Calling Kinsey had been the dumbest move Pete Shannon had ever made. He knew that know. Hell, he'd known it when he picked up the phone. It had been an act of petty jealousy, nothing more. Certainly the information he had received had been incriminating, but it had been seeing the two of them together which had been the proverbial straw. Pete had realised that he was Sam's second choice. She was with him because she couldn't be with O'Neill and dammit but the knowledge had hurt. Like a small child, he had kicked out using the only resource he had. Kinsey.
Pete had been a cop long enough to know how and why this game was played and he didn't like being part of it. The first phone call, however, had closed his option. What he should have done was confessed as soon as Kinsey started making demands. But Pete wasn't dumb, he knew that any admission on his part would result in losing Sam and he wasn't prepared to do that. Of course the vice-president was holding exactly the same threat over his head. As a result, Pete was becoming very well aquatinted with the terms rock and hard place.
It all came back to Sam.
Samantha Carter was, without a doubt, the best thing that had ever happened to him. What made it even better was that every guy wanted her, something she seemed blissfully unaware of. If they went to a bar for the evening at least half a dozen guys would offer to buy her drinks in the amount of time it took Pete to visit the bathroom. On those occasions she only had eyes for him, which was an ego boost. He liked the way she made him feel, if it wasn't for O'Neill ... Pete had actually been relieved when the man had been declared missing. Not that he wished him any harm per se ... Sam had been devastated. Even now she was prone to start crying for no apparent reason. Pete did his best to comfort her, but he knew she had lost far too many friends in recent months. He was worried about her.
If there had been one advantage to O'Neill's absence it had been the fact Kinsey had eased up. Not that Pete was under the misapprehension that he'd be left alone, but it meant he could breathe a little easier. Especially around Sam. Pete had done his best to walk away from the arrangement. Then when Kinsey had started to get irritated, he started to pass on irrelevant information. Who actually wanted to know where O'Neill bought his beer and what his favourite brand was? Things the VP probably already knew if he had a half decent intelligence service. Pete never passed on anything he would consider life threatening.
The haunted look in Sam's eyes was a constant reminder. Take now for instance. They were curled together in Sam's bed and had been for several hours. Pete didn't have to see her face to know she was wide awake. He'd drifted off to sleep soon after making love, but Sam probably hadn't slept at all. It was as if part of her soul had disappeared with O'Neill, yet she never even mentioned his name. Pete couldn't help be affected by the depth of her grief. Most of the time he ignored it, there was no reason to do otherwise. It wasn't as if she screamed 'Jack' when she came. Alone in the dark was a different matter. And he was alone, despite the warmth of the body next to him.
It was 5 AM when his cell phone beeped. Pete stretched out an arm and glanced at the message.
'Call me,' it said. The number was a familiar one.
"Anything important?" Sam asked.
"No, go back to sleep," he lied.
She ignored his advice and got out of bed,
"I have to be at work early," she said, disappearing into the bathroom.
Pete swore softly to himself. He'd been hoping for a couple more hours but he could hardly complain, not when she saved the world for a living. So he lay there, listening to the sound of the shower. He could have joined her, but right now he just wasn't in the mood. His phoned beeped again.
'Or I could just call Major Carter," the message read.
Thirty seconds later the phone by her bed started ringing. Sam was still in the bathroom so Pete had a good reason to answer it.
"I'm here," was all he had to say.
*************************************************************************************
"Can I go now?"
Doctor Smith held her breath, biting back an angry retort. She had to remind herself that this man was a hero and not the whining child he pretended to be. Her predecessor had left extensive notes regarding Colonel Jack O'Neill, but this was the first time Smith had met him in person. Quite frankly she was surprised he was still alive, never mind fit for active duty.
"Doc?"
If he didn't stop winging, she swore she was going to stick a very large needle in his....
"You can go," she said. "But I want to see you back here tomorrow. I should have the results of your blood work by then."
The infuriating man didn't even stop long enough to express his gratitude. He picked up his shirt and was gone before she could turn around. For a man whose knees were on the point of collapsing, he could certainly move fast. Anyone would think he had someone waiting for him, but Smith had seen his files. She knew he had once had a son but the boy had died. He was divorced and lived alone. The colonel was close to his team mates, so she had heard, but she hardly thought he'd be rushing out to see Dr. Jackson...unless of course that particular set of rumours was true...
In fact Jack's first port of call was Daniel's office, but not for the reason Smith suspected.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
"I assume you're talking about Sam," Daniel replied.
"Of course I'm talking about Carter."
Jack was unsuccessfully trying to hide his impatience. If the truth be known, he was kind of surprised she hadn't been here when he arrived.
"She went home early last night," Daniel said.
"Went home?"
"We weren't exactly expecting you back."
"I knew I should have sent a memo."
He headed towards the door only to have Daniel call after him,
"Have you been cleared to leave the base?"
"What the doc. doesn't know won't hurt her."
"Uh...Jack..."
"Daniel!"
"Sam mentioned she was seeing Pete last night."
That comment made Jack pause. So Sam was still seeing Pete? He wasn't naive enough to expect her to have dumped him.
"You should have told her," Daniel said, quietly.
"I thought I had," Jack admitted. "Why didn't you tell her? You were the only one who could understand me."
