Jack was in Heaven and in Hell at the same time, he thought dimly as Sam’s mouth moved underneath his in a feverish goodbye kiss. A discreet cough from the SF who was waiting for him brought him back to reality: a military airport 20 miles from his cabin. He had been called back to duty a couple of hours before and Daniel and Teal'c had insisted on accompanying Sam and himself. All three would sleep at the cabin overnight, then pack things up and head back to the mountain. Jack’s presence was required in Washington.
An emergency of sorts had arisen, with France, Great-Britain, and China asking to be briefed well and thoroughly about Earth’s apparent victory over the Goa'uld. They also wanted to discuss what new directions the defense plan would take and what options were given. That’s how Brigadier General Jack O'Neill would be introduced to his new assignment.
He reluctantly pulled away from Sam’s embrace, murmuring “I’ll call you,” before following the SF to the transport, which would take him out to the runway.
Sam watched as the heavy plane rolled down the tarmac and took off, then turned to her friends and headed back to the car.
:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:¤:
Life in D.C. was dull, Jack thought as he threw the ball of wrapping paper from his sandwich into his office trashcan.
Sam had been on a mission off-world with her team for the last ten days and therefore unreachable. He had recently spoken to Hank Landry but the new leader of the SGC only told him that it was a diplomacy mission. Nothing overly dangerous but it would take time.
Jack sighed, looked at his watch and straightened the knot of his tie before standing up and putting his dress jacket on. One more thing he disliked about the job, meetings at Homeworld Security meant Dress Uniforms all the time.
He had called Hammond several times, asking him -whining, actually- when he found time to ‘travel’. The now retired general had all but laughed in his face, asking him to be patient and telling him that he first needed to get acquainted with the job before even thinking of ‘traveling’.
He checked his Memo: ‘StargateS?’ was all that was written.
He scowled. Despite the agreement to share the Stargate with other nations and despite all the foreign people that had gone on the Atlantis mission, the SGC itself bore more American teams than foreign ones. After weeks of negotiations and fierce discussion it had been decided that another Stargate should be built and set up in another country. That way, in the eventuality that something happened to the SGC, Earth would not remain defenseless.
Combining all the knowledge they had managed to gather from the Ancients over the years and what the renewed connection to Atlantis with the ZPM from Egypt brought, they hoped they could do away with most of the lingering questions. It was a huge project with a lot of research still ahead but a very necessary one. There was no way to know what kind of new enemy would take over now that the Goa'uld threat seemed to have been eliminated. Of course, both Stargates should not activate at the same time, so this meant an excellent security system too. One heck of a challenge for those geeks! Jack thought in a bit of awe.
He sighed for the umpteenth time and exited his office to the conference room where the meeting would be held.
Lt. Colonel Davis was already waiting for him in the corridor outside of the room and both men walked silently to their seats. Jack had to admit, Davis was a great help. More than being his personal secretary, Paul Davis knew his way around diplomacy. He knew how to make people accept their views without batting an eye or raising his voice, something Jack could not manage to understand. Davis was dedicated to his job and on the contrary to what he was used to at the SGC, Jack had to deal only with the most important things, The younger officer sorted out his memos and reports before they reached his desk. Except for the interminable meetings in warm rooms and sticky clothes, Jack found he rather liked the job. His decisions were seldom subject to debate and his skills as a former field officer were helpful more often than not. He hated to admit it but Hammond had been right.
He sat down on the uncomfortable chair and opened the file in front of him, getting ready for the game to start.
A cosmopolitan team of civilian and military scientists came into the room after everybody else had sat down. They started showing blueprints of the Stargate and the results of the study that had been made of Orlin’s MacGyvered dwarf gate. Jack’s mind absorbed most of what was said for a couple of hours, as well -he could tell- as most diplomats/military people that were around the table.
The scientists asked for a break to meet in private and for the audience to tend to a few necessities. Then the scientists came back excitedly and Jack readied himself for the conclusion.
“In fact, we have improved our knowledge a lot since the first attempts at building a Stargate,” a gray haired scientist with a thick French accent started, “With the new information brought back from Atlantis by Dr. McKay and his team, we think we can put this project back on track. We just needed a strong leadership by someone who had a sufficient knowledge of the Stargate itself and we have just found it...”
Jack leaned slightly towards Davis and murmured. “You think they got McKay back from his watery planet?” he snorted.
