Jack."

-

By the time Jack got home, he was just about ready to pass out. He was feeling overly tired, and had a pounding headache that made him unable to focus. The ride from the base had been a struggle to remain awake and not veer off the side of the road, smashing his truck into a number of trees or other cars. With a heavy sigh, Jack shuffled over to his couch, dragging his feet and feeling more exhausted by the second. Not yet reaching the couch, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him and dropped to his knees before falling face first to the floor. Jack groaned, but was unable to lift himself up. Heavy eyelids closed soon afterwards, and he was giving in to the consuming darkness.

-