Their General, The Teddy Bear?
Jack took a deep breath as he stepped into the empty elevator. For some reason, Sam thought this was going to be a piece of cake, telling General Hammond that they wanted to pursue a relationship, but Jack wasn't so sure. Yes, he had often felt as if there were an unspoken understanding between the General and himself. Hammond knew how important Major Carter was to Colonel O'Neill, and visa versa. Jack had never actually admitted to the General that his feelings for his 2IC might go a bit deeper than the loyalty, friendship and respect he had for all his team members. That is, assuming Janet and Teal'c didn't tell the General about that whole Zatarc mess.
Jack ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He felt nauseous, and his hands were clammy. "Oh, for cryin' out loud," he murmured to himself, taking a deep breath. You'd think that after all he'd been through on Earth, (and off-world) having a little chat with his CO wouldn't be that nerve wracking.
The elevator stopped, and Jack looked up at the floor indicator. Still a few floors to go. There were a heck of a lot of levels in the SGC. As the doors opened, Jack's initial reaction was to bolt. He *really* didn't need this right now.
"Colonel!"
"Jack!"
Colonel O'Neill took a few steps backwards, resting his head on the back of the elevator, concentrating on just surviving the next few moments.
"Doc," he said pleasantly, nodding at the meticulously dressed Dr. Frasier. "Spacemonkey…" he said, glaring at Daniel.
"We were just looking for you," Daniel responded as he and Janet stepped into the elevator.
"Aren't you going to press a floor?" Jack asked, glancing at the numbered display.
Janet shrugged and leaned up against the side of the elevator. "So, how's Sam?"
"Probably just peachy, seen as how she's hanging out with her Dad and looking at To'kra doohickeys…" Jack answered innocently.
"Hm… Funny, I wonder why she didn't ask me to go with?" Daniel said, his eyes wide, blue, and slightly shifty. "I told her that the next time she visited the To'kra, that I wanted to tag along and see how their new base was coming along…"
Jack rolled his eyes, sick of the charade these two had been playing for days now. The elevator dinged, and Jack moved to the front. "If I ask you how you found out, would ya stop buggin' me?" he growled, not looking at either of them.
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as the elevator doors opened.
"You know, Jack, if you're going to take a date to the movies, you really shouldn't go to the theater down the street from my house…" Daniel said quietly, pushing Jack playfully through the open doors.
"Never knew you were a Hugh Grant fan, sir," Janet added in a perfect deadpan as the elevator doors began closing.
Jack just shook his head, and shot them a severe look he didn't necessarily feel. He turned away for a second, then turned back to deliver the perfect comeback to Daniel. When he turned around, the elevator doors were only inches apart, and Jack could have sworn he saw Daniel put his arm around the doctor's waist and wink at her.
"Nah," Jack muttered, after he regained his voice, turning back to head towards the General's office. "Couldn't be…"
"Colonel!" General Hammond said when he spotted Jack hovering at the door to his office. "Come on in, I'm just finishing up some paperwork."
Jack nodded, his face still showing the confusion from what he had just seen.
"Something the matter, Colonel?" Hammond asked, looking up from his desk and gesturing that Jack should take a seat.
Jack walked slowly towards the chair, looking back over his shoulder as if he would somehow be able to confirm what he had just seen. He looked back at the General. "You notice anything…" He searched for the right word, gesturing with his hand as he continued, "Weird… Going on with Daniel and the Doc?"
The General shrugged. "I haven't noticed anything specific. Why?"
"No reason," Jack said, shrugging and clearing the perplexed look from his face. "So, General!" he began, a bit overzealous. "Mind if I shut the door?"
"Go ahead, Jack. What's the problem?" Hammond asked.
"No problem," Jack said with a wry smile, taking a seat in one of the chairs.
The General cocked his head slightly to one side. "Go on…" he urged, used to Jack's strange way of communicating.
"Here's the thing, sir. I've been re-thinking my position as the leader of SG-1. It's been great, kicking Go'auld ass, blowing stuff up, saving the world every few weeks, all that, but I'm sick of it. I've got bad knees, my back is killin' me from sleeping on the ground all the time, and I haven't had a real vacation in eight years. Somethin's gotta give, here," Jack stated simply, his stomach tightening even as he said it.
"You're not retiring, Jack?" Hammond asked in disbelief.
Jack shrugged. "Why not? I've done my part – there's at least ten guys who could easily take my place."
"Hmm…" the General muttered, eyeing Jack suspiciously. "The last time I told you *I* was retiring, you immediately told me you didn't buy it. So," he paused, "I don't buy it. What's really going on, Jack?"
Jack took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "General, just trust me, okay? This is the best way to handle the situation."
