The windshield wiper scraping across ice on the glass grated on Jack's nerves, which were already poised precariously close to meltdown. His finger beat out his irritation on the heater switch, turning the fan back up to high to try and rid the windscreen of the accumulating ice. To compensate for the already overly warm vehicle Jack slipped his arms out of his jacket.
He didn't have to worry about taking his hands off of the steering wheel, as it wasn't like the vehicle was moving anywhere fast anyway. He'd probably progressed a grand total of a mile in the half-hour since he'd gotten onto the highway. Taillights glowed red as far as he could see in the distance ahead like strings of Christmas lights laid out on the snow covered road.
Although he hadn't really been paying attention to the radio, Jack turned it up as he caught the beginning of a traffic report. But, just like the three previous traffic reports he'd heard since leaving the house, there was no mention of the slowdown on the particular route he was travelling. He was none the more wise to why traffic was at a virtual standstill.
Not, he reflected, that there necessarily needed to be a specific reason for traffic to be snarled during a late winter storm such as the one the mid-west was currently experiencing. Despite the fact that the denizens of Colorado Springs could expect several such snowfalls each winter, it seemed that every time a certain amount of snow fell most everyone suddenly forgot how to drive in such weather.
The radio announcer was warning of still more snow to come and advising people to stay home if a trip out on the roads was not absolutely necessary.
"Ya think?" Jack muttered aloud, stabbing at the button to change the radio station. The announcer had sounded just a little too gleeful when delivering that news.
Things suddenly started looking up when the trail of brake lights began fading and Jack found he could accelerate to more than 15 mph. But quicker than he sped up he found himself slowing down again as traffic came to another mysterious halt.
"Oh for crying out loud!" he exclaimed in frustration. It baffled him that he could travel to distant planets in a matter of a moment yet getting across town to the airport had become a journey of galactic proportions.
Stuck between exits on the highway, he didn't even have the option of turning around to go back home. Even if he could, however, he didn't think he'd actually choose to do so. After all, he'd had the luxury of not really having to go out. He could have heeded the advice of another obscenely cheerful weather reporter, that one on the TV news, and just stayed home.
Sam had no idea he was going to the airport to pick her up. She was in no way expecting to see him there. Wanting to meet her flight was, in fact, caring a lot more than he was supposed to. But she'd been gone a week, and having to wait another whole day to see her was going to be just too long.
He'd known she was scheduled to return back home that evening so it had been easy to determine on which flight she'd arrive. Given the inclement weather Jack had left his house early to go to the airport but he now worried he wouldn't get to the airport before Sam's flight got in.
Inexplicably, (as things seemed to happen in such situations) traffic started to move and Jack quickly found himself cruising along as near to the speed limit as the wet and snowy roadway permitted.
Traffic going into the airport seemed lighter than usual, probably because most flights had been cancelled or because saner people opted to stay at home and let their loved ones travel by taxi or public transit. The parking garage, which logically should have been proportionately empty, was of course jam packed with cars. Jack finally found a spot for his vehicle. He checked his watch and noted Sam's flight was scheduled to have arrived ten minutes previously. He set off for the terminal at a run.
Once inside he paused to check the monitor listing flight status. Yep, the information indicated her flight had arrived on time. Figuring he'd missed her at the gate he set off at a jog in the direction of the baggage claim area.
Though a substantial throng milled around the luggage carrousel Jack had no problem picking Sam out of the crowd. Spotting her standing with her back to him he skidded to a stop. Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled nonchalantly toward her.
"Hey Carter," he said when he was right behind her.
She turned around, her blue eyes wide with surprise. "Colonel? What are you doing here?"
*I couldn't wait another day. My week was so long and empty without you around. I needed to see you.*
"We've got an early start tomorrow. I wanted to make sure you got home in time to get some rest."
"Oh. Well, thanks," Sam said. Then she smiled.
Jack had missed that smile. As their relationship stood currently, a smile was about the only expression of affection he could expect from her. But how barren his week had seemed without being able to see that smile light up her face, light up the room, light up his life.
"No problem," responded Jack. He waited for Sam to retrieve her suitcase, took it from her and led her out to the parking garage.
"So did you have a nice trip?" he asked as they were getting her luggage and themselves stowed away in his vehicle.
"Pretty good. I loved seeing my niece and nephew. Boy, they're sure big now. And Mark and I will never be best friends," she shrugged, "but we still had a nice visit."
Jack nodded keeping his attention on the road. It was still snowing heavily but traffic was nowhere near as bad as it had been on the way to the airport. Just his luck! He'd been frantic to get there in time and had been delayed. Now when he wouldn't mind a leisurely, long drive home alone with Sam the traffic was just whipping along.
"So did you miss the old SGC at all while you were away?" *Did you miss me?*
"Actually, yes. I've been anxious to get back to my lab and finish my project."
"Only you, Carter, would miss the actual work."
Sam smiled. "Tell me what's been going on around the old SGC while I've been away."
So Jack did, but too soon for him they arrived at her building.
