The Key
"Sir?" It was Carter; he might have guessed.
"Yes Carter?" Jack signalled her into his office.
"Aren't you coming to Wells' birthday party?"
"I'll try to make it later. I'm really bogged down here; I'm trying to decide whether I should agree to order more paperclips." His tone was sarcastic and he saw her grin, which made him happy. There was nothing like a Carter grin to warm a man's heart, his anyway.
"It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it, Sir." She replied and Jack laughed, suddenly noticing she held one arm behind her back.
"What you got there Carter?" He asked, his eyebrows moving heavenwards with enquiry. He manoeuvred his head this way and that, trying to catch a glimpse, and Sam thought that he looked like a curious and excited child. Some people never grow up and she found Jack's penchant for being boyish an adorable trait, most of the time.
"I brought you something General."
"For me?"
There it was again; a cheeky grin inserted itself onto his face adding to the impression of boyishness. She so loved that about her CO. The man was 50+ going on 10, sometimes 17, at a pinch. He had a glorious smile. From behind her back she withdrew a plate and sat upon it was a gigantic piece of cake
"Cake?" He looked at her delightedly.
"I thought I should bring you some before the SGC marines finish every crumb. You know those guys and food."
"Carter, you made my day. I love you!" O'Neill said and she blushed.
"Thank you Sir."
"Join me?"
"I'd love to General."
She sat opposite and he halved the cake. He genuinely was up to his eyes in work and it was way more important than paperclips. This was a welcome break and he was thrilled by Sam's thoughtfulness in bringing him a piece.
"Did you know that cake is the answer to everything? As it melts in your mouth total clarity is yours - it's the key to the mysteries of the universe." He propounded. "Sadly, as soon as you finish it, you seem to forget what they were." He smiled and she returned it, brightening his day still further.
"Oh? And I always thought that the answer to life, the universe and everything was 42." She replied but Jack merely looked puzzled. "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sir?" His puzzlement deepened. He hadn't heard of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? "Douglas Adams, Sir?" She sighed. "Never mind."
"Sounds like sci-fi. You know me and sci-fi."
"Yeah; you only live it, Sir." He laughed.
"Right! So, how's Wells' little party going anyway?" He asked, taking a bite of the cake." His eyes closed as he chewed. "Mmmmm. Perhaps I ought to write that revelation down." He joked and Sam giggled obligingly.
"It's great, Sir. There's jello and everything."
The party had a children's party theme, mainly because Colonel Dixon, Wells' CO, thought it would be hilarious. Wells would have enough children's parties to last him a lifetime once his own child, soon to become plural children, started growing up. Dixon had four kids, so he knew what it was like. The party theme was a tease, although Wells also found it amusing.
"Someone even brought a pin the tail on the donkey." She added.
"Oh? I bet that was Dixon. That I have to see."
"Just as I left to very kindly bring you cake," Jack smiled at her words, "Colonel Dixon was suggesting spin the bottle." She smiled and Jack coughed, choking on the cake.
"Ummm, Carter, does that mean there's fraternisation going on at this little bash? Perhaps I ought to stay away; I might spoil the fun."
"You could join in, Sir." He thought, 'Yeah, Sam, but only if the bottle ends up pairing me with you.'
"Knowing my luck I'd end up paired with Siler." He replied and Sam tittered.
"You'd make a wonderful couple, Sir, but I think Dixon was kidding. Spin the bottle in this place might be a little too male on male, if you know what I mean." Her tone was jocular and she was grinning broadly. Jack chuckled.
"Oh? I'm not so sure about that, Carter, you know those Marines." They both laughed.
Jack was enjoying this little exchange with Sam. He so loved these moments, which seemed rare these days. 'Love Sam, Love Cake, Love Jack and Sam. Jack + Cake = Heaven. Jack + Sam = Heaven. Jack + Sam + Cake = Pure Heaven!' He sighed internally, the thought almost making him laugh aloud, but Sam would only ask what he was laughing at and he could never explain.
He took a forkful of cake and a smile crept onto his face. After another mouthful he put some more on the fork and offered it to Carter. She smiled and took it into her mouth, her tongue flicking to lick the crumbs and frosting from her lips. Jack thought he had never seen anything quite so sexy in his life. They continued to share the cake this way, both considering it an intimate moment. 'This is great,' thought Jack, wishing they had more such moments. This was quality time with Sam, a rare event.
"This is great cake; the best. I must get some of this for my own birthday party." He said, after a while and then took another bite, quickly spitting it out.
"What the heck is that?" He looked in horror. It was a small key and he'd almost broken his tooth on it, could even have swallowed it. "Must be the key to those mysteries of the universe I mentioned." He quipped and Sam smiled, her expression suddenly turning to one of horror as the realisation sunk in.
"Oh my god, I picked up the wrong piece of cake. It's for Wells; the key for the present we got him. He was supposed to get that piece."
"Whoops. What's the present?"
"It's a beautiful old box with carving that Colonel Dixon bought and restored."
"Dixon?"
"He's a big softie at heart you know and apparently loves restoring stuff. He says it keeps him away from the kids when he's in his little workshop." Jack rolled his eyes in response.
"Sweet! Don't let him fool you Carter; he dotes on those kids. Dixon restores stuff in his spare time? I didn't know about that little hobby." He was amazed. "Why the box?"
"Actually, it's some kind of team in joke." She obviously had no idea what.
Jack nodded his head, none the wiser but understanding it as he and SG-1 had a whole shed full of those and they never felt inclined to explain them to others either.
"But also," Sam continued, "inside the box are two tickets for the Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field in a couple of weeks." The Colorado Rockies were the local Major League baseball team, based at Coors Field in Denver. "I think Dixon hopes Wells will invite him. I know the Rockies aren't exactly baseball earth shakers but they're playing The Chicago Cubs."
"Crafty son of a bitch. Now I'm jealous. Perhaps I can persuade Wells to take me along."
"General!"
"I'm just sayin'." He shrugged, facial expression one of total innocence, and Sam grinned. "I won't ask, I swear!"
Jack got a tissue and wiped the key clean and dry, holding it aloft in his hand when he'd finished.
"Plan B." He said, "Follow me Carter." He cocked his finger and beckoned as he left his office."
"What you doing?"
"You'll see. When does he get his present?"
"In about 10 minutes or so."
"Who's making the presentation?"
"Colonel Dixon."
"Right. Of course."
