Steady Balance
"... Brigadier General O'Neill, Lieutenant Colonel Carter, you both deserve the praise and recognition the Nation has just bestowed upon you." Major General George Hammond said, thus concluding the promotion ceremony. "I will now detail your new respective affectations. General O'Neill, in regards to your many sacrifices, and conscious of your wish to retire soon due to your many years of service 'under the fire', the joint chiefs and the President of the United States thought you might take pleasure in training and commanding the brand new Space Force the Nations of Earth have decided to create, using the X-302 and upcoming fighters."
He paused, gauging O'Neill's reaction, but if the latter was happy or disappointed, nothing showed on his face or in his attitude.
Hammond cleared his throat before resuming.
"... You will therefore be the human link between the now public Stargate program and the military. The home base that has been decided for these squadrons is Schriever Air Force Base. You will train and manage several international teams of pilots, and I insist on the International side of it. You will also be given all latitude to find a capable Second In command, and future replacement, since you've made it quite clear that your retirement should occur rather soon. I must add that Major Davis, whom you already know, will assist you in the early stages of your mission there."
Once again, he paused, and turned towards Colonel Carter.
"Lieutenant Colonel Carter, as a Major, you took commandment of SG-1 in such a most remarkable way, not even the newest member of the team, Captain Cobburn, has complained about. You will then continue as the commanding officer of the unit, as well as being the Chief Scientific Officer. Now on a more personal note, I sincerely hope the two of you will be as happy with your new affectations as you were with the previous ones." He concluded, smiling broadly.
Jack O'Neill stood motionless for a short while, then stepped forward, saluting his superior officer, before turning towards Sam Carter, apparently still under the shock of the recent declarations from the general.
"With all due respect Sir, I guess I'll be happier..." was all the excuse Jack O'Neill could muster before gently framing Sam's face with his hands, and giving her the kiss of the century in front of the whole assembly of officers and SF's gathered in the gate room of the SGC for the occasion. A kiss she returned immediately, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly... And there stood two of the finest officers of the SGC, in full dress uniform, kissing like their very life depended on it, totally oblivious to the world.
General George Hammond smiled, looking alternatively to Teal'c and Daniel Jackson. The latter looked a bit embarrassed at such a display, seeming nonetheless pleased with the final outcome, and Teal'c's face bore a discreet smile which was enough of an indication that he was also pleased.
When the kiss ended, Sam looked Jack in the eyes.
"Take me fishing, Jack..." she murmured huskily.
He smiled broadly and hugged her, rocking her a little bit, as the shocked assembly finally cheered. Jack felt a large hand patting his shoulder and turned towards its owner, still smiling.
"I take it you like the new arrangements, Jack..." General Hammond asked with a twinkle in the eyes. "I forgot to mention that you both have two weeks downtime..."
"Thank you, Sir. We'll make good use of it..." he said, as he grabbed Sam's hand and started walking down the ramp.
He barely gave a glance to his two other friends before disappearing from the gate room, heading straight to the elevator, and not even bothering stopping by the locker room to change. They reached the first elevator and stepped inside. Once the doors were closed, Jack encircled Sam's waist caressed her cheek with the back of his free hand, and bent to give her a kiss, which she retaliated eagerly.
The doors opened much too soon, but as they stepped into the second elevator, they resumed their gentle exploration of each other's mouths. They eventually reached the surface and headed for their respective cars, holding hands in silent agreement.
They reached her car. Jack faced her and gave her a quick kiss.
"I'll pick you up in 30. We'll go to the airport and take the next flight to Minnesota... I don't want to drive all the way up, and the plane is definitely faster." He said a bit apologetically.
Sam smiled.
"I'll be expecting you, Jack... Don't be late!"
He smiled and gave her a tender kiss on the lips.
"Yasureyabetcha!" he murmured softly in her ear, making her shiver.
"If you go on doing stuff like that to me, General, I'm going to rip your dress uniform and have my way with you right now and here!" she replied with a sexy wink, causing him to chuckle.
She looked at him, caressing his face gently.
"I like it when you smile like that, Jack... Before you..." Her voice caught in her throat as she remembered the moment she thought she would never see him alive again. "I haven't seen you smile like that for far too long..."
"That's because aside of my job, I had nothing to smile about. Now I do..."
She beamed and kissed him.
"Come on, Sam... At this rate we'll never get to my cabin..."
"... Oh, and I so want to go fishing with you!"
"30 minutes?"
"30 minutes!"
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30 minutes later, his truck pulled up in front of her fence. He honked twice. She exited her house and hopped inside, smiling.
"I hope this fishing trip won't require too many clothes, I packed light." She said, waggling her eyebrows.
"Oh, clothes are so not an issue for that trip..." He answered with a waggle of his own.
She chuckled as he started the engine.
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The next morning, a rental 4x4 came to a stop in front of Jack's cabin. Jack exited, taking both their carry-on's, and swiftly climbed the few stairs up to the deck, before going to open the door, beckoning Sam inside.
She stepped into the main room, and looked around, taking in the simple but cozy atmosphere. Framed photographs were hung on the bare wooden walls, black and white for the most, but there were also several of -- whom she assumed was -- Charlie in color.