Jack got her suitcase out of the vehicle, holding on to it when she moved to take it from him. "I've got it."
"You don't have to bring it up," Sam said.
"It's okay."
"I can manage."
"Carter, I've got it."
"Okay," Sam relented, leading the way into her building and to her apartment.
After Sam unlocked her door Jack placed her suitcase just inside the apartment and hovered at the threshold. He was reluctant to leave, but had no further excuse to stay. Even if he did, however, he wasn't sure of how Sam would feel about him wanting to hang around.
"Thanks sir," Sam said after dumping to the floor the shoulder bag she'd been carrying. "I really appreciate you picking me up."
"Just making sure I'll have everyone on my team alert for tomorrow." Jack crammed his hands into his pockets.
"Want a coffee or something before you head back out?"
"Nope. I'd better get home before the storm gets worse and I end up stranded here for the night."
For a moment Jack could have sworn he saw Sam's eyes widen slightly at his innocent comment but then he dismissed it as his imagination. Or wishful thinking.
"Okay sir, see you tomor- Oh! I almost forgot."
Sam bent down and opened her bag. "I have something for you. I might as well give it to you now." She rummaged around in the bag.
"You brought me back a present?" asked Jack, surprised. Intrigued. Pleased.
"Oh, it's...it's really nothing," Sam said, rising with something in her hand. "It's from my nephew, really. He knows you like hockey and he wanted you to have this."
Jack took the item Sam held out to him. It was a tiny blue plastic hockey stick, with the name 'Bearcats' and the face of an animal printed in white on the side.
"You were talking to your family about me?" Jack asked, eyes on the little stick in his hands rather than on Sam's face.
"Oh. Well. Well I...I mentioned a colonel I worked with liked hockey and my nephew thought I should give that to you. It's his team."
Jack looked up at Sam then and thought they'd been inside for too long for the flush on her cheeks to be a result of the wind. "I love it," he said seriously. "Thank you."
Sam smiled gently. "You're welcome. Goodnight Colonel."
"Night Sam," he responded. He gave her a quick smile and turned and left and she shut her door behind him.
Rather than moving down the hallway, Jack paused to further examine the tiny hockey stick in his hands. She'd been talking to her family about him, or at least to her nephew, he was sure of it. The idea filled him with absurd pleasure. He almost felt that in a way, she'd sort of included him in a family visit. He liked that. But he liked better that she was back home where he could see her every day. "I missed you," he said aloud.
"Sir?" Her voice came quietly from right beside him. His gaze snapped up and he realized she'd opened her door again and he hadn't heard it.
"About tomorrow's mission, I wanted to ask you..." Sam began but then she paused and bit her lower lip. "You missed me?"
Jack gave a slow and elaborate shrug and his mouth turned up in a half smile. Caught!
"Is that why you came to pick me up?" Her voice was still low and her eyes held his so he couldn't look away.
"Uh huh," Jack drawled.
"You know, it's starting to snow heavier outside," Sam advised, still staring at Jack who stood in a hallway with no windows in sight. "Maybe you should come back in here."
It was Jack's turn to stare. He took a deep breath. "You want me to?"
Sam smiled, nodded and held out her hand. He took it in his own and let her pull him inside her apartment.
Maybe the weather reporters had a point. It really wasn't a good night to be going out if travel wasn't necessary. Jack had nowhere else he'd rather be than with Sam.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
******
End
Story Notes: EMAIL: vicki_james98@hotmail.com
ARCHIVE: SJA please. It will also be archived at Three Insomniacs Productions http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/9352
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This little piece is a stand alone story and is not part of my One Little Kiss series. I am hard at work on the next one in that series - honest! This story, however, came about as the result of a weekend spent with a wonderful, fellow Stargate-crazed friend that involved SG1 viewing (good), brainstorming (good), laughter (very good), Jack swooning (damn good), and a hair-raising drive to the airport in poor weather and horrible traffic (bad, bad) with a car sick, crying toddler (poor guy - very bad). After all that I *really* needed to decompress and did so by writing this story. Notes of sympathy in the form of feedback are appreciated.
******
This story is dedicated to everyone who got whumped by the early March '01 snowstorm, and especially to Kath who made the comment that gave me the idea in the first place.
******
ARCHIVE: SJA please. It will also be archived at Three Insomniacs Productions http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/9352
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This little piece is a stand alone story and is not part of my One Little Kiss series. I am hard at work on the next one in that series - honest! This story, however, came about as the result of a weekend spent with a wonderful, fellow Stargate-crazed friend that involved SG1 viewing (good), brainstorming (good), laughter (very good), Jack swooning (damn good), and a hair-raising drive to the airport in poor weather and horrible traffic (bad, bad) with a car sick, crying toddler (poor guy - very bad). After all that I *really* needed to decompress and did so by writing this story. Notes of sympathy in the form of feedback are appreciated.
******
This story is dedicated to everyone who got whumped by the early March '01 snowstorm, and especially to Kath who made the comment that gave me the idea in the first place.
******
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 ]