"Carter...I was wonderin' if you wanted to grab some dinner?"
Under any other circumstances Sam would have readily accepted the invitation. The chance to spend some downtime with Colonel O'Neill wasn't one she had very frequently. He tended to be a solitary man off-duty and rarely joined his work colleagues away from the base, but now just wasn't the right time to take up his invitation.
"Not tonight, I'm sorry sir," she apologised.
"Oh, okay....okay," O'Neill replied.
He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. Sam found herself wondering if he was actually going to leave, or if he was going to stand outside her hotel room door all night. They were due to fly back to Cheyenne mountain the following morning, which left them an evening in Washington to kill.
"So you meeting up with some old pentagon buddies or something?" he continued.
"No, I.....," Sam hesitated.
"Captain?"
"Sir?"
She met his gaze squarely, hoping that he didn't notice her red eyes and her generally dishevelled condition. However, O'Neill was a more observant man than she gave him credit for.
"Are you OK?" he asked.
"No," Sam heard herself admit.
"Can you tell me what it is?"
His words were full of gentle concern. Sam hesitated. She didn't really want to burden him with her personal problems, on the other hand he so obviously wanted to help.
"Dad told me he has cancer," she said, quietly.
"Wanna get room service?"
"Yes."
She stepped back, allowing him into the room. This had been one hell of a bad day for both of them. What had started out as a simple medal ceremony, had ended in a particularly sinister fashion. One man had died and another, her father, was dying. Sam hadn't known what to do when he told her. She remembered her mother's death all too clearly, but this was different somehow. Jacob Carter wouldn't die quickly. He would be taken from her, piece by tiny piece and it was going to take all Sam's strength just to stand by and watch. That was why she had to cry now, while no one was watching. She knew, in the coming months, her tears would have to be held back. The military...her father would demand that of her.
There was an uncomfortable silence as she shut the door behind O'Neill. Sam found herself standing in the middle of the floor staring at her feet. She only looked up when she felt Jack's fingers tilt her face so her eyes met his.
"Sam?" he prompted.
"I'll be OK. I just.....I just wish I could have told him what we were doing. He was on and on about me going to NASA. When I was a kid it was all I ever wanted to do.....If he dies....I'm scared he's going to think that I'm a failure."
"No one could ever say that about you, Sam, even without the Stargate project."
"So I keep telling myself."
"Sam, your Dad is proud of you, don't ever think otherwise. Trust me on this, I know the signs."
Sam noticed the slight catch in his voice. It was present every time he referred to his experiences as a parent. She found herself reaching out to him, his arms went about her and she buried herself in his embrace.
***************************************************************************
There was a certain satisfaction in Jack O'Neill's smile when he woke up the following morning, mostly due to the blonde head that was resting on the pillow next to his own. There weren't touching each other....not quite. Sam was asleep on her side, her face turned towards him. For a few seconds all Jack could do was stare at her. He'd never quite realised how perfect she actually was. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her cheek, stroking the smooth skin. The caress was enough to wake her.
"Sir?" her question was expected, given the fact that he was lying next to her in what was supposed to be her bed.
"Sorry," he let his hand drop. "I guess we both had one beer too many last night."
Sam accepted his explanation with a quirk of her eyebrow. Their evening had consisted of too much beer, too much junk food and a lousy movie on cable. He'd drifted off to sleep first and Sam just hadn't had the heart to move him. Last night he'd been exactly what she needed, a friend and a shoulder to cry on.
"Want some breakfast?" Jack asked.
"Sure," Sam agreed, "order me some pancakes while I grab a shower?"
"Comin' right up."
He reached over for the phone, while Sam disappeared into the bathroom. She lingered a little under the water, letting herself relax while she thought about the man in the adjoining room.......Her commanding officer. There was no doubt in her mind that if circumstances had been different......but at least she could fantasise. Feeling his hand on her face had been a wonderful way to wake up.
"Mind if I....?" Jack gestured towards the bathroom, as Sam walked back into the bedroom.
"Knock yourself out, sir."
"Thanks."
Jack started to strip off his shirt as he made his way to the shower and Sam had to stop herself whimpering. He was in great shape. She was interrupted in her O'Neill appreciation by a sharp knock at the door. Figuring that it was room service with their breakfast, Sam opened the door. She practically passed out when she saw her father standing there.
"Dad?" she questioned.
Under any other circumstances she would have been happy to see him, but the fact was, she had her commanding officer in her hotel room.....and he was currently using her shower. The whole situation was completely innocent, but her father would never believe that. All he'd see was his daughter committing an offence she could be court-martialled for.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
Sam glanced over her shoulder. The bed was a mess and had obviously been slept in by two people, and Jack's shoes and jacket were very much in evidence. Not to mention his shirt, which he'd dropped on the way to the bathroom. All she needed now would be for Jack to.....