Gaiety and laughter wafted along the corridor as he strode purposefully towards the mess, where he knew the party was being held. As he walked in everyone stopped what they were doing, which had looked liked a lot of fun from where Jack was standing, and there was a deadly hush. The whole room, with the exception of civilians, saluted.
"At ease. For crying out loud, I didn't come here to spoil your fun. Please, get on with it." He gesticulated in a 'get on with it' / O'Neill kind of way, making Sam grin.
Immediately he walked over to Wells.
"Many happy returns Wells. I hope you're enjoying your little party. Nice cake. Carter brought me some. Good of her. I just thought I'd drop by and see how everything's going; make sure the troops are keeping you entertained."
"It's great Sir. Thank you for coming." Wells seemed genuinely pleased that the General had made an appearance. "I hope you'll stay a while Sir."
"I might just do that Wells. So how's young Janet, and your wife; Marci isn't it?"
Wells was delighted that the General remembered the names of his family. Jack liked to follow Hammond's example and remember the names of the families of all his personnel. In Wells' case he was hardly likely to forget the name he had given his daughter. It had pleased them all when Wells had decided to name her after his saviour. It was good to know that Janet Frasier would be remembered in that way - the giver of life.
"Both doing very well Sir, and we're looking forward to our new addition to the family."
Dixon, who stood close by, snorted and rolled his eyes and Wells gave him a look.
"If you had four of 'em you'd be snorting too Wells." Dixon said.
"Ack! Don't be so miserable Dave." Jack said, smiling, "Give the guy a break, it's his birthday for crying out loud. Speaking of which, Wells, have you had any of your wonderful cake yet?"
"Not yet Sir."
"Well you really must give it a try. It's excellent, and you can take that recommendation from someone who knows. I'm considered a bit of an expert, you know. Not many people know that." He smiled in his most charming way. "Let me get you some."
"Erm. thank you sir."
Wells' eyes widened at being paid so much attention by O'Neill. General O'Neill was going to bring him cake? He respected and admired O'Neill and felt highly honoured. Sam smiled inwardly. Jack could be a little tetchy and difficult sometimes but he sure knew a thing or two about building morale and loyalty. She knew that Simon Wells already admired Jack and believed that, after this, Wells would be his forever.
Dixon followed Jack over to the cake, along with Carter, who wondered what Jack was up to.
"There's a special piece for Wells, Sir." Dixon said, scanning the table. "Well, I'll be damned, it seems to have disappeared. That tears it, where's the frickin' key?"
"I know there was a special piece, Dixon, because I ate it. Don't look so worried; the key is here." He held it out so that Dixon could see and then very carefully, pressed it into the cream filling of the cake. "Simple, see?" Carter and Dixon both smiled at him. Wells would never know.
"Good plan Sir." Said Carter.
"Well thank God I didn't have to revert to plan C." Seeing her curious expression he added. "You really, really, really don't wanna know." Sam laughed.
"I'll take your word for it Sir."
"Yep, you do that. I guess now I'm here I should hang around for a little while. Too much work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, as they say."
"I'm sure you're never dull, Sir." Sam retorted; she couldn't imagine this man being dull.
"Well thank you Carter, that's the nicest thing you ever said to me." He smiled, making fun of her. "I can assure you, however, that I can be very dull; boring in the extreme."
"I doubt that." This time she looked him in the eye deliberately. Was she flirting with him? He wasn't sure.
"Am." He responded.
"Not." She replied with a teasing look.
"Am." Said Jack with mock petulance.
"Not." She countered with a giggle and they both burst into laughter.
It was the best day Jack had had for ages, and it was all down to her; she made his life seem bright and interesting when it was generally dark and dreary. She lit him from within.
"What the heck is this?" Wells cried out loudly. "There's a key in this cake, I almost broke my tooth on it." Jack tried to keep a straight face.
"Time for your little speech, Dixon?" Jack asked.
"Yes sir."
Jack stayed for the speech, the presentation, and the words of thanks from Wells, who was suitably thrilled with his presents. Before he left, Jack caught Sam snaffling another piece of cake. She looked delighted as she ate it.
"I think you're right, General," she said as she saw him eye her with merriment, "cake really is the key to the mysteries of the universe; the answer isn't 42 after all."
He still didn't get the 42 thing. Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy had been totally absent from his life but, nevertheless, he was amused.
"Well, I'd best be off, Carter."
He was reluctant to leave her, but knew he had too much work to do. Besides, he could spend way too much time around her, letting her distract him. He missed her, the team, and the action, but particularly her.
"Enjoy spinning the bottle." He added with a grin.
"Won't you join us and take a spin of your own, Sir?"
Again, she looked him squarely in the eye. Definitely flirting. What the heck was it with her today? They looked into each other's eyes for a short while before he pulled his away and responded.
"I think I'll pass. Maybe another time, Carter."
"Yes sir." She smiled. "Enjoy your ruminations about paperclips Sir." She teased.
"And other equally important matters of life and death, Carter." He chuckled and left them to it.
Back in his office he couldn't concentrate, his mind turning towards Carter and his inappropriate feelings for her. He'd imagined he could get over her by finding another women and had chosen Kerry Johnson to fulfil that role, or rather she had chosen him. His own ego was way too fragile to make the first move.
It never worked out because Kerry saw right through him, and confronted him about his feelings for Sam, forcing him to confront them too - as much as Jack O'Neill would normally confront such a thing. He'd been thinking about it ever since.
The real upside of his brief relationship with Kerry was her ability to boost his self-confidence about women, and he needed that badly. Sam had shaken him to the core; he would never be over that, but Kerry helped one whole hell of a lot. She had allowed him to see himself as desirable once more: sexy, engaging and fun. It was a pity the woman he loved wasn't like-minded.
Jack disciplined himself to stop thinking about it, pressing on with his work as if that the sheer weight of paper would force her out of his head. It worked, for a while. But it would never work forever; he was too often alone, too often lost in thought with nothing to distract him.
"We did find one curious anomaly Sir." Carter said a few days later at SG-1's post mission briefing.
The team had gated to a highly technologically advanced planet, sniffing around for anything that might help their ongoing fight with the Goa'uld or other enemies of an alien nature. Technically speaking, M303-21 was not a planet, but a moon, but Jack never worried about such niceties as they mostly didn't matter.
Its technology was in pristine condition, although the planet was deserted. Daniel had been trying to find out why because there was no sign of attack, no rotted corpses, bomb damage or anything that might explain its abandonment.
That became clear when Daniel managed to translate some data from what was the native version of a computer terminal. It appeared that some equivalent of global warming had played havoc with the planet's biosphere. The inhabitants, who he had dubbed the Janovans, as it seemed to be the closest translation, had simply moved elsewhere to escape the wrath of a planet they believed they had wrecked with their technology.
