I finally went fishing with Jack. I always knew I would one day. I just never expected it to be ice fishing.
However, I found I was having a great time sitting on a bench in a flimsy hut dangling a fishing line over a hole in the ice. The company was good too: Jack, of course, and also Janet and Daniel and Teal'c.
Had Jack invited just me to his cabin I think I would have said yes, despite the fact that we'd maintained the status quo with our relationship following the incident with Derwan. Frankly, after that we hadn't had time to move any further with our relationship.
We were both ready, *eager* to do so. But we didn't want things to move hastily; we wanted to be able to take time to explore what was between us. Neither of us, I think, wanted to contravene the regulations that held us apart. We were so close to being able to present our situation to the general and request he do whatever was required to allow us to openly pursue a relationship. By unspoken agreement we were waiting until we could allow our relationship to blossom legitimately rather than begin a clandestine affair.
Over the last few weeks we'd all been involved in different capacities with ironing out the situation on Corran. Derwan's attempt to see the Stargate destroyed was met with a furor of public opinion on Corran and with concerns over the wisdom of the alliance on Earth. Ultimately Derwan and his fellow isolationists were discounted as a small segment of the population that didn't hold with the majority's wishes.
The alliance forged ahead. Though we weren't diplomats, SG-1 was in the thick of things. Having established first contact with the Corrans, we'd maintained a close working relationship with Adin and the other elders. We'd been so busy the Christmas season had come upon us almost without being recognized, but before the year could reach its end we'd finally, conclusively hammered out our Earth/Corran treaty of alliance. General Hammond and some other dignitaries were scheduled to travel to Corran to sign the treaty in a formal ceremony on January 1st. It was fitting the new treaty was being ratified at the beginning of a new year.
SG-1 had been granted some well-deserved leave, and we'd opted to do just that. We'd been invited to the ceremony on Corran but feeling we'd simply be lost in the sea of notable personages we'd each decided that downtime away from the SGC sounded more appealing. Jack had suggested we all travel to his cabin for the New Year's holiday. Janet accompanied us as well, leaving Cassie at home staying with a friend to attend a New Year's Eve party with her schoolmates.
"Carter, don't jiggle your line like that. The fish will think the bait is having seizures."
"Yes sir!" I replied, but I smiled in response to Jack's warm grin.
We'd arrived at the cabin the night before after darkness had fallen. The cabin was cozy and inviting. In the morning when I'd awakened to see the place in the daylight I'd noticed just how spectacular were the surroundings. It was a clear day and the rays of sun hitting the pristine, unmarked drifts of snow made it glitter. The cabin sat back not far from the frozen lake that was dotted with a few little huts, the ones I later discovered were for ice fishing. Encircling the lake was a forest of pine and birch trees, the branches of which drooped heavily with an accumulation of snow. No wonder Jack loved it so much. I thought it was a place where I could get used to spending some time too.
"I would not concern yourself with technique, Major Carter. I do not believe there to be fish in this lake." Teal'c sat back observing our efforts but didn't bother to cast a line.
"Don't be too sure about that, Teal'c," I responded as I felt a slight tug on my line. There. The pull was stronger, actually moving my hands forward. "I've got one!" I stood up to counter the pull on the line and began to wind it in.
"Reel it in slowly," Jack advised, jumping to his feet beside me. "Too quickly and the fish can snap the line."
"I've got it," I said, heeding his suggestion and winding in the line bit by bit as I felt the desperate pull of the unseen fish on the other end.
"There it is!" Janet cried as my fish splashed at the hole opened up to the frigid water beneath. In my excitement I momentarily paused in reeling and the fish managed to pull out the line a bit.
I started reeling again and Jack stepped in front of me with a net. That was when the fish gave a tremendous pull on the line and I lost my footing on the slick ground beneath. I slid down onto the wet ice, bringing Jack down with me in the process to sprawl practically on my lap. My rod clattered onto the hard surface beside me, fishing line whizzing out until it was spent.
"Well Sam," Daniel observed. "I guess you landed the big one."
Despite the cold moisture from the ice seeping though my jeans I joined in the laughter of my friends. I lightly wrapped an arm around Jack and rested my chin on his shoulder. When my mirth subsided enough to allow me to speak I agreed with Daniel. "I guess I did!"
"Either that or you can tell the story about the one that got away," Janet suggested.
My gaze met Jack's during the ensuing hoots of laughter. "I don't think you have to worry about that," he murmured softly as his brown eyes twinkled at me.
Jack and I had to go change into dry clothes, so that ended the morning's sport. No one seemed particularly disappointed, except Jack. He suggested we all go back out to try our luck again, but the wishes of the majority prevailed. We hung out in the cabin for the rest of the morning, warming up in front of the fireplace with big cups of coffee.