"Didn't seem right. Are you still going to see her?"
"I have to."
"You may see something you don't want to."
"Daniel, if they're going at it like rabbits they're not going to answer the door."
"And what will you do? Walk away?"
"I've done it before."
************************************************************************************
Pete persuaded Sam to stay for breakfast, which was quite an achievement considering her apparent eagerness to get back to work. He wondered if it had anything to do with O'Neill, but then remembered that she couldn't possibly know. Not yet. So Pete cooked her breakfast and made her coffee. He'd learnt very early in the relationship to never, ever let Sam near the stove. Oh she could cook when she put her mind to it, but her mind was usually otherwise occupied in the higher realms of particle physics. He couldn't help smiling as he watched her now. The earlier melancholia had vanished as she worked math in the margin of the morning paper.
"I've been thinking," he began.
"What?" Sam looked up.
"I'm here in until the weekend. What do you say to a little shopping expedition?"
"Shopping?"
"Yeah. No shoe stores!"
"Okay, but where else am I going to want to go?"
"I was thinking jewellery."
"Oh?"
"Rings to be precise. Sam will you..."
The doorbell rang.
"It can wait," Pete protested.
But he knew whatever 'it' was couldn't. Sam flashed him an apologetic smile as she left the table. Pete sank back in his chair. So close. So damn close. He heard her open the front door, the soft cry as she recognised the man standing outside. With a certain amount of horrified fascination, he rose to go and see exactly what was happening.
He expected to see his girlfriend in the arms of another man. In which, case he was disappointed. O'Neill and Sam were just staring at each other.
"I thought you were dead," Sam whispered.
"Thor came through," O'Neill replied.
"Thank God."
Pete doubted that either of them even realised he was there. He watched as Sam reached out and touched O'Neill's face. The other man leaned into her touch. It was at that moment Pete moved back out of sight. This was something he couldn't watch.
"I'm...I'm glad you're okay," Sam said.
"I thought you might be. Is Pete here?"
"Yes."
"Then I'd better go."
"You don't have to."
"I think I do."
There was a long, horrible pause, in Pete's mind they had ripped each other's clothes off and started having sex on the floor. It was a relief when O'Neill's voice continued.
"Anyway I have to get home. Throw the dead plants away again, stop life evolving in the refrigerator again. You know the drill."
"Yes, sir."
"Look why don't you both drop by my place later on, I thought about inviting a few people around."
"A shindig?"
"Something like that."
"I'll buy a cake."
"About 1700?"
"We'll be there."
The door opened, closed and Pete heard Sam's footsteps heading back in his direction. She looked like a woman reborn.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Pete asked unnecessarily.
"Yeah...now what were you saying?"
"It doesn't matter."
He wasn't going to repeat the question right now. Maybe another opportunity would present itself...when she wasn't glowing quite so much.
Pete's phone beeped again and he knew he'd have to give Kinsey something. There couldn't be anything wrong with telling the man about a party, could there?
***********************************************************************************
Even though his house was full of laughing, happy people, Jack couldn't help feeling slightly depressed. He didn't know exactly what he had expected when he had gone to see Sam. She'd been happy to see him, that much had been gratifying. Then again, she hadn't dumped Pete on the spot. Jack realised the barriers which had always kept them apart were still there, even so, it would have been nice.
He glanced over to where they stood. Pete had an arm around Sam and Jack couldn't really blame him. If Sam were his, Jack knew he'd seriously consider having them surgically connected in some way. Actually that wasn't true. Interesting though the thought was he wasn't that kind of guy. If he'd wanted to control her life he would have found some way for them together, even if it meant Sam giving up the air force. It was about time he admitted to himself that Carter was in the realms of fantasy and should stay there. Time to move on, he decided, knowing there was a much chance of that as kissing Anubis' ass.
Jack realised people were concerned about him. He wasn't exactly the life and soul of his own party, but he hoped his friends would put it down to his recent experience... and not just moping about a girl. Satisfied the party was going on without him, Jack moved out onto the deck. There had been a time when he'd suspected he would never see this place again. He should go to Minnesota, that's what he should do. Take some leave. Get his head sorted out. Fish.
"Hey."
Turning, he saw that Sam had joined him.
"Hey," he returned, "where's Pete."
"Bathroom."
"So you're allowed out to play."
"It's not like that."
"Right."
"Please Jack."
"Okay, I'm sorry."
"Forgiven."
"Always?"
"Always."
Years later, Jack could never say exactly what happened. One second he was talking to Sam the next she was shoving him to the ground. She must have heard something, seen a slight movement.
There was a sound of thunder.
"Carter?" he demanded, rolling out from under her.
Her eyes were wide as the pain hit.
"Jack?"
Her hand clasped his.
"What...Sam...?"
"Bastard shot me in the butt."
Story Notes: Spoilers: None
Season/Sequel info: Series 7 Chimera, Heroes, Inauguration, The Lost City. Possible Season 8
Authors Notes: Sequel to Weak Link.How I would use Pete in further episodes :):)
Season/Sequel info: Series 7 Chimera, Heroes, Inauguration, The Lost City. Possible Season 8
Authors Notes: Sequel to Weak Link.How I would use Pete in further episodes :):)
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 ]