How and why was a puzzle that scientists could spend a good deal of time studying, as with the technology itself. Daniel hoped they might find answers that would help them avoid such a thing on Earth. Jack was a little more pragmatic and hoped they'd find a huge, honkin' super gun that he could use to blast their enemies to kingdom come. He remained quiet about that desire, however, knowing that his friend would frown at such thoughts. Why ask for an argument? It wasn't that Jack was unaware of, or unsympathetic, towards an environmental cause, it was merely that he had other more immediate priorities to occupy his mind.
At Carter's words he raised an eyebrow and looked curious, inviting her to enlighten him. Out of her pocket she withdrew an ornate and elaborate metal key; it looked like something that belonged to an antique of Earth origin.
"I hate to state the obvious Carter, but it's a key."
His expression was typically Jack O'Neill cynical, as if to say 'and just why are you telling me this highly unexciting and irrelevant piece of information?'
"Yes sir, but why would someone on M303-21 have a key like this? It looks like the sort of key we might use, or perhaps might have at one time. The Janovans wouldn't use such things. Why would they? Everything opened up with the use of technology, nothing as ordinary as a key."
"I geddit. So, any suggestions as to why, and why we should actually care Carter?"
She flushed in the face of his sarcasm and he immediately regretted the tone he'd used.
"It just seems a little odd, is all Sir. Perhaps it's important." She said to justify her curiosity. Knowing Carter she'd turn out to be right.
"So what did you have in mind Carter?" He asked.
"I just. I don't know really sir. Perhaps a return trip to see if we can find what it opens."
Jack remained silent for a while so Daniel intervened.
"It doesn't seem to fit with everything we've seen of their culture so far Jack. Maybe it's nothing, but maybe it's..." he seemed to struggle for the right word.
"Something?" Jack inserted helpfully.
"Well sure, that." Daniel looked pained.
"What do you think Teal'c?" Jack asked the silent Jaffa.
"I believe it might be worthy of some exploration, O'Neill."
"Okay, I'll think about it."
"Sir!" "Jack!" came a simultaneous chorus from two of the team. Teal'c again said nothing but Jack noted his expression, which appeared to agree with the assessment of his team mates. In other words 'we think it's worth going back so just get on with agreeing to it."
"For crying out loud, alright already!" Jack exclaimed. "Got any great plan for finding this mysterious item?"
"It's a big place but we have some ideas." Replied Sam.
"Right. Go home, get some rest and come back tomorrow. 08:00 you'll move out. Okay, dismissed."
He got up and returned to his office only to be followed by Carter who knocked, looking enquiringly for his invitation to enter.
"Something you forgot Carter?" He asked, gesturing for her to enter and sit down.
"May I stand sir?" She shifted uncomfortably.
"Sure Colonel. What's up?"
"I just wondered whether you trust my judgement sir." She said after a lengthy pause.
"Pardon?" He was surprised.
"Well I." She tailed off, clearly nervous to be asking.
"Has this got something to do with the key?" He guessed, recalling his scepticism at her suggestion, and she nodded.
"Please sit, Carter... Sam."
He gestured again and this time she obeyed. Last time she had sat there they'd been enjoying cake together, an altogether more amiable occasion.
"Jeeze, you were my second in command for years, Carter, of course I trust your judgement. Surely you know that?"
"You didn't seem to think the key important sir."
"We don't know if it is yet."
"Nevertheless."
"My sarcasm upset you Carter?"
"You asked Teal'c before you decided. You only seemed to take him seriously."
He groaned and sighed loudly, sitting back in his chair and rubbing his hands through his hair in frustration.
"I didn't mean. Carter, you know me almost better than anyone else on this damned planet. Okay, so I was too dumb to see the significance of the key. That isn't totally unusual. I asked Teal'c's opinion because I was interested and I like to hear the opinions of all team members. That isn't unusual either. I trust you, Carter, totally, utterly, 100%."
"Maybe I was a little over sensitive Sir."
"Maybe, but I'm not trying to turn this round to blame you for anything." He could see that might be what she thought; the O'Neill, Carter radar was working, at least from his angle. Hers seemed to be a little off. "What's wrong Sam?" He asked gently. "This isn't like you."
"I've got a lot on my mind Sir."
"Yes? Anything I can do to help?"
Sam shook her head in response. It was then that she struck the near fatal blow and life stopped, right there.
"We've set a date, Sir."
Bombshell - crap! He tried to calm himself, not wishing to show how he truly felt about that news. He figured that, at heart, he'd hoped she would call it all off. He wasn't even half prepared for how her announcement made him feel and fought his emotions, jumping on them from a great height to keep them under control.
"You and Pete? When?" He could have sworn his voice cracked but she didn't seem to notice so maybe he was a better actor than he thought.
"June next year." Months away.
"Long engagement Carter?"
"I just want to be." She tailed off.
"Sure?"
"Yes."
"You always were too cautious Carter. For once in your life you should just go for it. Congratulations; I'll look forward to it."
He tried to smile, convinced it looked like a grimace, and hoping that it didn't. Then he made excuses about a meeting to get rid of her as quickly as possible, not sure how he had made it through the last few minutes. A date; they'd set a date!
What the hell had he been saying to her? His mouth had just opened and words came out. He could think of nothing better to say than encourage her? He must be crazy; he was losing her, forever. Could he allow that? It got him thinking; prompted him to contemplate life without her, something he had tried to avoid ever since he'd found out about Pete.
Sam tried not to reflect on his reaction, or seeming lack of it. She struggled to stop it affecting her, but it still did. He seemed pleased, welcoming her news; it was really over then. She was marrying another man and she shouldn't even be thinking like that, but she did, no matter how hard she tried not to. This was all wrong; the whole thing sucked. It gave her pause for thought and, not for the first time, she wondered if she was making the worst mistake of her life.
Meanwhile, however, her announcement had turned Jack to jelly and he was pondering regrets, regulations, relationships and love. He was shell-shocked but starting to concoct a plan; he had to act. It was a relief to be planning, thinking it through, admitting everything at last and deciding to do something about it. Maybe it was too late, but at least he would have tried. Could he really live with himself if he simply let her go?
His mind kept returning to keys. They seem to have figured a lot lately. It was a running theme. He would use that in his plan.
