It had been a very, very long day. O'Neill's temper was fragile at the best of times, but when his car wouldn't start he finally lost it. If he'd had a suitable implement, he would have reduced the offensive machine to a pile of scrap. As it was, he had to settle for kicking it and swearing a lot. If he'd been in a more logical frame of mind, he would have considered the fact that he hadn't driven it for three months, and expecting it to start first turn of the key was probably asking a little too much.
This morning, he had been quietly, contemplating the rest of his life on Edora; no Goa'uld to fight, a beautiful woman and the chance to raise a family....everything he had ever wanted. That future had been ripped from him. Some might have said cruelly, but his friends had wanted nothing but to bring him home again. In his heart, he couldn't blame them, yet his soul yearned to be back with Laira. If he closed his eyes, he could see the fields, smell her sun warmed hair. He leaned against the car, reliving the memory.
His return had been uncomfortable. The staff in the gateroom had thrown an impromptu party. For some stupid reason everyone seemed to be pleased to see him. If anyone deserved the adulation, it was Carter. She was the one who had worked so hard to bring him back. He wondered, for a second, if he'd remembered to thank her. Didn't really matter, he'd do it some other time.
No sooner had the party got underway, than Janet had dragged him off to the infirmary. Her medical exam had been ruthless, he wasn't certain quite why she had done so many tests. And she hadn't been gentle. His butt ached from the number of needles she had jammed into it. There was something going on that he didn't quite understand. An undercurrent of unease that seemed to be running through his closest friends. Even Teal'c was behaving a little strangely, but Jack was too tired to try and work out what was going on. All he wanted was to get away from the base, get back to his house and try to work out what he was going to do with his life....return to Edora....or stay here. At that moment he couldn't think what was keeping him on Earth. Although he supposed that there had to be something, otherwise he would never have come back with his team.
"Need a lift, sir?" the woman's voice shocked him out of his reverie.
He looked up to see Sam Carter leaning out of her car window, a vaguely amused smile on her face. Jack ran his hand through his hair, contemplating her offer. Calling a tow truck was out of a question, and he didn't really want to go back into the base.
"Sure," he agreed. "I've probably forgotten how to drive, anyway. Second time you've rescued me today, Carter."
"Do I get a prize, sir?"
"Third time's the charm, Carter."
She grinned at him and leaned over to open the passenger door. Jack climbed in. Sam sniggered as he sat down rather gingerly.
"Janet?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"So where can I take you?"
"My place."
"Um...sir...you've been away for three months, sure you don't want to hit the 7-11 first?"
"Whatever."
He'd temporarily forgotten. Sam's easy banter had put him more at ease than any welcome home party. He glanced at her as they pulled away from the base. There was something different and he couldn't quite work out what it was. She looked tired, that much was obvious.
"You must have worked hard on that particle.....thing," he commented.
"Took me a while to figure it out," she admitted, sounding vaguely astonished that he'd asked.
"In Carter terms that rates pretty high on the difficulty stakes."
"Yeah. The Tollans could've sent a ship but....."
"But what?"
"It would have taken over a year. You know those interstellar distances?"
"Speed of light's a bitch, ain't it?"
"Sure is, sir."
Sam treated him to another smile, the heart stopping kind that could brighten up his whole day. He could never stop himself grinning back. He leant his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes, trying to regain the image of Edora.
************************************************************************
Jack took another swig of his beer before cleaning his plate. Sam, watching him, raised an eyebrow.
"Hungry, sir?" she asked.
"That was great," he told her, "I thought you couldn't cook?"
"I have my moments."
He stood and cleared away the plates, while Sam wandered through to the other room. Jack grabbed a couple more beers and joined her. It was late and the world outside was very quiet. He sat opposite Sam, wondering what the hell she was still doing there. His best guess, she had been ordered to watch over the old man, just in case he did something reckless.
The fire was burning in the hearth and it provided the only illumination in the room. Jack hadn't wanted anything else. Electric light would kill the spell he had woven about himself. If he looked into the flames....
"Welcome home, sir," Sam raised her bottle.
"Yeah," he replied.
"You don't want to be here, do you?"
"I...no."
"I kinda got that impression when you walked away from us," she continued.
By the word 'us' she meant her. She had been speaking to him and he'd just cut her off in mid-sentence. Saying goodbye to Laira could have waited, or he could have excused himself or.....
"Sorry," he apologised. "It's just...."
"What is it, sir?" she asked, when he hesitated.
She slipped out of her chair and came to kneel before him. Jack looked down at her beautiful, earnest face and realised that she, of all his friends, deserved an explanation.
"I didn't have to kill anymore," he said, quietly.
"Sir?"
"Sam, all my adult life, that's all I've ever done, all I've ever achieved.....apart from Charlie and he was taken away from me. Being on Edora...it was like I could be another person. Start again."
"You're not a killer, sir."
"I could have been. You don't know how close I came to crossing that line."
Her hand touched his. Jack jumped at the sudden contact. Her blue eyes were wide with sympathy, but he wondered how much she could really understand. Carter's career path had been very different from his own. She had never had to question the motives of herself, or the organisation she worked for. Some of the things he had done still gave him nightmares.
"So what are you going to do?" she asked. "Go back to Edora? "
"I don't know," he admitted.
"It's a dream, Jack."
"Jack?"
"Sir, it isn't who you are."
"And you are so sure about that?"
"Yes."
There was no doubt in her voice. He'd never heard her be more certain about anything.
"Do you really think that you could be happy there?" she pushed.
"I promised Laira that I'd go back."
Jack avoided her question. He had been happy on Edora, and could be again. Sam nodded and drew back a little. He didn't know what she saw when she looked at him, but her action made him slightly nervous. She had always been able to read him like a book. Moving back to her chair, Sam drained her beer in silence, joining Jack in his contemplation of the flames.
"I should go," she said eventually.
"Yeah, you must be tired, what with saving my butt and everything....," he hesitated for a second, before adding, "Thank you."
His words were obviously sincere and Sam blushed a little. He followed her to the front door, opening it for her,
"For what it's worth....I missed you," she admitted.
"Me too," he smiled.
Sam started to walk away, but two steps down the path she hesitated and turned back to him. Her hand slid behind his neck and she gave him the softest, sweetest kiss he'd ever experienced.
"Goodnight, sir," she whispered as she pulled back.
Jack watched her disappear into the night. One hundred days, he decided....he would wait one hundred days.
--
Ruth M. King
Story Notes: AUTHOR: Ruth M. King (ruth@snowqueen.demon.co.uk)
ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack, Heliopolis, anyone else please ask.
SPOILERS: 100 Days
NOTES: Sorry, but this is another 100 days story....but told from Jack's point of view.
ARCHIVE: Sam and Jack, Heliopolis, anyone else please ask.
SPOILERS: 100 Days
NOTES: Sorry, but this is another 100 days story....but told from Jack's point of view.
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 ]