When the Odyssey finally landed, he was there, waiting for her. He was also there at the debriefing at the SGC, if only to express the concern of the President and the Joint Chiefs, not to mention the international community…
The Ori threat was not to be underestimated. At this point, nothing material could stop them, and they had yet to find Merlin’s weapon.
If Adria was anything like her mother described her, then they were in big trouble. They had found the means to fight the Priors, but an almost ascended being? No. And Daniel’s mind was empty of any useful recollection; his stay with the Ancients had been too short and too focused on SG-1’s problems at the time.
He liked Carter’s optimism —actually he loved her for that—but that was not the point. Yes, the human race had an amazing degree of resilience, but in this precise case, it was more a matter of time than a matter of means. Considering the Ori had literally wiped out of space several ships without a scratch to their own, including an Asgard —the most advanced race in the galaxy— in the latest confrontation, it didn’t bode well for their future. Carter’s brains would be needed, and probably their discoveries in Atlantis, too. He knew two scientists just dying to get there, and maybe his presence there for a while would be required as well…
In the meantime, the weekend was looming, and Jack had always been a man of action. Since nothing could be done at this moment, even if the Ori were to come into their own solar system, there was no need in torturing their minds for nothing.
After the debriefing, Jack went to have a talk with Landry. The man owed him a few favors, and he might as well use them while he still could. Then he went to her lab.
She was there, staring blankly at the screen of her laptop.
“Hey,” he said softly as he entered her lab.
“Hey,” she said, meeting his eyes and smiling gently.
“Ready to go?” he asked nonchalantly.
She raised her eyebrows, not understanding. “Go? Where?” she asked.
“Minnesota….”
She huffed. “Given what’s coming, you want to go up to Minnesota and do what?”
“Well, cuddling seemed like a good idea… at the time,” he said, stepping towards her desk.
“Cuddling? When the entire galaxy is facing either mindless conversion or destruction, you want to cuddle?” she said disbelievingly.
“Might as well use the last moments that we have together,” he shrugged.
She shook her head, not looking at him. “Jack, I…”
“Carter, I can see the steam coming out of your ears. Unfortunately, you can’t do anything right now. Landry has given SG-1 a three-day leave, and you may wanna call me selfish, but I want to spend as much time as I can with the woman I love, even if this is the last weekend I’ll ever be spending with her,” he concluded, his nose practically touching hers.
“I…”
He used the fact that she had just opened her mouth to kiss her. Hard.
She was panting a little when his mouth finally left hers, but her recovery was fast. “Jack!” she hissed. “We’re on base!”
“So what? It’s not as if we’re breaking any regulations here, and I don’t give a damn about the security guard watching us,” he smirked.
“All right, fine, let’s go home…” she finally conceded, exasperated by his cocky attitude.
“That’s my girl!” he grinned.
“I am not… your girl; I am not a girl…”
“Oh, you definitely are, Carter. You might wish you weren’t sometimes, but I bet you cherish the fact that you are one more often than not!” he said, amusement lacing his voice.
She rolled her eyes. “Semantics…”
“Yup! And proud of me, thanks…” he said, planting a short kiss on her cheek as his arm sneaked around her shoulders.
They both headed in the direction of the elevators, Sam slowly relaxing against him. She had to admit he had a certain knack of bottomlining the facts at this point: they were really powerless against the Ori…
As she was about to hit the button to the locker room level, he forestalled her action and took them to the NORAD level. She looked at him questioningly.
“Got my own transport. I needed to reacquaint myself with flying a little bit…” he grinned.
“You want to fly to our house?”
He sighed. “Minnesota… We’re going to Minnesota, Carter!”
They finally reached the surface where a car was awaiting them and drove them to Petersen.
Knowing Jack, Sam was not disappointed. There, in the hangar, was the last prototype fighter she had helped develop when she was based at Area 51.
“Jack!” she said with a look of utter marvel.
“So, Carter? Who’s driving?” he winked.
“You would let me?”
“You want to?”
“You bet!”
“Then gear up, Colonel; I’ll meet you here in 10!”
She planted a kiss on his lips. “Thank you!” she said before hurrying towards the locker rooms, leaving Jack with a dreamy look on his face.
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A few minutes later, Sam appeared in a jumpsuit matching the one Jack had donned while she was changing. He had a bag on his shoulder and his sunglasses on.
“You ready?” he asked with a casual detachment.
“Yes, Sir!” she said beaming.
“Okay then, lead the way, Colonel!”
They strapped themselves into their seats and pulled down the canopy, the fighter slowly rolling towards the runway.
“Don’t forget to activate the stealth…” Jack smirked.
“I helped design it from the Ancient Jumper, remember?” she retorted, the small vessel lurching towards the clouds and disappearing slowly as if merging with the cottony billows.
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An unusual sight would have greeted any visitor who chanced to saunter behind the small cabin: there, barely concealed by a green tarp and vegetation, rested a strange aircraft.
Domestic cutlery noises could be heard coming from the kitchen, and a man was setting deckchairs by a small pier next to the pond with shimmering waters.
“Jack? Where did you put my swimsuit?” Sam came out of the house, in a white tank top and khaki shorts.
He turned towards her with a huge grin on his face. “I didn’t pack it… Who cares? We’re the only ones here!” he said, his brow creasing with mischief.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, next time I’ll make sure there’s a set staying here permanently!” she said in a slightly exasperated tone.
“Next time? There’s gonna be a next time?” he asked, suddenly serious.
She opened her mouth to start speaking but then shut it before taking a deep breath. “We’re going to beat them, Jack. I don’t care how or when, we’re going to kick their asses and send them to the deepest black hole in the next galaxy!” she said, her resolve steely.
Jack stepped towards her and encircled her waist. Her hands reached for his shoulders.
“You were right, you know?” she said, staring into his eyes.
“About what?” he asked, genuinely surprised.
“About this, us coming here and resting, cuddling, skinny dipping…” she said with a wink.
“Ah, see? I happen to have good ideas in the end…” He stared at her for a moment, his gaze intense. “God, I love you!” he murmured huskily before kissing her ravenously.
His lips finally left hers, leaving her a bit dazed. She buried her face in the warmth of his chest. “You’re my anchor, Jack… I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but you manage to keep me rooted, and always have,” she said, her voice muffled by his sweater.
“Yeah, well… I don’t always understand all the comings and goings of astrophysics, but I do understand the mechanics of Sam Carter,” he grinned.
“It’s so peaceful here; hard to realize there’s a tremendous threat out there that…”
“Ah-ah!” he interrupted. “No Ori, no Goa’uld, no Lucian alliance here… Just Sam and Jack, together. This is where it all started for us, and this is our harbor, our little world, cut from the universe and its troubles. We only have two days, and I intend on making the most out of them. Speaking of which…” he said, stepping back to pull his sweater up over his head before reaching for his belt. “That water is just beckoning for my glorious nakedness to plunge into it!”
And on that note, he quickly shed the last of his clothes before diving underneath the surface, leaving Sam frantically tugging at her own clothing until she finally joined him in the pond.
Author's Notes: Season/Spoilers: season 9 – Camelot; season 10 – Flesh and blood
Summary: The Ori are coming...
Thanks: Again, my beta Barbara.
Summary: The Ori are coming...
Thanks: Again, my beta Barbara.
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 ]