As well as this mission and the anomalous key there had been the Wells' birthday cake incident. Then, Siler had been on at him about spare access keys and that they should be held more securely. George Hammond had been on the phone talking about the key to the appropriations committee's hearts. Cassie had handed him over a spare key to the Frasier house, asking if he could drop by occasionally while she was away at college.
Not only that but one of his neighbours had asked if he could water their house plants while they were on holiday, giving him a spare key to get in. Teal'c had been talking about the key to winning Jaffa over to the rebel cause. Daniel had waffled on interminably about finding the key to what he believed was an obscure form of the Ancient language. He couldn't get away from keys!
Eureka! He knew what to do at last. Now he had to pluck up courage to actually do it.
At first SG-1's search seemed fruitless. Sam asked for an extension of time for their mission and Jack granted it. He trusted her to know something useful would come of it and, unsure that his previous assurances had been enough, he wanted her to know she had his support.
It was Daniel who spotted the next anomaly, a small part of the city that appeared to be much older than the rest. It was still too advanced for the key, but they explored it thoroughly, finding a hidden passageway that led to the bowels of the earth. Seemingly, this part of the city had been built on top of something way older, and underground. Curioser and curioser.
There were various doorways down there, all of which had locks that used earth like keys but none of which were locked, or held anything useful; until the last one. Daniel wondered aloud why things were always in the last place you looked.
"Inevitably the last place that you look is where you find what you are seeking, Daniel Jackson," Replied Teal'c in one of his literal moments, "otherwise you would have already found it and need not search any further."
"Yeah Teal'c, right." Daniel replied while Sam merely suppressed a laugh.
The room had a heavy wooden door and their key fit perfectly, both the lock and the look of the door itself, which was also ornate and elaborate, bearing the same pattern carved upon its surface as the key they held.
"Moment of truth time." Said Sam, hoping the doorway would lead to something useful so that Jack O'Neill wouldn't continue to think her totally mad - if he already did so, which she actually doubted. She knew deep down that he had faith in her. It was faith in herself that she lacked right now. She figured it was Pete, as opposed to Jack, related; or maybe it was related to both of them.
The room was full of various items, covered with cloths like dustsheets. They wondered what purpose that had served, whether the contents had been forgotten or weren't considered important. Strange that they had found the key above ground when it belonged to a room down here. They might never know the answer to that, but could merely theorise. No doubt they would do so for hours on end and never reach a conclusion.
They each took a part of the room and pulled off dustsheets one by one scanning the contents beneath. The items they found did not appear to fit with the technology above ground, but neither did they seem to fit the room with the key. Daniel concluded it was all alien to the planet itself.
"Maybe this was their equivalent to Area 51," he suggested, "where they stored stuff found in exploration with a view to trying to work it all out."
"It's as good a theory as any Daniel." Sam agreed. "A lot of this could be worth some study. We'll be at it for years. Hey, here's a Goa'uld hand device." She declared, which added weight to the theory. Certainly they had found no evidence that this had been a Goa'uld occupied world.
They looked around some more and Sam felt satisfied that Jack would be pleased, as some of this stuff might be useful. There might even be weapons technology there. She knew how Jack's mind worked and that would please him above everything. The man had the words 'consummate warrior' stamped right through him like a vein of rock.
"Ummm, Sam?" Daniel said quietly. "I think I might have hit a jackpot over here."
She walked over to where he was staring, wide-eyed, at a pile of what might easily be junk for all they knew and then spotted what he was referring to. It was a ZPM.
"Oh my!" She exclaimed. "I wonder if it works. We'll take that and a few other interesting looking bits back with us and leave the rest for someone else to sort out."
SG teams had been looking for, but failed to find, another fully functioning Zero Point Module. Even if they found no other weapons here, this was worth all their efforts. They'd found something with which they might power the Ancient's Antarctica based weapon again, or maybe contact the guys in Atlantis. The General was going to be thrilled, as would Hammond and the President. Pay dirt!
"Huh! And Jack thought we were wasting our time." Daniel gloated.
"No he didn't." Sam said in Jack's defence. "He does trust us to know what we're doing Daniel."
"You could have fooled me. What would he have said if we'd gone back with nothing?"
"Not 'I told you so' Daniel."
"Yes he would. You know what he's like. What the heck are you defending him for? He never really wanted us to come on this mission in the first place. He only did it to humour us."
"Knowing very well that humouring us might actually bear fruit and you know it."
"Okay, okay, sorry I spoke!" Daniel was surprised at Sam's defensiveness of Jack but decided not to question it, for now. She'd been acting kind of strange lately and he would be sure to get to the bottom of it someday.
Sam was right that Jack was thrilled and she delighted in his reaction, and praise of their efforts, almost visibly glowing as they left the gate room for their post mission check-up. The scientists thoroughly checked out the ZPM, which was fully charged and did not appear to have been tampered with. Jack was relieved.
"At least we won't blow ourselves up with this one!" He commented with a wry smile, alluding to the Camulus incident. "Well, only if you put me in the driving seat again." He joked and was pleased to see he provoked a smile from Sam. That always gave him a thrill of pleasure.
The Sam Action Plan - or Operation SAP, which was appropriate as Jack felt like one - percolated through his mind. He was getting increasingly nervous about the idea, knowing he stood to lose everything if he failed, but also if he didn't go through with it - caught between the devil and the deep blue sea: same old, same old. Everything was in place. All he needed to do now was wait for the right time - and to get his guts back inside his jittery stomach.
***************
A few days later, having ascertained that Sam would be tied up for a couple of hours, Jack nervously picked the lock on her locker, inserting an envelope into her jacket pocket alongside her car keys, and carefully locking it again. With that, he beat a hasty retreat and went home, knowing he wouldn't be back at the SGC for a couple of days, unless there was an emergency.
If this didn't work he might never feel able to show his face at the Mountain again. It was one heck of a risk but he had to take it otherwise she'd be gone. He'd thought about it long and hard and knew that, although he had done nothing up to this point to try prizing her away from Pete, it was now or never. He wasn't confident that he'd succeed but had to try anyway. There was a whole hell of a lot to lose but even more to gain.
A number of times he nearly got into his truck to drive back to Cheyenne Mountain and remove the envelope. Having plucked up the initial courage, his nerve was failing him. This could end up becoming the ultimate in embarrassment and humiliation and he wasn't sure either his ego or his heart could take that. Cursing his cowardice, he considered that facing down the most evil of the Goa'uld, or even the President of the United States, was easy, but Sam? That was a whole other ball game.
