He couldn't seem to escape. Everywhere he went, personnel were packing boxes, shredding papers, covering equipment with dust covers. Quite frankly, Jack O'Neill found the whole thing very depressing. He still couldn't believe Kinsey had been so short sighted...or that everyone was going along with this. What happened to fighting for what you believed in? Maybe that was the problem? Kinsey couldn't see the Stargate as anything other than the proverbial can of worms. He couldn't understand there was more out there than the Goa'uld.
Jack had made no effort to clear up. His desk was as cluttered as it always had been. In some perverse way he thought, if there was just one more report to finish, the program wouldn't be shut down. In his heart, he knew there would be no last minute reprieve....not unless those higher up found a reason to get off their collective butts and do something.
He felt really sorry for Teal'c. The poor guy wasn't even allowed to go home. That was the thanks he got for doing the people of Earth a favour. Jack supposed there were worse planets to be marooned on....assuming someone didn't have the bright idea of carting him off to Area 51 for some dumb ass experiment. Even so, what would happen when his symbiont matured ? Without a replacement Teal'c would die. Kinsey had effectively signed the man's death warrant.
And what about Daniel? There was no way he'd ever find Sha're now. Of course his current obsession was that alternate reality crap.....but it'd hit him sooner or later. Jack made a mental note to keep an eye on his friend. He didn't want a repeat of last time....without anyone to pick up the pieces and stop him doing something stupid.
The memory turned Jack's thoughts to Carter. He'd barely seen her since the announcement had been made. She'd been holed up in her lab. Trying to get some experiments finished. It wouldn't be long before she was shipped off somewhere else, and he'd never see her again.....That bothered him more than it should have. Maybe he'd drop by and see her. Might as well make the most of the time they had left.
Without really realising it, Jack had been stopping off to see Carter more and more frequently.....Since Antarctica he supposed. At the back of his mind was the knowledge that simple physical attraction could easily turn to something deeper...but somehow he'd never correlated that desire with his frequent trips to her lab. Most of the time he didn't stay long, he just poked his head around the door to pass the time of day. Occasionally, he'd sit down next to her and listen as she tried to explain some scientific concept....most of which went completely over his head, but he always found himself getting caught up in her enthusiasm....the way her eyes would shine. They'd talk well into the evening, long after most personnel had left. Very rarely, their conversation turned to more personal topics. Sam talked a little about her mother and brother...but never about her Dad. Jack felt himself opening up....able to mention Charlie and Sara. In a way he was glad Sam had found out from Daniel...it had saved him the pain of telling her.
When he reached the lab., he didn't immediately see Sam. He was about to leave, figuring she had gone home, when he noticed a mop of blonde hair half hidden behind some equipment. Sam was asleep. Jack felt an immediate flash of annoyance. He had always suspected Sam was inclined to overwork. If she hurt herself because she was tired....
"Hey Carter!" he yelled in her ear.
Sam's eyes snapped open and Jack found himself flinging his arms about her in an effort to stop her falling off her stool.
"Easy, Captain," he grinned.
"Sorry, sir," she mumbled. "What time is it?"
"1730 hours."
"I thought I'd slept through the night."
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"Lunch."
"Exactly how long have you been here?"
Sam had the decency to look ashamed of herself as she replied,
"Since 0400.....I have a lot of work to do."
"That may be.....but you can't do anymore now...C'mon."
"What?"
"We'll pick up Teal'c and Daniel and go out....our last gasp as SG1."
"Put like that....how can I refuse."
**************************************************************************** ******
None of them were drunk....not obviously so. They'd reached that slow, drowsy part of the evening and had decided to kick back at Jack's house. Watch some TV., have a few beers.... Sam had found herself seated on the floor in front of Jack's couch, whilst the man in question rubbed her shoulders, easing out the stiffness cause by falling asleep in the lab. He, Teal'c and Daniel were talking quietly, but Sam remained silent. She was enjoying the attention she was receiving...even though Jack seem completely oblivious to the fact he was causing ripples of pleasure to shoot through her spin.
Sam eased forward a little, giving Jack better access to the muscles in her lower back. He immediately realised what she had done and bent down to whisper in her ear,
"You know, if you want and all over massage, it works better if you're naked."
A year ago that type of comment would have incensed Sam and she would have verbally lashed anyone who said it. The past few months had mellowed her considerably and she was content to give Jack a friendly swat on the leg. He naturally pretended it hurt a lot more than it really did...leading to a play fight. If Sam ever had to really fight Jack, she knew she would never win so easily. After he announced his surrender, Sam crawled onto the couch and placed her feet in his lap.....allowing him to continue the massage.
As she felt herself relax even further, Sam's thoughts turn to Jack. Maybe this alternate reality of Daniel's wasn't so far fetched. Being engaged to Jack O'Neill wouldn't be so bad....He was very good with is hands.
Sam felt herself drifting into the pleasant state between sleeping and waking. Jack had stopped rubbing her feet and was stroking the skin on her calves. She didn't think he was aware of the gesture, but she wasn't about to stop him. After all he wasn't going to be her commanding officer for much longer. The same thought must have been going through Jack's mind. Every so often, he'd look at her...an unasked question in his eyes. Sam guessed that every cloud had some kind of silver lining...she just wished the closure of the SGC wasn't involved.