“... the best expert we could ever dream of,” the scientist resumed, “Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, who is going to supervise our works from within, at least in the beginning!”
Jack’s heart skipped a bit; ‘Hank Landry, you’re one slimy son of a...’ he cursed inwardly as a feminine silhouette clad in a USAF dress uniform made a graceful entrance into the room.
He leaned towards Davis again. “You knew it was her?” he murmured.
The younger man shook his head, apparently as bewildered as he was.
Jack refocused on the matter at hand as the voice of his favorite Lieutenant Colonel filled the room. He could not really pay attention to what she was saying -as usual, mesmerized by the simple fact that she was here. Then the full consequences of her -even temporary- new assignment meant dawned upon him and he felt lost.
Davis was discreetly trying to get his attention. “General?”
“Yes?” he finally answered.
“They’re expecting you to say something...”
“Oh!”
He cleared his throat.
“Well, with Colonel’s Carter participation to this project, I have no doubt that it will meet with success. On my end, the decision is made and I’m giving it a go, now the hardest parts will be to decide which country will welcome the second Stargate. I’ll leave that aspect to the politicians, as well as all the paperwork needed for a rational use of both gates. Not to mention the financial commitments!” He smiled and stood up, effectively ending the meeting.
He failed to notice the enthusiasm the scientist team demonstrated as he rounded the table, not seeing anything but her mischievous smile. Protocol insisted that he salute her, which he did with a cocky smile. Then he took a step forward, shaking her hand with more vigor than necessary.
“You could have called!” he chastised playfully.
“And miss the expression on your face when I stepped into the room?” she teased.
“Well, I suppose it’s fair game after all...” he smiled warmly.
“We go way back-huh?”
“That we do!” he agreed, beckoning her to the exit of the conference room.
They met Davis in front of his office.
“Colonel Carter, I wasn’t informed of your arrival, would you like me to make arrangements for accommodation?”
Jack was about to reply when Sam did. “Everything’s under control, Colonel,” she said, “But thank you.”
“Okay folks, I think we can all call the day off now, don’t you think?” Jack said nonchalantly.
“I was going to offer Colonel Carter a drink at the Mess...” Davis started.
“Actually Paul, I’d rather unpack and relax before I bury myself in work on Monday,” Sam replied.
“As you wish, Colonel, do you need a lift anywhere?”
“I’d like to catch up with the general a little and then I’m sure he will have a car ready for me,” she answered with a slightly frozen smile.
“As you wish, Ma’am. Sir, if you don’t require my presence anymore, I’ll review the memos that will be sent to your inbox on Monday and then I’ll go home.”
“Cut yourself some slack, Davis. You’ve been working around the clock the past week, I’m relieving you of duty for the rest of the week,” Jack said casually.
“Sir?” Davis looked puzzled.
“It’s Friday, Davis. Go home, rest, and have a life,” Jack insisted.
Davis straightened a little, then smiled thankfully and clicked his heels.
“Very well then. Sir, Ma’am,” he saluted before strolling down the corridor to the elevator.
“I thought he’d never leave!” Jack mumbled, causing a light chuckle from Sam. “How are you doing?” he asked gently, indicating the security camera to Sam with a flick of his eyes.
She nodded slightly and they started towards the elevator.
“Where’s your stuff?” Jack asked while they were waiting for the car.
“Well I’ll have to go back to Colorado Springs to get all I need, I just packed light for this visit. An SF at the entrance is keeping my bag for me.”
“So you got a place to stay?” Jack teased.
“Well, now that you mention it...” she replied, playfully.
“I have a very cozy apartment, Carter, all at the expense of the State.”
“Tempting.” They stepped into the elevator car, “You have a spare bedroom?”
“Ah... that would be a problem, it’s a one bedroom den but I do have a comfy bed... a warm and comfy bed... And if you promise not to steal the covers I’ll let you sleep next to me.”
Sam smiled broadly and raised her eyebrows suggestively. “Well I’d say that’s a little bold, General, but since I’ve got no other choice, I’ll take that offer!”
Jack rolled his eyes. The elevator doors opened on the ground floor. “No other choice?” he asked, offended.
Sam laughed heartily. “Well, I can still ask Paul Davis to find me some hotel room.”
They arrived at the entrance of the building.
“Carter, you’ll be the death of me, you know that? Go get your stuff and we’re outta here. Airman?” he called the man at the reception. “My car, please!”
“On its way, Sir.”
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 ]