Coming up to the appointed time, Jack left the house and drove to his destination, which was the empty Frasier house; neutral territory. He believed that was for the best. It allowed either of them to walk away at any time and go back to the security of their own houses. In his case a very empty house which grew emptier with the passing years, and even more desolate since Sam had found Pete and got engaged.
He didn't think that Janet would have minded and knew Cassie would probably encourage him because, in the past, she had tried so hard to play matchmaker between her two friends. She hated the fact of Pete and firmly believed that her Jack and her Sam were meant to be together. He heartily concurred, but it wasn't that simple. If only it was.
His whole plan hinged on Sam finding the envelope when she left the mountain. The problem was that it wasn't her car keys that he placed the envelope beside, but her house keys. Sam left the mountain later than planned. She called Pete to say she'd meet him at the restaurant, as she didn't have time to go home first. Thus, she didn't find the envelope; at least initially.
Jack waited, and waited, and then waited some more, giving her ample time to meet at his designated rendezvous. Eventually he called the SGC to make sure she'd left and discovered she'd been gone for quite a while. Was he a fool? Had he made a mistake? His mind raced through all the possibilities. What if she'd got plans? She surely had got the message when she got her keys out to drive home, or wherever she'd been going? If she couldn't come she could have called. Her silence spoke too eloquently. He waited a while longer, despondent and beginning to believe she would never turn up.
He pictured meeting up with her on Monday her eyes full of pity, derision, perhaps anger that he'd declared those feelings for her when she loved another. Oh man, he must have been crazy to think she might still have feelings for him. Sam surely would never have agreed to marry Pete if she had doubts? He'd taken a risk, stuck his neck on the block, and now his head was going to be chopped off. What had he thought he was doing?
On the other hand, if he hadn't tried he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. To see her walk down the aisle with that other man, never having told her what lay in his heart - was that fate worse than what might happen to him now? Any future without her in it was his worst fate. He should never have let it go this far and made his feelings clear when she showed him the ring. She'd almost been asking him to, he knew that, but he'd failed; failed her, failed himself, failed what might have been the best possible future.
Jack sunk into depression and got up to see if he could find any alcohol to help numb his pain. He desperately needed to be numb; the ache was overwhelming, all encompassing. He'd believed it was bad before, but this beat everything he'd felt over the last few months. It was intense, knotting his stomach, seizing his heart, causing breathlessness, making him want to puke right there on the Frasier carpet. It was 11.00 pm; she wasn't coming now
He found a bottle of Jack Daniels and a glass, pouring a large shot and knocking it back in one gulp, and then pouring another. Taking the bottle and glass back to the couch he sat with his legs curled up close to his chest. Hot tears assailed his cheeks and he couldn't recall the last time he had let that happen. He allowed them free reign for once, not trying to control or stop them.
Perhaps if he made himself very, very small he could just disappear altogether and never have to face anything again. He pulled his legs still closer to his body and his head sunk to his knees. Despair gained supremacy over reason. He was finished; this was the end of him.
Meanwhile, Sam and Pete had been enjoying a meal and discussing their wedding plans. It was the last thing Sam wanted to discuss right now but she faked it, for Pete's sake. She was distracted but his enthusiasm blinded him to it.
When they got back to Sam's, Pete opened the door with his key and she removed her jacket, throwing it on a chair. She was tired; Pete suggested they go straight to bed and she was asleep within two minutes of her head hitting the pillow.
When Pete got up in the middle of the night, fetching some water to slake his sudden thirst, he noticed an envelope on the floor by Sam's jacket. Curious, he picked it up. On the front it read 'Sam' in a hand he didn't know. He could feel something inside; it felt like a key. A key? How odd. He took it back to the bedroom thinking to put it on the nightstand next to Sam's bed, but when he got there she was awake.
"Sorry Sam, did I wake you? Honey, go back to sleep." He bent to kiss her hair and put down the envelope.
"What's that?" she asked, sleepily.
"I found it on the floor next to your jacket. It must have fallen out of the pocket when you threw it down."
"Let me see." She said, more awake now, and he handed it to her. Sam knew she hadn't put it on her jacket, so who had, when and why?
"I think it might have a key in it."
"A key?"
Her curiosity was peaked, becoming even more so when she recognised the writing. 'Jack?' She played with the envelope a while, wondering what was inside. The scrawl read 'Sam', not 'Carter' or anything more formal. Was it personal, from Jack? Perhaps she shouldn't open it in front of Pete.
"I could do with some water too." She declared, refusing Pete's offer to fetch it. Using that excuse she went down to the kitchen, taking the envelope with her. As she got out of bed she kissed Pete briefly on the lips.
"I'll be right back." She promised.
Sitting at the kitchen table she eagerly opened the envelope. Pete was right, there was a key inside, and a note in Jack's hand.
"Sam
I guess this is what you might call an eleventh hour, last ditch, probably dumb one and only, both first and final, attempt to say some stuff that I really need to say to you; that I probably should have said long ago, but didn't have the courage. Words and me don't really go together; I was never very good at expressing my feelings and you know that better than almost anyone.
Please, DON'T marry Pete. Don't break my heart. Don't leave me. I guess that sounds kind of pitiable. This is so hard, but how can I look you in the eye and say it? I couldn't bear to see pity in your eyes, Sam: almost anything but that.
I know I've stood by and said nothing. I always wanted you to be happy, make the choices that are right for you. Maybe he is right for you. If you no longer have any feelings for me, then I'll understand that, accept it, and hope we can still be friends, however difficult that might be. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I can't just let you go, not without putting up some kind of fight, no matter how pathetic that fight might be. Maybe I have no chance, but I'll never know unless I make the effort.
It's strange that it was Kerry who made me see that. She told me I wasn't over you and she was right. She told me I should do something about you, about us, and she was right about that too.
One thing I know for sure is that I'm unhappy with the way things are and I can't keep that suppressed any longer. I've tried so hard to bury my feelings, and that's been tough, but they keep rising to the surface, haunting my thoughts and taunting me with my failure. I should have acted, spoken - anything! Instead I did nothing, stayed mute and shrivelled up inside.
So I want to speak now, before it's too late. Maybe it is too late already but I won't know that unless I try. If you meet me we can talk about it. That sure is something - Jack O'Neill wanting to talk. It's some kind of record and only you could provoke me to do it Sam.
I love you. That sounds so simple but I know it isn't. I even had to take a deep breath before writing those all important three little words. I wish it was as easy to tell you to your face as it appears to be to write it here, but when it comes to admitting my feelings to you I'm a downright coward. If you turn up tonight I'll say it as many times as you want, I'll bore you to tears repeating it, because I will know you feel something too.