After lunch we trooped back outside again. The air was frigid but the sun shone warm on our faces and we'd all bundled up to stave off the cold. Jack dragged out a couple pairs of snowshoes, with which we all gave a try at walking. Jack and Teal'c ended up having a footrace. Despite Jack bragging of his prowess and Teal'c never having been on snowshoes before, Jack ended up tripping coming into the home stretch and Teal'c was the victor. Janet and I indulged in a fit of giggles at the sight of Jack lying spread eagle in defeat in a huge white drift, his face covered in light flakes where the heat of his skin hadn't already caused the frozen crystals to melt.
A snow angel he wasn't, but he still looked pretty darned good to me.
Finally having given up on recreation and given in to relaxation, Jack went to light a fire in the sauna. The small building was separate from the cabin, located right at the side of the lake. The men took their turn first and from within the cabin Janet and I heard some hooting and hollering as they dashed out of the sauna to take rolls in the snow.
When it was our turn Janet and I weren't quite that brave, or foolish, depending on perspective. We simply sat back and let the heat relax us. Every once in a while one of us would pull the dipper from a bucket to splash water on the hot rocks in the corner. A wave of heat would rise up, boosting the temperature and momentarily taxing our breathing before settling into our bones.
I sighed in contentment.
"Enjoying yourself?" asked Janet, the smile on her lips expressing her own satisfaction.
"Um hmm," I murmured, nodding. "It's great here. I'd love to see it in the summer. I bet it's even more beautiful."
"I'm sure you will."
"Why, do you think the colonel will invite us back?"
"I don't know about all of us," Janet said. "But I'm sure you'll be back here again with him."
"What do you mean?" I wasn't surprised or concerned that she seemed to have a handle on the new nature of my relationship with Jack; I was frankly curious to hear what she thought of it.
"I mean that whatever is going on between you and the colonel seems to be growing. I don't think the two of you can dance around it forever. At least I *hope* you won't," Janet admonished.
"We won't. We don't want to be dancing around it right now," I admitted, "but it's difficult with the regulations and all."
"I know the two of you are too professional to ignore the regulations, but I hope you can find a way around them."
"We're working on it."
"Good." Janet's lips turned up in a smile. "Because I wouldn't mind coming back here in the summer and I'm counting on you to wangle me an invitation."
I grinned at her in response.
******
Midnight was just minutes away. Earlier we'd enjoyed a steak dinner with all the trimmings. Jack had braved the cold to barbecue, with not just a little grousing about how much better freshly caught fish would have been for dinner.
We were crowded around the small, old black and white television set Jack kept at the cabin - apparently even nature isn't saved from television in the event vacations were to coincide with NHL playoffs - watching some New Year's Eve show. Jack had gotten up from his seat and left the area a few moments ago. I decided I should go grab the champagne and glasses from the kitchen. After pulling the chilled bottle out of the fridge I noticed Jack's coat was missing from the hooks beside the cabin door. I brought the champagne and glasses into the living area and put everything on the table, but then I returned to the door and grabbed my jacket, going outside to find Jack before he missed the countdown to the new year.
He was standing just outside the door with his back to the cabin, his arms resting on the railing of the deck and his face turned up to the dark sky.
The night was cold and I pulled my jacket closed over my chest, trying to bury my uncovered hands within the material. The sky above was black but dotted with a profusion of shimmering stars. With the exception of the muted sound of the television within the cabin we were surrounded by silence, and the few cabins that glowed with light across the lake were the only other signs of civilization to be seen.
"Hey," I said quietly, a raised voice seeming incompatible with the stillness outside. "It's almost midnight."
"Yeah," responded Jack, turning toward me. "I thought I'd ring it in out here."
"Can I join you?" I asked hesitantly, wondering if for some reason he preferred to be alone.
"I was hoping you would," he replied in a low tone, a lazy smile crossing his face to let me know he was definitely in favour of my company.
I smiled back, just as Daniel's and Janet's voices cried, "Happy New Year!" from inside the cabin.
"Happy New Year, Jack," I said softly.
"Happy New Year." We stared at each other for a moment before Jack continued slowly, "You know, it's tradition to give friends a kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve."
"That's right." Unconsciously my tongue darted out to lick my lips. "We shouldn't ignore tradition, should we?"
"Nope," Jack replied. He reached out and pulled me toward him.
I hadn't done up my jacket and it fell open, so Jack put his arms underneath it, wrapping them around me and pulling me up against him. I twined my hands behind his head, my fingers brushing the hair at the nape of his neck and no longer feeling the cold because of the warm skin beneath their touch.
My head tilted slightly back and Jack and I gazed at each other for a moment. Suddenly my heart was hammering and I was already feeling as though something had hit me hard enough to make me struggle for breath. Jack's eyes closed and my own lashes fluttered shut.