She had occasionally caught herself wondering what it would be like to be with Jack....which was why she had been so nervous when Daniel mooted the possibility. Jack had looked pretty shaken too, it was a topic he had seemed pretty interested in. Of course any change in their relationship would depend on where she ended up, and what Jack decided to do. He hadn't said, but Sam had the feeling he'd retire again. He'd come back to the Airforce because of the Stargate, and without that....despite the fact he pretended otherwise, she knew he was just as excited about 'gate travel as any of them.
During their early missions, she'd spent a lot of time watching him, trying to assess his strengths and weaknesses. She often caught him looking at things with a certain childlike wonder....although the sarcastic mask dropped back into place as soon as he realised he was being watched.
"Dammit Jack will you just listen to me!!" Daniel's raised voice broke into Sam's happy contemplation.
The archaeologist was a cheap drunk at the best of times, so he was the most inebriated of the three...and he was clearly at the confrontational stage.
"Daniel...! Would you just shut up!" Jack snapped back.
"Not when the world's about to be destroyed...no!"
"DanielJackson, you have already stated the differences between this alternate reality and our own," Teal'c said.
"Teal'c right," Sam added, "It could be those very differences which set our realities apart."
"Like the one about you and Jack?" Daniel asked.
Sam immediately snatched her feet away from Jack's hands.
"You can't tell me that Carter and I getting together would affect the outcome of the planet," Jack said.
"It might. What if she distracts you at a crucial moment ? What if you decide to put her life above someone else's and that someone turns out to be crucial to the survival of the human race!"
"Daniel....!"
"I think any disruption far more likely to be caused by the fact you refused Catherine's invitation to join the program," Sam interrupted.
"Or the fact I was still loyal to Apophis," Teal'c said.
"Or how about this," Jack began, "You gave them the co-ordinates for Chulak, right?"
"Yes, and you sent a bomb through," Daniel replied.
"Right. You said it was the fact that I'd destroyed his homeworld that stopped Teal'c defecting again."
"It would have been the first time, O'Neill," Teal'c interrupted.
"Whatever...without that piece of interference we may have had a better chance."
Daniel's face fell. Sam realised he hadn't judged events from that perspective. His next comment was spoken in a more reasonable tone of voice.
"All I'm asking is for you to speak to Hammond one more time. Try and get him to see....Please Jack."
Jack sighed and rubbed his face with his hands,
"Okay Daniel, but this'll be the last time....an' I'm only doing it because you're my friend."
"Thank you."
There seemed to be very little more to say. Daniel and Teal'c made their excuses and left. Sam hung around. She didn't quite know why...just to help Jack clear up...or so she told herself.
*************************************************************************
Jack was glad Sam stayed...although he didn't really know what to say to her. Daniel's ramblings about alternate universes had unsettled him. Was the world going to fall apart just because he asked Carter out? It was a pretty dumb idea...but it seemed a good excuse not to... He was nervous, that's all it was. Just nerves.
They'd tided everything which needed tidying. Jack had even taken out the trash and loaded the dishwasher. It was time for Sam to leave. She appeared as hesitant as he was.
"You want another beer?" he asked.
"Better not," Sam replied.
Jack saw the sense in her words. For the moment, she was still under his command.
"Right," he mumbled.
"I'd better..," she gestured towards the door.
"Yeah...look, Carter....assuming my meeting with Hammond doesn't pan out...would it be okay if I called you sometime? Maybe we could go out or something?"
"A date?"
Damn, she wasn't making this easy for him. Her blue eyes were shining with laughter as she revelled in his discomfort.
"Yes Carter, a date. "
She rummaged in her bag for a pen and paper, scribbling down a number.
"That's my cellphone," she said, "just in case I'm...well....not at home anymore."
"Thanks," he replied. "And I'll call, I promise."
"I hope so."
He tucked the precious paper safely away.
"Well, goodnight...." he began.
"Goodnight," Sam returned.
Why didn't she go already? What was she waiting for? And why was she standing so close to him? Oh....that was why? Reaching up, Sam kissed him on the cheek, sending a warm thrill through his body. Jack couldn't help himself, he bent his head down to meet hers and captured her lips. It was a brief kiss, just enough to seal their hope of a promise. He tasted her briefly and then pulled away.
"See you tomorrow," he said, trying to sound nonchalant....and completely failing. It was hard to keep one's cool whilst grinning like an idiot.
"Tomorrow," Sam replied...with perhaps a hint of promise in her voice.
If the program did get shut down there would be a minor compensation, Jack realised. A date with Sam Carter....then...who knew? The end of the world? God he hoped not. That would be...well annoyingly stupid, came to mind. And if Daniel managed to get the last word, Jack would never forgive himself.
Still smiling, Jack returned to his couch and pulled out another beer. He drank a silent toast to SG1 and the opportunities he had been given....and to whatever powers were listening, for letting a woman like Samantha Carter into his life.
Story Notes: Waiting 2 : SPOILERS: Politics, There but for the Grace of God.
SEQUEL: A sequel to Waiting.....which I will send to anyone who wants it.
NOTES: After writing an interlude for Children of the Gods I thought I'd continue the series a little longer and have a go at politics. Enjoy :):) (hopefully)
SEQUEL: A sequel to Waiting.....which I will send to anyone who wants it.
NOTES: After writing an interlude for Children of the Gods I thought I'd continue the series a little longer and have a go at politics. Enjoy :):) (hopefully)
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 ]