The enclosed key is for the Frasier house. I guess you could also say that it is the key to my heart. All you have to do is use it. I've been waiting for that like - forever? That's sentimental and soppy, I guess, neither of which you'd associate with me. If I'm lucky it might sound romantic instead. With you I want to be romantic, which both is and isn't like me. I just have all these thoughts and feelings welling up inside of me fighting to get out - wanting to express themselves to you somehow. I wish I knew how; that this key would unlock that secret.
Bottom line is, I'll be at Janet's between 19:00 and 22:00 tonight (Friday). Cassie's away and gave me a spare key just in case. You probably already have one, but you know me; be prepared and all that Boy Scout stuff. I figure that, if we're going to talk about this, about us, then neutral territory might be a good place to start, if you come. That would be a good start too, I guess but, if you don't, then at least I'll know. If that's what happens, then facing you on Monday will be tough, but I guess I'll survive. I always seem to do that, although I'd rather face a truckload of Jaffa. Hear that hollow laughter Sam? That's me.
This is probably a foolhardy thing for me to do. I'm still your CO so what I'm suggesting is wrong, but I have to suggest it anyway. If you want to be with me we can find a way around the CO thing. I'd rather retire than live without you in my life. The latter is something that is just too hard to contemplate.
I know I haven't got a lot to offer you, Sam, and that by offering what little I have I'm taking a huge risk. So do you if you even consider accepting. I hope you are willing to take that risk as I am. I hope you turn up. I hope for a lot of things.
Maybe I'll see you later. If I do I'll think myself the luckiest guy on this planet we protect everyday and all of that will seem so much more worthwhile.
Always yours, no matter what.
Jack"
Sam couldn't believe her eyes and had to read it twice. Tears streamed down her face as she read and she was totally thrown by it. 'Oh my God!' she thought looking at her watch, knowing she was too late. Her tears fell onto his note, smudging his words, and she moved it away from her so she didn't ruin it, holding her head in her hands and wondering what to do.
Jack had to say this now? If only. There were a number of those: if only he had said something before; if only Pete wasn't here; if only she didn't have to break a man's heart by her actions right now. How could she go to Jack? She was engaged and getting married to Pete. Whatever she did she would be in the wrong, but what was right for her? Screw them, what about her? When she asked herself that question she knew the answer right away, no hesitation.
"Honey, are you okay?" Pete asked with concern, entering the kitchen. He saw her tear streaked face and rushed to her side. "What's wrong Sam?"
"Pete, I'm so sorry." She managed to say through the tears.
"Sorry? For what?"
"For what I'm about to do." She looked at him, shrugging off his touch, pulling herself together and standing up to face him properly. "I can't marry you Pete." She took off her engagement ring, placed it on the table and picked up the letter and key.
"What?"
"I just. can't. I don't want to hurt you or break your heart but I have no choice."
Pete was stunned, trying to grasp what was happening.
"What happened to bring this on Sam? We'll deal with it, whatever it is."
"We can't deal with this together Pete. I can only deal with it without you, without our engagement hanging over my head."
"Hanging over your head?" He was dismayed.
"That came out all wrong. I'm sorry. There is no easy way for me to break this engagement Pete, or to say that I can't see you again."
Tears were forming in her eyes again. Sam cared about him. She didn't stop caring just because she no longer wanted to be with him, and hated the pain she caused, but what option did she have? It was Jack she really loved and wanted to be with, and she had wanted it, as he said, 'like - forever'. She needed to see Jack, explain, and let him know that she would have been there tonight; she would always be there. The devastated expression on Pete's face, however, pierced her heart.
"Why? Don't I deserve some kind of explanation? We had a great time tonight, you seemed happy, and now this? What's changed? It was that envelope, wasn't it?" He said, trying to keep himself under control, knowing deep down that it really was over but desperately wanting to disbelieve it. He could tell just by looking at Sam, even if her words were hard to take in, and felt sick in the pit of his stomach because he had lost the woman he loved.
"Yes you do deserve an explanation, but anything I say is only going to hurt you worse Pete. I really don't want to do that."
"I want to know. I need to know."
His voice was taking on an angry tone and she couldn't blame him for that. She deserved his ire, and he deserved an explanation. She'd been in denial for so long and couldn't do it anymore; live those lies, or that life. Jack was her life: her work, Jack and her friends. Pete didn't factor into that and she should have realised sooner. She wondered how she could have screwed up so badly.
Sam took a deep breath, dreading speaking the words but hoping they would help him get over her more easily.
"You taught me how to love, Pete, and I'll always be grateful to you for that. You'll always hold a special place in my heart. But I'm not in love with you; I'm in love with someone else. I've tried to fight it, to pretend it doesn't exist, but it does. I didn't choose to feel like this but I do and I'm so sorry. I never meant to deceive you. I was happy with you, really I was. I thought I loved you, and I did in my own way, still do, but not in the way that I should."
"Jack O'Neill." He said sounding defeated.
"You know?" She was surprised.
"Yes. no. not really. I kinda guessed, but I tried to pretend, just like you. I hoped you could love me instead." She saw tears welling up in his eyes and reached to brush his cheek. "No, don't Sam, please!" She withdrew her hand hastily.
"I know there's nothing I can say. Sorry is inadequate."
His tears were starting to fall and it broke her heart to see him cry. She couldn't help but start to sob again; she'd caused too much heartache, to both Pete and Jack. Without any thought, Pete took her into his arms and they held each other and cried for a good few minutes. Eventually he pulled away and reluctantly she let him go.
"I'll get all my stuff together and leave." He said and Sam nodded mutely, not sure of what else she could say.
Pete had almost made this too easy for her. She had anticipated more anger, but he loved her and knew he had to let her go. He wanted her to be happy, even at his own expense. Jack had done the same thing, what he thought was best for her, although in his case he'd been wrong. Sam wondered what she'd done to deserve the love of two such men.
"You don't need to hurry Pete. I'm going out."
"To him?" He asked, dejectedly, and she said nothing although the answer was obvious.
"I need to get dressed." She replied eventually and left him broken hearted and alone. As she put on her clothes she could hear his sobbing as a faint background noise.
Before Sam left the house she went into the kitchen again to say her final goodbyes. He was staring vacantly at nothing.
"I have to go now Pete." She said, sadly. "You'll get over this and find the right woman eventually. I'm so sorry I'm not destined to be the one. I hope you have a happy life." It sounded so trite and she cringed as she realised.
"You too Sam." He didn't look up.
