Cam had read enough mission reports by the time he joined SG-1 to realize that lying was sometimes a necessary component of the job. He expected it going in. Little white lies about liking the local specialty. Medium lies about where they were really from. Giant whoopers about Earth's military capabilities. And, of course, all sorts of lies to help his team.
However, nothing in the mission reports had led him to anticipate that he'd be spending an evening on Earth with Sam Carter's family, pretending to be her boyfriend.
"I really appreciate this," Sam said, squeezing his arm. "I'd blow off the comments, but last time I showed up alone, Annie told me that if I was alone again next year, she and Jess were going to camp out on my doorway until they found someone for me. I just don't want to have to explain to them why I'm away so many nights."
Or, Cam suspected, why Carolyn Lam so often spent the night when Sam was home. Not that Cam was supposed to know about that either.
"Sure," he said easily, resting a hand on hers. "What else are friends for?"
2. Cheat
Cam's always prided himself on a certain level of integrity, and he tries to live as honestly as he can. However, he's also pragmatic, and he recognizes that there's some truth to the old adage about love and war. If it's a choice between cheating and losing something big--the galaxy, the planet, a teammate--Cam will cheat with a smile on his lips. Or at least he'll summon a smile if the situation calls for it. Which, as it happens, Vala's plan does, at least long enough to win their way into the complex card game she tracked down when they learned just how much money (local currency only, please!) they needed to pay the fines that Teal'c--Teal'c!--had racked up on this particular mission.
"It's quite simple," Vala assured him as she led him down a particularly seedy street. "I'll handle all the betting; you just have to hold your cards right." She flashed him a bright smile. "We'll have Muscles out in no time!"
3. Steal
Stealing, like lying, was sometimes part of the job. Cam wasn't especially proud of it, but he'd do it. Especially when Jackson was shivering with fever and the whole team was a two-day hike from the gate with almost no supplies left. Cam didn't hesitate while grabbing a pile of blankets from the house on the edge of the villages.
He did make sure they had extras, though.
4. Die
Death--like frequent moves and mediocre food--was a part of the job. Cam had known that when he signed up, and various events over the course of his career had reinforced it. He'd rather not die, of course, but if he's going to go by any means other than old age, he really can't think of a better way than saving the lives of the people who had so often risked their own lives to save the world. He'd willingly die for each and every one of his teammates, and not even think twice about it. But he's still hoping he won't have to.
And one thing he wouldn't
1. Play the middle man
Cam knew coming in that SG-1 would already have its own rhythms and ways of doing things, and that he'd have to find a way to fit in, so the first time that Sam and Jackson both appealed to him to take their side on a completely non-work-related issue, Cam had felt a warm flush of acceptance.
Three weeks later and after many, many requests to choose sides, efforts at mediation, and refusals to participate in making Daniel jealous, Cam had realized that one thing he did not need was to be involved in the tangle of SG-1 relationships. In the field, he was happy to make decisions, but when it came to all things personal, Cam became devoutly non-committal. After all, he figured, they'd gotten along fine before he came along. They could learn to do it again.
Four things that Cam would do for his team, and one that he wouldn't (Sam/Carolyn)
1. Lie
Cam had read enough mission reports by the time he joined SG-1 to realize that lying was sometimes a necessary component of the job. He expected it going in. Little white lies about liking the local specialty. Medium lies about where they were really from. Giant whoopers about Earth's military capabilities. And, of course, all sorts of lies to help his team.
However, nothing in the mission reports had led him to anticipate that he'd be spending an evening on Earth with Sam Carter's family, pretending to be her boyfriend.
"I really appreciate this," Sam said, squeezing his arm. "I'd blow off the comments, but last time I showed up alone, Annie told me that if I was alone again next year, she and Jess were going to camp out on my doorway until they found someone for me. I just don't want to have to explain to them why I'm away so many nights."
Or, Cam suspected, why Carolyn Lam so often spent the night when Sam was home. Not that Cam was supposed to know about that either.
"Sure," he said easily, resting a hand on hers. "What else are friends for?"
2. Cheat
Cam's always prided himself on a certain level of integrity, and he tries to live as honestly as he can. However, he's also pragmatic, and he recognizes that there's some truth to the old adage about love and war. If it's a choice between cheating and losing something big--the galaxy, the planet, a teammate--Cam will cheat with a smile on his lips. Or at least he'll summon a smile if the situation calls for it. Which, as it happens, Vala's plan does, at least long enough to win their way into the complex card game she tracked down when they learned just how much money (local currency only, please!) they needed to pay the fines that Teal'c--Teal'c!--had racked up on this particular mission.
"It's quite simple," Vala assured him as she led him down a particularly seedy street. "I'll handle all the betting; you just have to hold your cards right." She flashed him a bright smile. "We'll have Muscles out in no time!"
3. Steal
Stealing, like lying, was sometimes part of the job. Cam wasn't especially proud of it, but he'd do it. Especially when Jackson was shivering with fever and the whole team was a two-day hike from the gate with almost no supplies left. Cam didn't hesitate while grabbing a pile of blankets from the house on the edge of the villages.
He did make sure they had extras, though.
4. Die
Death--like frequent moves and mediocre food--was a part of the job. Cam had known that when he signed up, and various events over the course of his career had reinforced it. He'd rather not die, of course, but if he's going to go by any means other than old age, he really can't think of a better way than saving the lives of the people who had so often risked their own lives to save the world. He'd willingly die for each and every one of his teammates, and not even think twice about it. But he's still hoping he won't have to.
And one thing he wouldn't
1. Play the middle man
Cam knew coming in that SG-1 would already have its own rhythms and ways of doing things, and that he'd have to find a way to fit in, so the first time that Sam and Jackson both appealed to him to take their side on a completely non-work-related issue, Cam had felt a warm flush of acceptance.
Three weeks later and after many, many requests to choose sides, efforts at mediation, and refusals to participate in making Daniel jealous, Cam had realized that one thing he did not need was to be involved in the tangle of SG-1 relationships. In the field, he was happy to make decisions, but when it came to all things personal, Cam became devoutly non-committal. After all, he figured, they'd gotten along fine before he came along. They could learn to do it again.