The warm, firm pressure of his mouth met mine and our lips moved in welcome to each other. We kissed slowly, languidly, mouths moving together then parting, then greeting again. An undercurrent of passion was there, our desire for one another simmered just below the surface, but we both kept that frenzied need in check. Our New Year's kiss was a pledge of what the future would hold for us.
As our lips separated a quiet sigh escaped me. I began to pull back but Jack's mouth swooped down again to reclaim mine, which was willingly captured. Our mouths opened and our tongues met, danced and parted then repeated the refrain. Jack's hands massaged my back and my fingers curled into his hair as we clung to each other. The moment ended in a cascade of slow kisses, with our lips barely whispering across each other's in the end.
Jack pulled one arm out from under my jacket, not to release me, but to cradle the back of my head and bring my cheek to rest against his shoulder. A rush of his warm breath tickled my ear as he whispered, "I love you, Sam."
Elation tinged with a sweet sorrow shot through me. I was thrilled to hear him declare the depth of his feelings for me, which were companion to what my heart harboured for him. Yet I felt a sadness that those feelings still had to be bottled up and could not be brought into the open then and there.
"I love you," I murmured against his coat. I knew he'd heard me when his arms tightened around me in an embrace.
"This will be our year," Jack declared fiercely. "Yours and mine. We'll find a way that we can be together. And preferably still have jobs."
I lifted my head up to smile at him. We kept our arms wrapped around each other.
"Is that your New Year's resolution?"
Jack raised his brows. "C'mon Carter, no one keeps their resolutions." Then he continued in a more serious tone. "This is a promise. I always keep my promises."
"Me too. But it wouldn't hurt to call it our resolution, too. After all, we shouldn't ignore tradition, should we?" I grinned. We'd already enjoyed the keeping of one tradition.
"I guess not," Jack agreed, smiling back at me.
"So..." I began slowly, "...is there any sort of time limit on this 'kiss your friend at New Year's' custom?"
"Oh, I think it's in effect until dawn, at least," Jack replied, his voice low and husky.
"Good," I said, pulling his head back down so his mouth could once again find mine.
******
We didn't stay outside too much longer. We needed to rejoin our friends inside and despite the warmth generated between Jack and me, in January in Minnesota it's too damned cold to stay outside for too long.
Once we'd exchanged New Year's wishes with the group inside we shared some bubbly and stayed up talking for a while before deciding to turn in for the night. Daniel and Teal'c were crashing in the living area so we all had to vacate. Janet headed for the bedroom we were sharing while I tided up the champagne glasses and beer bottles. After I was done Jack and I ended up walking together down the short hallway to our respective bedrooms.
The bedroom doors were right across the hallway from each other. I paused, just to say a simple goodnight, when Jack gently pushed me back against the wall with his body and kissed me soundly.
After having had a couple glasses of champagne, combined with the feeling of Jack's firm body pressed up against mine, I was thinking it was a good thing I had a roommate. 'Cause if it wasn't for the fact that I knew Janet anticipated my arrival in our room, I don't think Jack would have been sleeping alone that night. I don't think Jack would have been sleeping at all that night. And neither would have I.
******
The next morning we all sat around after breakfast trying to decide what to do with the day. Jack was attempting to convince us to go out ice fishing again when his pager went off, rattling atop the kitchen counter where it had been previously discarded. He took a look at it, frowned, and strode off to his bedroom, presumably to find his cell phone.
"You know," began Daniel once Jack had disappeared, "maybe we should try ice fishing one more time. It would make Jack happy."
"That's just your nice way of saying if we do this we won't have to listen to him complain, isn't it?" Janet teasingly accused.
Daniel pursed his lips in thought then nodded. "Well, yes actually."
I was laughing with them when Jack returned from the bedroom. One look at the expression on his face sobered me instantly.
"What is it?" I asked, rising from my seat and taking a step toward him. The rest of the table fell silent and looked on expectantly.
Jack scrubbed a hand across his face and through his hair. He placed his cell phone on the table, prodding it with his finger for a moment before he took a deep breath and looked up to meet our worried gazes.
"This morning when the SGC delegation arrived on Corran there was an explosion as they exited the wormhole. The isolationist group is claiming responsibility. Hammond..." Jack paused to take a breath. "Hammond was caught in the explosion. He's dead."
******
We packed and closed up the cabin as quickly as possible, attending to our tasks in almost virtual silence, each of us still in shock from the news Jack had delivered.
I was in the bedroom, hastily shoving clothes and toiletries into my bag when Jack came in to find me.
"How are you doing?" he asked, his face expressing his concern mixed with his own distress.
"Not too good," I admitted softly, shaking my head.
"Yeah, me neither," Jack agreed.
I moved toward him at the same time as he opened his arms to offer his embrace. We wound our arms around one another and I rested my head on Jack's shoulder. Wordlessly he stroked my back and I took deep breaths to contain the tears that threatened to spill over.
