samandjack.net

Story Notes: set at the end of season 8: Threads/Moebius, and Speculation for s9.

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Thanks Ruralstar for betaing


“When I first met Jacob Carter his stern look and inquisitive eye scared the crap out of me,” Jack O’Neill started in front of the small audience at Jacob’s memorial Service outside of the SGC. “But I soon learned to respect the man and he became a dear friend,” he resumed. “General Jacob Carter was a man of honor and duty and he will be remembered by his peers as such, I consider myself lucky to be among the people who knew him.” He stepped down from the dais and let George Hammond speak in his turn.

As he passed by Sam and her brother, he nodded towards both siblings in sympathy. Mark Carter held his eye for a moment, acknowledging the silent condolences the gray haired man sent his way. Jack then went to stand next to Teal'c and Daniel as the ceremony proceeded.

After the last respects were paid to Jacob Carter, a small wake was held at Sam’s house. The sunny day contrasted with the subdued mood of the gathering, but Dress Blues had been swapped with civvies and soon a relaxed atmosphere permeated Sam’s backyard.

Jack noticed Pete Shanahan talking with Sam’s brother and couldn’t help but think of that moment in the observation room the day of Jacob’s death. Then it had been just the two of them. The ball was in her court now. He had made sure that she knew nothing had changed and that he was ready to go down another path with her. She had seemed to acknowledge this, taking a step of her own in her turn. When he saw Pete gently kiss her cheek before taking his leave, he couldn’t help feeling a pang in his heart and wondering at the same time if he had interpreted her actions correctly.

He sighed and made his way to where she was chatting with George Hammond.

The bald man smiled at him and made his excuses to Sam, needing to catch a plane back to Washington.

Sam turned to him, smiling slightly. “You’re staying a while?” she asked.

He winced. “I’m not sure I should...”

“I would like you to,” she said, taking his hand gently and squeezing it.

He looked at her, a bit taken aback, then nodded silently.

A brief smile stretched her mouth. “Mark just told me that he’s got to leave too and Teal'c and Daniel are waiting politely for the reception to end. I just need to straighten a few things with him, but I won’t be long.”

“Okay... I’ll-ah... I’ll go grab a beer and wait for you to...”

“That would be nice, thanks,” she smiled.

Jack watched her going from group to group before reaching her brother. She then gently coaxed him into a corner of the house, needing a little privacy.

He reached for a beer on the kitchen counter and opened it, sipping thoughtfully. He was not entirely sure he, much less she, needed a confrontation right now. He had to admit though, that back when they were in the in the infirmary observation room, they might have opened floodgates they would have trouble containing now. So maybe there was no time like the present to finally talk.

He sighed resignedly and took a large swallow. ‘Time to be a man, O'Neill,’ he thought bitterly.

Jack was so engrossed in his musings, that he had not noticed the house was now empty. A gentle hand patted his arm making him start.

He turned instantly and met her eyes. Relaxing at once, he smiled gently. “You’re okay?” he asked quietly.

“Yes, thank you… I’m glad someone close is here now, though...” she replied.

“Once again, I’m not sure I’m the best guy for the job... Pete is...”

“Pete is gone...” she interjected. “We’ve... I gave back the ring… He came to the Memorial service out of friendship for Mark and because he respected me enough to come,” she continued. “As a matter of fact, he’s applying for a transfer back to Denver.”

“Ah…” he said simply, the implications of the statement finally dawning upon him.

“Coffee?” she asked, interrupting his train of thought. She walked into the kitchen while he stayed in the living room.

“It’s kind of late for that but yeah…” he said, knowing he needed the caffeine boost and sitting down on the couch.

She came back a short while later, carrying a tray with two mugs, sugar and a pitcher of milk. She set it on the coffee table before sitting down next to him.

“Maybe it’s time we laid everything on the table...” she started.

He nodded, silently encouraging her to go on.

“On one side, things are clearer now, but on the other side, they’re scaring the heck out of me.” She laughed nervously, her previous determination wavering as the seconds passed.

“You’re not alone there,” he said, smiling slightly and giving her the push she needed to resume.

“Dad... dad knew...”

Jack did not even ask what it was. “Wise Jacob,” he smiled fondly.

“He told me to let go of the rules stopping me from finding happiness and I want to... Unfortunately, there’s no simple way around those rules.”

“There’s not but I’ve been thinking about retirement...”

She snorted. “You’d be bored out of your skull in no time!”

“Not if I continue commanding the SGC in a civilian capacity...”

“You can?”

He shrugged. “Weir did... Actually, it was Kerry who suggested it...”

Sam winced, looking down. “Kerry...” she murmured.

“Hey...” he gently put his finger underneath her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. “We’re no longer together.”

She looked sharply at him.

A corner of his mouth rose as well as his eyebrows. “She was very observant and intelligent enough to let me go...” he sai .

She smiled briefly.

“There is no simple way to get around the rules as you put it, Sam, but I see one that would not impair your career. This could be a smooth send-off for me, and a good compromise for us, if that’s what you want.”

“You retiring?” she scoffed.

“Us,” he simply said.

“Oh...”

“Is that what you want, Sam?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, looking firmly into his eyes.

He smiled warmly. “Then it’s set...”

“You’re sure the coast will be clear then? Technically you’ll still be my superior,” she pointed out warily.

“Yeah, but I don’t get to write on your military record for promotion or medals, the Air Force still does. And to emphasize my point, there’s a week downtime looming in front of us. Now that Oma’s given us a little reprieve from Anubis, I was wondering if you would go up to the cabin in Minnesota with the boys and me...”

“Daniel and Teal'c are coming?”