"What situation?" Hammond demanded, his face beginning to color. "Colonel, if you don't tell me what's going on right now…"
"Okay, okay, but you're not gonna like it," Jack said, suddenly feeling the need to stand and grab a pen from off the General's desk, just to have something to do. "It's Sam, sir."
General Hammond folded his arms on his large chest. "Major Carter? Has she done something to lose your respect, Colonel?"
Jack's eyebrows went up as he eyed the General. "No, sir. The opposite, in fact. It's distinctly possible I respect her…" he paused, twirling the pen in his fingers, "A little too much, actually," he said as he felt the heat rise in his face.
Jack looked back to the General, and for a second, he could have sworn the older man's eyes twinkled.
But then, the color in Hammond's face became even redder, and he huffed angrily. "Are you telling me you've thrown away your career for some kind of fling with your second-in-command? I'm sure I don't have to remind you that breaking fraternization regulations is a court-marshallable offence, Colonel."
Colonel O'Neill immediately sat down again. "Ah, General, I…"
"There are no excuses, Colonel. You have jeopardized your own position, and the position of Major Carter, and I will not accept…"
"Hold on! I haven't done either of those things!" Jack argued, dropping the pen back on Hammond's desk. "I respect her, and you, far too much to break the regulations established. You know that, sir."
General Hammond refolded his arms on his chest. "Are you telling me that you and Major Carter have *not* broken any of the regulations?"
Jack shrugged. "We haven't slept together, if that's what you mean. Hell, I haven't even held her hand, General. We've been spending more time together, one on one, just as friends… Well, friends who wanted to make sure they really wanted to be together before they pissed off their boss and got fired," he added, his characteristic sarcastic tone returning to his voice.
If Hammond was at all amused, he didn't show it. Still watching Jack, he silently reached for the black phone on his desk and punched a number. He put the receiver up to his ear and waited. Then, into the phone, he said, "Sergeant Davis, would you please inform Master Sergeant Siler that his shipment of eagle wrenches has arrived? Yes, I agree, it's about time. Thank you, Sergeant."
Jack's brow furrowed as he watched the General calmly put down the receiver and open a locked compartment in his large, wooden desk.
"Eagle wrenches?" Jack asked as Hammond removed a red and white, `Top Secret' file folder from the drawer.
Hammond ignored the question and proceeded to lay several pieces of paper out on his desk. Eight, in all – little packets of official- looking documents. "Colonel," he said, looking up from the paperwork, "I take it you've thought through this decision thoroughly, and are ready for any and all consequences?"
Jack nodded, though he couldn't help feeling nervous. The General was acting very, very strange, and what was going on with Siler and Davis? Jack felt like he was missing out on some important information.
"Right," Hammond said, nodding curtly, taking another look at the paperwork before him. "So, what do you want to do? You could head up the off-world training facility, take charge of the Alpha site, be a liaison to the Asgard…" he gestured to the first three packet on his desk. "Or, you could stay on SG-1 and Sam could transfer. She could focus on her Naquadah research, or join another team, or head up some training herself…" he suggested, then looked up at Jack, whose mouth had dropped open. "Any of those options sound good, Jack? I've got more…" he said, and this time the twinkle was unmistakable.
"General!?!" Jack said, finally able to speak, his eyes wide as he regarded his CO.
A sudden knock at the door interrupted them, and the General smiled slyly and said, "Come on in."
Davis and Siler entered, both trying to avoid eye-contact with Jack.
"I brought Sergeant Siler with me, sir… He has the paperwork required," Davis said, his voice cracking slightly.
"Right. Siler?" the General asked, accepting a packet from the tall, blonde Master Sergeant. "You want to tell your people, and I'll finish up here?"
Siler nodded, and stole a quick glance at Colonel O'Neill. "Yes, sir, General. You might also like to know that Major Carter is back, and that Jacob has asked to meet with you as soon as possible."
Hammond nodded. "Yes, I figured as much. Thank you, gentlemen. Dismissed," he informed them.
Davis and Siler exited quickly, shutting the door behind them before Jack had a chance to stop them.
"Wait just a minute! What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, turning back to the General. "What are those two up to?"
General Hammond grinned and relax in his chair. "How long have you been in love with Sam, Jack?"
"No no no, you are not going to distract me that easily, General. I know you too well. What's going on?" Jack insisted, standing up and folding his arms across his chest.
Hammond chuckled and motioned for Jack to sit back down. "Jack, we're just having a little fun with you, that's all. Now you answer my question, and I'll answer yours. Deal?"
Jack regarded the General warily. "Okay…"
Hammond nodded. "So, how long have you loved her, Jack?"
Jack took a deep breath, then exhaled, aware of the gravity of the question, and the answer. "A long time, sir."
