General Jack O'Neill sat in the darkest, deepest corner of the bar and waited. A stale bowl of cheese curls and pretzels sat near his tapping fingers, but he didn't touch them. His second bottle of beer was half empty and lukewarm, losing all appeal.
He took in the patrons of the bar, squinting his eyes to focus on the newest group coming in, and huffed. A glance at his watch told him his 'contact' was thirty minutes late.
**Can't count on anyone to be on time anymore, for cryin' out loud!**
The door opened again, and a single individual came in. He glanced around the bar quickly, made eye contact with Jack, and weaved through the crowd towards him. With a grin that was just a little too wide, emphasized by a chin that was just a little too square, he motioned to the waitress for a beer and slipped into the booth across from Jack.
"What the hell are you smiling about?" Jack asked, taking a long sip of the cold beer the waitress set down for him.
His companion did the same. "Why shouldn't I? This is the best gig I've had in years."
"Yeah, and you like it too much for my taste."
"Do you blame me? It's not every day a guy gets to--"
"It's over."
"What?"
"Are you deaf?"
His companion leaned back, his eyes doing this pathetic **droopy** thing that made him look like a dog who'd just been kicked. "Why? I've taken care of things just the way you've wanted."
"I guess you're just too damn good at your job." Jack didn't even attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice.
The guy gave Jack the willies, and this little job had gone plenty far enough. Time to call it quits, before he lost his sanity all together. **To hell with the consequences. Let 'em find him out. Screw them. It wasn't worth it.**
"Hey, look. The deal was for six months - no less. I've carried the job through this far, I think I deserve--"
"I said it's done," Jack snapped.
"Fine," his companion conseded. "When do you want me to take care of it?"
"Tomorrow. Clean and easy."
"Fine."
Jack reached into the inside of his jacket and took out an envelope, sliding it across the table. The other guy glanced around, picked it up, and thumbed over the edges of the bills inside. He smiled and nodded.
"I'll take care of it, General. This time tomorrow, Pete Shanahan will be out of your life forever."
"Good," Jack said, draining his beer. He dropped a twenty on the table and slid out of the booth. "I don't want to see you again."
"Oh, you won't. I'm outta here."
Jack pulled on his baseball cap, shadowing his features, and left the bar without a glance back. He hunched his shoulders against the night cold and walked to the back parking space where his truck sat idling. He opened the driver's door and slipped inside.
"Is it done?"
Jack nodded. "As of tomorrow."
"Good. It had to be dealt with."
"Yup."
"What if someone finds out?"
Jack looked across the cab to his new companion. "I'm not gonna tell. You're not gonna tell, and that idiot in there isn't gonna tell if he knows what's good for him."
He put the car in gear and pulled out of the lot, driving towards his house in silence. After several minutes, Sam spoke.
"The next time you get some brilliant idea like hiring a guy to act like my boyfriend. . . "
"I know. . . you have permission to kick me in the ass."
Sam laughed, the soft sound mingling with the music playing low on the radio. Jack smiled.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time. . . " he offered humbly.
"I think I'd rather just come clean about us and be done with it."
Jack reached across the bench seat and slipped his arm behind her neck, nudging her shoulder. Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter accepted the silent offer and slid across the seat to nudge against his side. Jack kept his eyes on the road, but pressed a kiss to her hair.
"Yeah, me too."
TE
Story Notes: RmceWrtr@hotmail.com
Genre: humour?
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Spoilers: Anything after Chimera
Timeline: Season 8
Archive: http://outoftheroom.homestead.com , Sam and Jack, SJfic, fanfic.net, Helio. . . if you'd like to post it somewhere else, just let me know. I'm sure I'll say yes, just want to know where.
Feedback: YES!
Genre: humour?
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Spoilers: Anything after Chimera
Timeline: Season 8
Archive: http://outoftheroom.homestead.com , Sam and Jack, SJfic, fanfic.net, Helio. . . if you'd like to post it somewhere else, just let me know. I'm sure I'll say yes, just want to know where.
Feedback: YES!
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 ]