“Daniel needs rest, I suggested he try fishing and he seemed to be intrigued. Teal'c didn’t want to be stuck on base and Ishta was not available. I think he figured with Daniel coming along the experience would not be the same as last time.” He shrugged. “He doesn’t get ‘fishing’...”

She chuckled. “And you think I will?”

He smiled cockily. “With a good teacher, I’m sure you will, and with Teal'c and Daniel as chaperones, nothing bad will happen to you.”

She grinned broadly and for once in his life, he took the time to observe her freely. Her eyes shone with a sparkle he seldom witnessed lately and he felt like a heavy burden had finally been lifted from their shoulders.

He answered with a smile of his own and gently squeezed her hand. “I’d better go,” he said quietly, standing up.

A small shadow passed across her eyes but the moment he noticed it, it was gone. She nodded, stood and walked him to the door.

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Jack’s step was lighter than usual in the corridors of the SGC, and every Airman had noticed the joyful mood of the general. It was no secret that Pete Shanahan had left Colorado Springs, the rumor mill drew the rest of the story. Jack did not really care what the rumor mill said. He knew where he stood. Nothing actually happened between them and strangely enough, he liked that. After 8 years of repressed feelings, one would think they would jump into bed at the first opportunity. He was fairly comfortable with the way the ‘relationship’ was unfolding as it was. It was actually a time to be cherished with great complicity, as they learned -albeit slowly- what the casual side of the other was. They did touch a lot though, slight touches, to reassure each other they were “there”, and to confirm that it was real.

What made Jack’s pace really light today was that after the discovery of a ZPM and the mysterious tape in Egypt, he was finally heading to Minnesota with ‘his team’. All SGC matters were in capable hands. No major crisis was looming on the horizon and all current affairs and reports were for once, sorted and up to date. Nothing would dampen his mood, nothing...

He opened the door to his office and froze...

Lieutenant General George Hammond was seated in his chair (the one he had promised to send back but never did).

“Sir, General!” he stammered.

“Jack,” the bald man acknowledged calmly with a nod.

Jack opted for the dumb act. “What brings you to our always buzzing with exciting things subterranean base, general, sir?” he winced at his own awkwardness.

George Hammond stood up slowly and Jack noticed the folded piece of paper in his hand. “This,” he said, waving the piece of paper.

“Sir?”

Hammond’s features softened a bit. “Jack, I’m retiring...”

“What do you mean retiring, general?” Jack asked frowning.

“At the end of next month, Kayla and Tessa will be able to enjoy the company of their grand-father George on a regular basis. I’ll even move my Colorado Springs possessions to my daughter’s guest house for the remainder of my healthy days,” he said with a contended smile.

“Wow! Sir, that’s err... Big news and that’s gonna bring a Hell of a change!” Jack sat on an opposite chair, clearly shocked.

Hammond chuckled and stood up. He rounded the desk and sat on the desktop, facing the younger man.

“Defeating Anubis and achieving what you did in less than a year is what I’d say will bring a Hell of a change too, son.”

Jack shrugged. “It was the result of 7 years of good management, Sir.”

Hammond smiled. “Maybe, maybe not... You were the one faced with the most important decisions and you chose the right ones.”

Jack shrugged again.

Hammond observed him for a while, then resumed, “I came to make you an offer...”

Jack looked perplexed. “Sir?”

“We need someone we can trust at Homeworld Security, someone who has knowledge of the Stargate, someone who knows about Prometheus and the X-302, The Antarctic base, Atlantis and so on, someone who’s been at it for even longer than I was.”

Jack frowned. “You’re thinking of me?”

Hammond nodded.

Jack pursed his lips. “I was thinking about retirement myself...”

“That’s not going to happen, Jack.”

“Even if I agree to lead the SGC as a civilian?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“The Pentagon needs you in the Air Force, Jack. We can’t lose you, not just yet and the president has already appointed your replacement at the SGC.”

“So the decision was made before I even accepted-huh? If you excuse my saying so, Sir, not much of a choice here,” Jack pointed out a bit irritated. “And who’s going to replace me?”

“General Hank Landry, you know him, I believe...”

“Oh...” Jack’s bad temper subsided and he sighed, putting his hand on his forehead and closing his eyes. “And what if I say no?”

Hammond went back to sit on the big chair behind the desk. “SGC but no retiring, Jack: we need a military leader.”

“As I said, not much of a choice...” Jack paused “General…”

“George…” the other man interrupted him.

He looked straight at his superior. “I hated paper pushing here, what makes you think I’ll like it better in D.C.? Not to mention endless meetings and diplomacy.”

“Homeworld Security is not exactly paper pushing. It’s more about strategic planning and the like, which is - I believe - more suited to your personality. And as for endless meetings and diplomacy, you’ll have Major -sorry- Lieutenant Colonel Davis to assist you.”

“Davis has been promoted?” Jack asked before becoming sullen again “That’s not the point, Sir...”

“Did I mention you’ll travel a lot, too...” Hammond continued, “Often to Colorado... And more precisely to Colorado Springs since both Stargate Command and the X-302 fleet are here...”

“Really?”

“You don’t need to give an answer now. I know you don’t want to remain at the SGC in a military capacity anyway.” Hammond chuckled.

Jack sighed. “I was about to go on a week’s downtime with my team, am I allowed at least that time to let it sink in?”

Hammond smiled at the ‘my team’ reference and leaned comfortably against the back of the chair. “Why do you think I’m sitting on your chair? That’s my old general’s fantasy and idea of a little vacation. You go and I’ll keep everything in order for you... I’ll even have the chair waxed,” he added with a glint in his eyes, gently stroking the armrests of said chair.

Jack rolled his eyes.

“You are dismissed, son,” Hammond said, waving him out of the office.

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