"Since the Zatarc detector?" the General asked, his eyes kind.
Jack thought for a moment. Yep, that was it for him, that crazy Zatarc machine. He had never allowed himself to say it, even think it, before then. That he cared about her – a *lot* more than he was supposed to. After that, he just continued to fall deeper in love with her as each day passed. "I think so," he admitted. "But I knew for sure last year when we crashed that mothership in the ocean, and we were about to drown… I'm sorry I didn't tell you, sir."
Hammond shrugged. "Nothing to forgive, Colonel. You kept to the regs, even though you've been in love with Sam for almost half the time you've worked here. That's pretty impressive, especially for you…"
Jack shot the General a funny look. "Especially for me?"
General Hammond chuckled. "You know how many times you've broken the rules in order to do the right thing, Jack? I knew it was only a matter of time…"
"The right thing?" Jack inquired, beginning to relax slightly.
"Yes, Jack. The right thing," the older man said with a smile.
Jack's lips curled into a satisfied half smile, and he nodded in understanding at the older man. "So…" he began, looking towards the packet Siler had brought in, "What's that about? And what the heck are Siler and Davis up to, anyway?"
"Just some wagers between friends, Colonel," Hammond answered cryptically.
Jack leaned back in the chair. "On Sam and I?" he asked, amused. "No kidding! Like, an office pool?"
Hammond shook his head. "*Pools,* Jack. Lots of them. Davis has been running the odds ever since Sam got infected with that Broca virus and attacked you. He was in the locker room, saw the whole thing…"
"Davis, Davis…" Jack said, chuckling. "It's always the quiet ones… And Siler?"
"Oh, he's the information one. You didn't think he was always lurking in the gateroom and the hallways just for his health, did you?" Jack coughed loudly. "Wait a minute, you mean Siler's been *spying* on us?"
Hammond's eyebrows went up in amusement. "Keeping tabs on you, yes. People were betting on some pretty specific things… Somebody had to know what you two were up to."
Jack shook his head, still having a hard time believing what he was hearing. "Wouldn't it just be easier to get Daniel to…"
A quick knock interrupted Jack's question.
"Come," the General said.
"It's just me, General," Daniel began before getting the door all the way open. Then, he saw Jack. "Oh, Jack… How's the confession going? Did you tell him about how you resigned during that loop thing, and made out with…"
"DANIEL!?" Jack bellowed, standing up and confronting his friend. "You're in on it too?" he said, only a tiny bit quieter.
"Of course, and Teal'c, and Janet, though I'm sure you figured that out. Oh, and General, we should have somebody get a hold of Jonas. I know he had his money on Sam being the one to initiate, and her science lab being the place of action. Hm… I think that means his winnings and loses cancel each other out…" Daniel smirked, and quickly turned away when he saw Jack clenching his fists. "Okay, my work here is done. General, Jacob's on his way!" the archeologist said as he ducked out of Hammond's office and made a run for it.
"I'm gonna wring his scrawny little…" Jack growled.
"Later, son. Right now we have to get down to business. We have to get these papers signed before Sam and Jacob get here, unless you'd rather wait a week before actually, ah, holding hands," he said with another twinkle in his eye. "So, what's it going to be?" he asked, gesturing towards the packets in front of him.
________
Story Notes: Sequel to `His Favorite T-shirt,' `Her Favorite Time of Day, ' and `Her Father, The Gambler.' More to come, if I can find the time!! (Oh, and if you come up with a good name for this series, let me know! )
Category: S/J relationship inferred, Jack/Hammond conversation, short
The first few parts of this were pretty stand-alone, but now it's getting kind of complicated. Treat yourself to a good laugh and read the first three. :) Beta'd by Erica, who has stuck with me through this whole crazy series!! Without her, this spoilers section on this part would be incredibly misleading. As always, she rocks. Thanks, E!
Feedback: Encouragement in the form of enthusiastic feedback e-mails is always celebrated over, and leads to numerous sequels.
Email: em_the_gem@sbcglobal.net, beatrice51398@yahoo.com
Category: S/J relationship inferred, Jack/Hammond conversation, short
The first few parts of this were pretty stand-alone, but now it's getting kind of complicated. Treat yourself to a good laugh and read the first three. :) Beta'd by Erica, who has stuck with me through this whole crazy series!! Without her, this spoilers section on this part would be incredibly misleading. As always, she rocks. Thanks, E!
Feedback: Encouragement in the form of enthusiastic feedback e-mails is always celebrated over, and leads to numerous sequels.
Email: em_the_gem@sbcglobal.net, beatrice51398@yahoo.com
End Notes: I promise, I'll finish soon! Tell me what you think!! beatrice51398@yahoo.com
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 ]