"That room service, honey?" he chose that moment to call out.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Jacob questioned.
"This isn't what it looks like," Sam immediately protested.
Jacob pushed past her in time to see Jack emerge from the bathroom with just a towel wound about his waist. Sam had to fight down a small smile as Jack came face to face with her father. She had never seen her commanding officer look so scared.
"This isn't what it looks like!" Jack said.
"Really?" The other man was obviously unconvinced. He turned back to his daughter, " Is he the reason you won't go to NASA?"
"No, Dad...." Sam tried to argue.
"I thought you were smarter than that, Sam. Nothing is worth giving up your dream for.....especially him."
"Sir, I assure you......" Jack began, but Jacob interrupted him.
"Shut up, colonel. I may not have much time left but it's going to be long enough to make life very unpleasant for you. I've seen enough. I'll be speaking with your commanding officer directly."
"Dad, please," Sam put out a hand to stop him, but Jacob shook her off and stormed out of the room.
There was no doubt in her mind that her father would carry out his threat. She sank down on the bed burying her face in her hands. This was all her fault. Her weakness had jeopardised her own career and that of Colonel O'Neill. Jack came and sat beside her. Sam found that his presence was more comforting than it should have been.
"I am so sorry," he apologised.
"It was my fault, I should never have...."
"No, Sam, I'm not going to let you take the blame for this. The evidence is circumstantial, it'll never stand up."
"Look at us! If you walked in here what would you have thought?"
He looked at her and then down at himself. She had a point. If he'd have been her father......
"I just wish we'd done something to be court-martialled for," he admitted wryly.
"Don't know why you'd want to," Sam laughed.
"Are you kidding? Have you looked at yourself lately?"
Jack grabbed her hand a dragged her towards the mirror. He stood her in front of it, remaining behind her, with his hands on her shoulders. All Sam saw was a dishevelled looking woman, with dark circles under her eyes. What grabbed her attention was the man that stood behind her and the expression in his eyes.
"You're beautiful, Sam," he told her.
He actually believed that. His eyes betrayed the depth of his emotion. Sam looked downwards, scared by the intensity of his gaze. She felt his hand as it moved from her shoulder to rest on the side of her neck.
"Of course you're also a pain in the butt sometimes....," he continued with a grin.
That sounded more like the man she knew and.....Her thought was interrupted by another knock on the door. Jack moved to answer it, muttering something about needing his morning dose of caffeine. However, room service wasn't on the other side of the door.
"When Jacob came to see me I didn't think that...." General Hammond began.
"This isn't what it looks like!" his officers chorused, then looked at each other and laughed.
"I don't find anything amusing about this situation."
"No, sir," Sam giggled.
"No giggling," Jack ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
Hammond made an exasperated sound. His two best officers were acting like a couple of school children.
"You two are lucky that I'm going to be lenient in this matter. Whatever is going on between you I don't want to know. Just keep it off-duty. Do I make myself clear?"
"Sir?" Sam asked.
"Our plane leaves at 1200 hours, don't be late."
The general turned on his heel and left. Sam looked over at Jack,
"Did he just say what I thought he did?" she asked.
But Jack wasn't going to question his commanding officer's decision. With one step he was at Sam's side, pulling her towards him.
***************************************************************************
"So?" Jacob Carter asked.
George Hammond poked his head around the bend in the corridor. The door to Samantha Carter's room opened and Jack O'Neill stuck his head out. He looked about himself, before sliding the 'do not disturb' sign onto the handle and shutting the door again.
"I think we can safely say mission accomplished," George grinned.
The two men shook hands and started to walk away.
"For a second there I was worried," Jacob admitted. "Sam can be stubborn sometimes."
"Really?"
"OK, I know where she gets it from...but whether she realises it or not, she needs someone to look after her and I'm not going to be around to do it. If I leave matters up to Sam, she'd end up with another Jonas Hanson."
"O'Neill's a good man."
"Yes, he is and he loves my little girl. That's all that matters."
Jacob sighed to himself. He wasn't going to see his grandchildren, but at least he had been able to make certain that his Sam would be happy.
"Breakfast?" he suggested.
"Good idea," Hammond agreed.
THE END
Story Notes: SPOILERS: Secrets
NOTES: Just something I thought of after seeing the episode Secrets.
NOTES: Just something I thought of after seeing the episode Secrets.
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 ]