She thought it was very generous of him to say that in this moment and it broke her heart still further. Despite that, she knew she had to go to Jack. That was the right thing to do; what she really wanted. He would be devastated that she hadn't accepted his invitation. He'd laid his heart on the line, something she had never believed he would do, and she'd seemingly trampled all over it. She had to make amends.
Sam figured that Jack would be home by now and she would wake up the neighbourhood begging him to let her in, if necessary. Driving as fast as she could, while staying safe, she reached his place quickly. It was in darkness and his truck wasn't there. Surely he couldn't still be at Janet's? She fervently hoped he was alright and hadn't done anything stupid.
Jack seemed like a tough guy, and he was, but she knew he felt things more deeply that he admitted, or pretended. Jack O'Neill wore an elaborate mask and was vulnerable if he took it off. He didn't like vulnerable. The note he'd written was Jack with his mask removed, defences down, and that was breathtaking and unexpected. She wanted that man so very much.
When she reached the Frasier house the lights were still ablaze and Jack's truck was parked outside.
Using the key, she let herself in and headed for the living room. She was surprised he was still there and had waited so long. As soon as she walked into the room she realised why. He was sitting asleep on the couch, possibly passed out; an empty Jack Daniels bottle sat on the table, although the glass sitting beside it was still full. Sam sat beside him on the couch and gently touched his arm.
"General?" She said softly, maybe too softly, as he didn't stir. Shaking him a little, she said it again, more loudly this time, and he sat bolt upright, immediately awake.
"Carter?" he said groggily, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. Was he dreaming?
"I know I'm late, Sir, I just hope I'm not too late."
'General'? 'Sir?' 'Carter?' It was hard to kick that habit for both of them. Jack looked into her eyes, still unable to believe his own. He'd drunk a fair amount and was lucky he wasn't badly hung over, or even still drunk. Jack O'Neill was good at shaking that kind of thing off quite quickly. He had never intended to stay there the night but had drunk himself into the sort of stupor that made it inevitable that he crash out. His heart raced as he tried to comprehend that she was really there and the implications of that.
"You came." He gently touched her face with his hand, sending a shiver down her spine. "I thought."
"I didn't get the message Jack, that's all. But I've got it now."
"God, Sam!" He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and kissing her neck and hair. "Now you're here I don't know what to say."
"I think your note said it, Jack," she was surprised at how easily his name tripped off her tongue, "and very eloquently."
"I love you Sam. I love you a whole hell of a lot." He managed to say and she started to sob quietly, making him pull back a little so they could look each other in the eye.
"I'm sorry about the tears. I've had an emotional night." She said
In response, Jack kissed her cheeks where the tears fell and his hand held her head, his thumb softly stroking her hair. It would have been easy to shed a tear himself but he kept it in check. He felt pretty emotional. Against all his expectations she had come. It meant everything in the world to him.
"What happened?" His voice was thick with emotion.
"Pete. your note. Pete."
"Tell me?"
"I broke our engagement." Jack's heart leapt for joy at that revelation. "He was pretty upset and who can blame him? I had to finish with him before I faced you Jack. It was the right thing to do."
"Oh."
This monosyllabic response belied the wealth of feeling coursing through him at her words. Sam could have been disappointed with his seeming lack of reaction but wasn't. She knew that Jack still hid much and he'd already given her what she really wanted: him, and his love - the key to his heart.
"I didn't want to hurt him but I had to."
"I guess one of us had to end up broken hearted, huh?" Jack was happy that it wasn't him.
"I guess."
"I always hoped that it was me you really wanted Sam."
"Forever Jack." She replied and saw Jack's eyes widen as he registered her meaning.
This time she pulled him towards her, taking him in her arms and they clung to each other almost desperately. Holding each other like that felt so good to both of them. It wasn't the first time, but felt like it. The whole relationship had changed in an instant and the nature and feel of the hug changed right along with it.
Jack accepted her with almost no questions asked. He didn't want to rake over the dying embers of her relationship with Pete. If she wanted to discuss it, fine, but he was happy to forget the past and just get on with the future. She was here now and that was what really mattered: love, acceptance and no recriminations.
"I suppose we need to talk." Jack said at last, recalling that this had been his original intent for their meeting.
"Do we?"
"I don't know. Do we? I don't know what happens next."
She'd stumped him and Jack realised how much he'd steeled himself to the idea that she wouldn't show, that she truly loved Pete and not him.
"You could start by kissing me and take it from there."
"Hey, that I can do."
Jack smiled one of his devastating, heart stopping smiles and put his lips to hers. She had longed for this; they both had. Sam responded immediately, forcing him to deepen the kiss and explore her mouth with his tongue while she did likewise. The kiss alone aroused a passion in them that had been smouldering untended for too long.
"Oh my God!" Sam exclaimed breathily as they finally pulled apart again. "That was so. so."
"Amazing? Incredible? Indescribable?" Jack responded with a broad smile, his eyes dancing with joy. He knew it had moved him, in more ways than one!
"All of those things Jack, and much, much more. Everything I'd dreamed."
"You dreamed about that?"
"Fantasised."
"Me too."
This time it was her smile that shot right though him, deepening his desire.
"Can we go to bed?" She asked wanting to consummate this relationship and ensure it was real.
"We don't have to rush into anything Sam. I only meant for us to talk."
"Rush? You're kidding, right? The time for talking is over Jack. We need to act, and right now."
He could see from her eyes that she was eager. They were heavy with yearning and she looked alluring and irresistible: sultry, hot. whatever. His vocabulary couldn't stretch to what he felt at that moment; it was beyond words - he was ecstatic. Sam picked up the key and pointed it at his heart, turning it as if opening a door.
"So, the key to your heart Jack?" she grinned.
"You don't need that Sam. You already have my heart. You always did." He took the key from her hand and placed it back on the table, standing and taking her hand, helping her up from the couch.
"Your note. I can't even begin to tell you how it made me feel. What you said." She shrugged helplessly, genuinely unable to express it. "It was pretty wonderful."
"I'm glad you think so." Jack kissed her again, her sheer magnetism more irresistible by the second. "What were you saying about bed?" he grinned.
"Can we go back to your place?"
"Not here?" He asked.
"That just seems. wrong. Do you mind?" She replied and he shook his head in response, taking her in his arms again. "Come on then, let's go. I'll drive." He nodded a response and they quickly turned off all the lights and locked up.
