Good things
Sam Carter hung up the phone with a frown creasing her brow. She had really been hoping that Jack would be able to get home for at least the weekend. But he was right. With the Special Forces unit that he had been debriefing at Lackland due to ship out to Kuwait on Saturday morning, and a second unit due to arrive on Sunday for a similar week of tactical review, it didn't make sense for him to try to fly home for only 24 hours. After a moment of thought she reached for the phone and made a couple of calls.
On Friday night the Officer's Club at Lackland was at it's busiest. Jack O'Neill sat at the bar nursing his second beer, and watching the activity around him with a heavy heart. He felt very old. The room was full of vibrant twenty-something young Lieutenants, interspersed with an occasional slightly older Captain or Major. Only a few of the higher ranking officers ventured in here on Friday's, most going home to their families. Jack had figured it would be better than moping around in his quarters. Now he wasn't so sure.
Just then a couple of the men from the unit he had been debriefing all week stepped up to the bar to order drinks.
"Colonel," they nodded in respect.
"Jenson, Phillips," he nodded back.
"Not interested in dancing, Sir?" they inquired.
Jack looked over at the dance floor where a group of energetic officers were dancing. If you could call it that.
"Not really," he smirked.
"Well, we are going to try our luck," Jenson said, and they worked their way over to where a group of women were sitting. //Nurses from Kelly// he mentally bet.
"I don't blame you Jack. I hardly think that what they are doing out there qualifies as dancing," a voice said from beside him. He turned to find Colonel Bridgton, the unit's commander.
"Pull up a stool, Stan," Jack offered, signally the bartender to bring his colleague a drink.
"Thanks. You stuck here for the weekend?" Stan asked.
"Yeah. I have another unit coming in on Sunday for the dog and pony show," Jack quipped.
"Christ, Jack. You're going to go over all of that again?" Stan asked in amazement. It had been grueling sitting and listening to some of the tactics that O'Neill had encountered twelve years ago in Iraq. He couldn't even imagine how taxing it must have been to spend a week recounting the horrors.
Jack just nodded and took another sip of his beer.
"Well if I were you, I'd have another beer, and go chat up one of those pretty Lieutenants over there. That's what I am going to do. Might as well enjoy life while we can," Stan said with a sad shake of his head.
Jack looked over to where the women were seated, now surrounded by a group of men. Stan was right. They were pretty. But they didn't hold a candle to a certain blond, blue-eyed Major.
"Go for it, Stan. I think I will finish this beer, and then head out," Jack said as Stan went off to join the growing group of males vying for a dance with the women.
Jack was just reaching for his wallet when a discussion behind him caught his attention.
"Wow! Who the heck is that?" one of the guys said, as another let out a wolf whistle.
He followed their gaze and froze. His lips formed into a silent whistle of his own. Damn she was hot. Sam Carter had just walked into the club dressed in tight black leather pants and a white shirt that was barely visible beneath her open leather jacket. Her eyes scanned the bar area, until they met his, and then she smiled. For the first time in a week the tightness in Jack's chest began to ease, and he felt the darkness that had settled over him start to lift. His mouth started to twitch into a grin.
The guys behind him started jockeying for position., and he heard at least one challenge being issued between buddies. His grin grew larger. He signaled the bartender for two more beers, and then turned to enjoy the view as his wife approached.
She shrugged off a couple of attempts to get her to stop and chat, keeping her eye firmly on her objective. She saw him take two beers from the bartender and then turn to wait for her with a grin. Her smile grew wider. She hadn't been 100% sure that she should just come unannounced, but instinct had told her not to leave him alone for two solid weeks to wallow in bad memories. Now seeing him watching her with eyes that were beginning to smolder, she was glad she had followed her instincts. She allowed her hips to sway just a bit as she closed the gap between them. Then she walked right up into his personal space, and nudged his knees apart so she could stand in between his legs.
"Hey," she grinned.
"Hey. Can a guy buy you a drink?" he grinned back.
"Sure thing, Flyboy," she answered as she looped her arms around his neck. She leaned in to capture his lips and he heard the group behind him groan in frustration.
Across the room Captain Jenson nudged his CO and pointed. Stan Bridgton looked over to see Jack O'Neill locking lips with a gorgeous blond dressed in black leather. He turned back to the men in his unit.
"Gentlemen, that is a lesson on why, no matter what we encounter in the next few months, you *will* be ok. Because there are always good things in life to look forward to."
The end
Story Notes: Email: jackiesfic@aol.com
Season: Season 6, after Prophesy
Sequel: 11th in the "In Demand" series.
Others are: In Demand, Momentum, Epidemic, See Jack Run, Classified, Prelude, Discoveries, Under Surveillance, T-Ball, and Homerun
Spoilers: None
Archive: SJD, yes. Anyone else, please just ask.
Author's Notes: This is just a little piece I did to get back into the series again. It takes place between Prophesy and Full Circle, which would have been at least a month ago, before the current hostilities actually began.
As always feed back craved!
Season: Season 6, after Prophesy
Sequel: 11th in the "In Demand" series.
Others are: In Demand, Momentum, Epidemic, See Jack Run, Classified, Prelude, Discoveries, Under Surveillance, T-Ball, and Homerun
Spoilers: None
Archive: SJD, yes. Anyone else, please just ask.
Author's Notes: This is just a little piece I did to get back into the series again. It takes place between Prophesy and Full Circle, which would have been at least a month ago, before the current hostilities actually began.
As always feed back craved!
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 ]