She was so absorbed in her observation, that she hadn't noticed Jack closing the door. She jumped when she felt his arms encircle her waist and his warm breath on her neck as he started nuzzling it. She turned in his arms and threw her arms around his neck. His lips moved to her jaw, then her mouth. The kiss deepened and he started to slip his hands underneath her jacket, making it fall in a pool on the floor. Taking his hint, she did the same to his leather jacket, and started unbuttoning his shirt, pulling is out of his trousers at the same time. Slowly, as they continued disrobing each other, he pulled her through the corridor to the master bedroom...
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Jack felt her soft lips on his.
He stirred, knowing he only had a few seconds before she left the bed, and threw his arms around her shoulders, trapping her in his embrace.
"'time is it?" he mumbled.
"05:30."
"God it's early!... Stay a little longer?" he moaned.
She sighed.
"Jack, I've got a briefing with the SG team leaders at 09:00 and before hand I have to meet with Daniel, Teal'c, and Cobburn to discuss our next mission!"
"You can stay for another 15 minutes, T' and Dannyboy will understand..."
She chuckled.
"Jack, you're impossible! On the contrary to a certain general O'Neill I know..."
"Retired!" he interrupted groaning.
"My point, exactly!... *I* am *still* in active service, *still* have missions to go on, and *still* have a CO to report to!" she said playfully, poking his ribs to make him loosen his embrace.
He let go of her and sighed.
"All right, *Colonel* Carter. I'll go and prepare breakfast while you hit the shower..."
She gave him a quick peck on the lips as she grabbed her robe and went to the bathroom.
Jack rubbed his face with his palms, threw the bed linens aside, and got up, heading to the kitchen.
They had breakfast together, listening to the radio, and having small talk. Jack watched Sam with a twinkle in his eyes.
"What?" she asked after a moment.
"Nothing." He replied smiling.
"Jack O'Neill, I've never seen you watch something with that look on your face if it meant nothing... Last time you it, you had just kissed me in a time loop!" she said playfully, raising her eyebrows.
He sighed, breaking eye contact.
"The way you take your breakfast..."
"So?"
"Just this: the way you take your breakfast. First you pour coffee into your mug, add precisely two drops of sugar, then you add milk... Then you take two toasts, put butter on 'em both, and slice them in the diagonal... Every morning the same ritual."
She looked at him amused.
"You're writing an essay on breakfast habits?" she joked.
"No." he said, leaning his head into his hand smiling tenderly, drowning in her eyes. "I'm just happy to be the lucky bastard sharing breakfast with you every morning."
She beamed broadly.
"Who knew Jack O'Neill could be so romantic?"
"I love you, Sam."
She took his free hand, and squeezed it.
"I love you, Jack."
He grinned, bent over the small table and kissed her.
"I gotta go now." She said softly as his lips left hers.
"No mission today? I should expect to see you home for dinner?"
"Unless there's some major emergency... When's your next consulting visit anyway?"
"Oh you know, they always call me last minute, or when a certain Colonel Carter doesn't report on schedule..." he winked, tugging at her sleeve.
She swatted his hand gently, then hopped down her stool.
"See you in the evening, then... If you go to the drugstore, there's a list of things that are close to missing on the fridge..." she said, halfway to the door.
"Okay..."
"Oh, and Mrs. Johnson asked me if you could go check her plumbing, she said she heard weird noises." She continued, putting her boots on.
"Oh for crying out loud! How many times will I have to tell her I am NOT a plumber!"
"Well, I wasn't the one bragging about how I redesigned the entire plumbing of my cabin in Minnesota!" she said laughing, grabbing her BDU jacket.
"Me and my big mouth..." he grumbled. "You know that's your fault, Carter! Before you I was perfectly happy with Mrs. Johnson NOT talking to me! And then you came along and started playing the nice neighbor with her and suddenly my retirement didn't seem so appealing anymore!" he cried as she reached for her keys.
"Oooo I'm ashamed to be the one responsible for that! Maybe you would prefer her to warm up your bed?!" she said, opening the entrance door on her way out.
His only response was to send a bagel her way, which ended on the door as she closed it hurriedly in a fit of laughter catching a glimpse of his offended look.
"This will not go unpunished, Carter!" he shouted playfully from the deck as her car passed it.
She smiled broadly, waving evasively, and then she was gone.
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Story Notes: Pairing: Sam/Jack, Jack/Other Future Story
Warnings: suggested sexual situations
Season/Spoilers: Season 7 -Fragile Balance, speculations about Heroes, Lost City
Sometimes, some plots just need closure. I started writing this way before Saramund's very nice fic: I am. All similarities to that story are purely accidental.
Okay, sappy it is... blame it on my muse (it was *that* time of the month for her...), and besides I'm trying different things at the moment!
There's another version of this story on the SJNC-17 list
Email: darksithd@hotmail.com
Copyright © Anakin David 2003
Warnings: suggested sexual situations
Season/Spoilers: Season 7 -Fragile Balance, speculations about Heroes, Lost City
Sometimes, some plots just need closure. I started writing this way before Saramund's very nice fic: I am. All similarities to that story are purely accidental.
Okay, sappy it is... blame it on my muse (it was *that* time of the month for her...), and besides I'm trying different things at the moment!
There's another version of this story on the SJNC-17 list
Email: darksithd@hotmail.com
Copyright © Anakin David 2003
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]