Once inside his front door he took her into his arms and kissed her passionately, starting to seduce her. She gently pushed him away, looking a little shame faced, and he raised his eyebrows with curiosity and confusion. Sam could also detect a little pain mixed in with those feelings and she took his hand, caressing his knuckles reassuringly.
"Please don't misunderstand, Jack, it's just that, well, I think I need to take a shower first. I hope that's okay."
"You smell pretty good to me." He teased, but became serious when he saw her nervous and pained expression. "What's wrong Sam?"
She didn't quite know how to put it and was worried how Jack might react to her words. He had been deeply hurt, that much was clear, and she didn't want to add to that pain. Despite that, she had to say something because she was uneasy.
"I - I was. I was sleeping in the same bed with Pete tonight," she explained, blushing and hoping it didn't spoil their moment, "I think I need to, ummm, wash him off. Does that sound dumb? It - it just seems wrong somehow to - to. for us to. you know." She was finding it hard to explain her intention, "and I really don't want that Jack. Something so right shouldn't seem wrong."
Sam watched Jack's reaction carefully and he was unreadable, although his hand tightened around hers. She wasn't sure what that meant but figured it was negative.
"Did you have sex?"
Jack was unable to stop himself asking that question and his voice quivered slightly. His head told him that it was obvious she must have been sleeping with Pete before she came to him at Janet's, but his heart quailed at the notion of making love to her if Pete had already done so earlier; sleeping was one thing, sex was another. Thus, he was relieved when she shook her head and his tight grip on her hand loosened. Sam kissed his hand and gently smoothed his hair.
"Can you ever really forgive me?" She asked searching his eyes, worried at what she might see there, but he looked genuinely perplexed.
"Forgive you? For what?"
"For Pete; for everything."
"There's nothing to forgive Sam, but if you think forgiveness will help then I forgive you."
"Aren't you jealous, angry or anything like that?"
"Angry, no. There's nothing to be angry with you about. I've been angry with me because I sat on my ass, did nothing, and lacked the courage to act. Jealous? Sure I've been jealous. Look, Sam, I was hurt. I wanted it to be me and I hated the idea of him touching you, spending all that time with you and that you wanted him but not me."
Sam opened her mouth to speak, to tell him that wasn't true, but he stopped her by putting two fingers to her mouth in a gesture that told her to stay silent.
"I thought I was going to lose you forever, but you're here and he's gone. I've got what I want - you. That's the important part. I have got you, haven't I?" He asked, although one look into her eyes told him that he did. She nodded and kissed him affectionately.
"Always." She whispered, adding, "You're a great man Jack O'Neill."
"Sweet!" He grinned, "So can I come help wash him off?" He added, hopefully.
She nodded again, this time smiling shyly and blushing for entirely different reasons to her earlier embarrassment.
"I think I'd like that a lot." She said. "I can't wait to get my hands on your naked body Jack." Her tone was seductive and gave him goose bumps; from bashful to temptress in the space of two seconds. Wow! This could be hot!
"I hope I'm up to it." He said sheepishly, "I did drink a little too much." Although he'd never had that much of a problem with sex and alcohol, he was also nervous and scared of failure.
"You'll be fine, Jack, we both will. And if not then there always tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that." She smiled and kissed his cheek, urging him to move again.
Inside they were both feeling nervous and fearful but walked hand in hand to the bathroom and shyly stripped each other of their clothing. It didn't take long for them both to get extremely excited, forgetting their fears and looking forward to making love and being together at last.
Jack was suddenly stone cold sober and ready for anything. He carefully washed Sam, every inch, including her hair, and she returned the favour. By the time they'd finished they were hardly able to control themselves. No additional foreplay was going to be needed for their first time together; the shower had already worked the miracle.
"Fresh start." He whispered and he gently eased her onto the bed and lay beside her.
"Fresh start." She agreed with a smile, capturing his lips with hers.
Nothing had prepared either of them for how they would feel as they made love. Both had briefly considered that it could be a total disaster; that their overwhelming lust, the sexual tension that had built up over the years, would only serve to ruin it. That didn't happen. Instead all of their feelings, the pent up emotions, enhanced it and turned it into something very special for both for them.
Afterwards they held each other, not wanting this moment, or the extraordinary feelings it provoked in them, to stop.
"I love you Jack O'Neill." She whispered, kissing him softly.
He thought, 'Oh yeah; you got the keys to my heart alright, Sam, and it seems I've got the keys to yours as well.'
"You have no idea how happy that makes me feel Sam." He said aloud.
"I could take a wild guess."
"Oh yeah?"
"About as happy as it makes me feel to hear you speak those same words, Jack."
He smiled and leaned to her ear, whispering 'I love you' repeatedly at least half a dozen times.
"Bored yet?" he asked, referring to the comment in his note.
"Never. Say it again, and again, and again."
So he did. His breath in her ear made her tingle and the words he repeated over and over thrilled her. She pondered that one life had ended but another, much more interesting one, was only just beginning. The prospect was exhilarating.
"You can stop now Jack." She said eventually.
"Good, I'm losing my voice." He teased. "I knew you'd get bored with it eventually."
"Not bored Jack, just." She kissed him, ". horny again."
"Really? In that case we'll have to see what we can do about that."
The End
Story Notes: Author's Note: This fic was inspired by a couple of things: Thanks to Inky (Lightfoot) for the S&J art that illustrates this fic, called The Key, and which was the major inspiration for it - it's a wonderful artwork from her as always. The fic with her art can be seen on my site at: http://www.ficwithfins.com/AA3_1/archive/0/thekey.html
The original can be found in her gallery on the site. Also thanks to grooni for suggesting I should build a longer fic from my drabble 'Let them Eat Cake', which I have used as the basis of the beginning of this fic. And I owe eternal thanks to Bonnie for her beta of this fic and her ever helpful suggestions. Love you babe!
This was written in the light of some Threads spoiler rumours but way before the episode aired, so veers away from canon.
Finally, I have to mention that Sally M (Matt) also posted a fic recently called The Key, and very good it is too btw. Any small similarities to that fic are purely coincidental.
The original can be found in her gallery on the site. Also thanks to grooni for suggesting I should build a longer fic from my drabble 'Let them Eat Cake', which I have used as the basis of the beginning of this fic. And I owe eternal thanks to Bonnie for her beta of this fic and her ever helpful suggestions. Love you babe!
This was written in the light of some Threads spoiler rumours but way before the episode aired, so veers away from canon.
Finally, I have to mention that Sally M (Matt) also posted a fic recently called The Key, and very good it is too btw. Any small similarities to that fic are purely coincidental.
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 ]