When my breathing returned to normal Jack released me and I took a step back from him.
"I have to finish packing up," he said.
Nodding, I reassured him, "I'm fine."
Jack reached out to gently brush his fingers across my cheek. "We'll get through this," he guaranteed.
"I know," I replied. Jack nodded once then left the bedroom.
We would get through it, somehow, together. I thanked God we now had each other. Especially at such a time.
******
It was an hour-long drive to Duluth, from where we were catching transport back to Colorado Springs. The drive passed largely in silence. I sat up front with Jack, who kept one hand on the wheel and the other holding on to mine. I was grateful for that small contact as it offered me some comfort. I hoped Jack gained some comfort from it too.
Imagining General Hammond...gone...was difficult. He was our wise and stalwart leader, the person *we* came home to. We were the ones who risked our lives, he was the constant we could always rely on to be there waiting for us to return. It was almost inconceivable that we would now be returning to find the SGC absent of his presence.
******
The five of us were ushered into the briefing room upon reporting in at the base. We weren't waiting long before we were joined by a tall, stocky, dark-haired man.
"At ease people, and have a seat. I'm General Ludley and I've been put in charge of the SGC."
I was waiting for him to qualify the statement by adding a "temporarily" to the end of the sentence but the word never came. When Ludley lowered himself into what I considered General Hammond's seat our loss became all the more real. Daniel shifted in his chair; Jack sat ramrod straight, staring at Ludley.
The new general glanced around the table. "I know who each of you are, so introductions aren't necessary. At 0900 hours today General Hammond, accompanied by a marine escort, stepped through the Stargate to travel to P8X 782, known to its inhabitants as Corran. Upon exiting the wormhole a bomb was detonated by remote, killing General Hammond in its blast. I am truly sorry for your loss," Ludley added, sounding genuine in his condolences.
"Were there any other casualties?" asked Daniel softly.
Ludley shook his head. "No. No one else was even injured. The blast specifically targeted General Hammond."
"Huh?" Jack spoke up. "Wait a minute. The Corrans don't have the know-how to manufacture explosives for that precise a hit. Right?" He looked to me for confirmation. I nodded my head.
"Has an autopsy been done?" asked Janet, clearly finding the idea distasteful but needing to ask. An autopsy could likely reveal if the materials used to make the bomb were native to Corran.
"No," Ludley responded. "There were no remains left to autopsy after the explosion."
"Whoa!" said Jack loudly. "There's no body? You're saying that General Hammond *disappeared*? He might not be dead!"
"I'm sorry, but our people who witnessed the explosion reported no one could have survived the blast," Ludley advised.
"Sir, I don't think you understand. People *do* disappear on Corran, but it doesn't mean they're dead. Major Carter *disappeared*, but she's right here." Jack rose from his seat to stand at attention. "General, request permission to take my team through to Corran to search for General Hammond."
"At ease, Colonel, and sit down," Ludley said firmly. "Look," he continued in a softer tone as Jack sank down into his chair, "I crossed paths with George Hammond a few times in my career, and I know he was a good man. But there will be no search for him on Corran. *Eye witness* reports have confirmed his death and I'm not going to risk further personnel by sending you to Corran. The situation there is tenuous at best, as this latest incident has caused a lot of civil upheaval. We have a diplomatic team on the planet trying to help sort things out there, and the rest of us need to get on with other duties."
He looked to Jack as if waiting for acquiescence but instead received a steely look in return.
"No sir," Jack said slowly and calmly. To my right Daniel winced under his breath. "What we need to do is go to Corran and find General Hammond. We know the planet and we know the people and we can find out what really happened to him."
"Colonel O'Neill," Ludley responded in an equally deadly tone. "You are in mourning so I'm going to forgive that little outburst. But I won't forget it and if it's repeated you'll find yourself up on charges of insubordination. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir," Jack said sharply but without much contrition in his tone.
Ludley ignored that fact. "Well then," he said, "I know you all have another day's leave but I'm thinking under the circumstances you might want to get back to work early. A probe picked up something on P5N 246 that Doctor Jackson should have a look at to determine if..."
******
After we were dismissed Jack and I left the briefing together, walking in silence until we reached his office.
Once behind the closed door, Jack exploded. "Dudley is wrong! People do disappear on Corran, for crying out loud! I'm not going to believe General Hammond is dead until I've seen a body. We need to go to Corran to find out the truth."
"I know," I agreed.
Jack ran a hand through his hair, shook his head in frustration, then gave me a long, silent look. I knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth.
"I'm going to Corran to find Hammond."
I knew what my response would be before he spoke.
"I'm going with you."
******
End
Story Notes: One Little Kiss - Author's Note: Thanks to Kath Tate for beta reading and for not minding me gently *encouraging* her to do so while at work.
End Notes: Coming soon: the final story in the One Little Kiss series!
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 ]