Sam looked around the large open plan kitchen and felt quite uneasy. She had never really taken to moving very easily and she found it even more of an upheaval when she had a child under the age of one to move homes with too. Along one wall of the kitchen were all of the kitchen units, cooker, large fridge and freezer whilst in the centre of the room was a large family breakfast bar. The thought of breakfasts and dinners eaten at the breakfast bar scared her slightly and she was not too sure how to try and deal with it. Glancing up at a noise, Sam watched as Colonel O’Neill entered the room from the main hallway door. On the opposite side wall to that door was the door to the large back garden which had been one of the winning points of the house she now co-owned with her boss. It was still not sinking in with her that she now lived with her commanding officer. He smiled slightly as he saw her standing there and she attempted to return the gesture. Neither of their smiles reached their ears.
Four months ago, Sam had learnt that there had been a terrible mix up and the father of her child was in fact the man with whom she had shared a one night stand, her team leader – Jack O’Neill. He had been on a six month long mission to another planet and she had only been able to tell him when the mission deemed her to visit SG-1. Unfortunately, Sam had arrived on the planet during a Goa’uld attack in which Jack was seriously injured. During his recovery, he had declared that he was going to be a father to their daughter, Daniella, but there could never be any evolution of his relationship with Sam. Immediately accepting this, Sam had agreed that it was the best for their child. She knew that he was correct and that whatever she had felt for him needed to be ignored. He could not automatically forgive her for the confusion over their daughter and she agreed with him that Daniella came first. Before he had even been discharged from the infirmary ward, Jack had demanded that Sam start looking for properties and only a few weeks later they were now moving in together.
There were boxes surrounding them, boxes which contained their once separate lives, but thankfully not too many were in the kitchen. It was a four bedroom house and their boxes were being organised so that the three of them each had their own room. They intended on searching for a live in nanny to help with Daniella as there was no way that either of them were giving up working full time. Janet had kindly offered to look after Daniella for the day with her teenage daughter, Cassie, enabling Sam and Jack to move in and do most of the important unpacking without a screaming seven month old.
“Tell me the coffee maker’s set up?”
Sam smiled more genuinely and nodded her head over towards where the machine was set up. She had no idea why she had placed such importance on making sure the coffee machine was able to use when she could not drink coffee. “Ready and raring to go.”
“Thank goodness!” he declared as he made himself a cup of coffee. She noticed him wince slightly as he moved awkwardly.
“Still sore from the surgery?” She had been so incredibly worried for him after his injuries because she could not risk anything happening to him when he had been unable to meet Daniella as a daughter. He deserved the opportunity to be a father. The first time he had held her was the day after he had regained consciousness and Daniella had gurgled away and blew raspberries in his face, covering his face in spit. She was teething and seemed to dribble over everything, but there was an immediate difference in her reaction to Jack over other people.
“It’s nothing.” She eyed him with suspicion as he turned around and leant against the counter top, sipping his coffee. Anyone who knew Jack knew that he kept what he felt and thought hidden, that he would never reveal a weakness to even the closest team member. Sam doubted that it would be any different sharing a home and being a parent with him. They both stood there on opposite sides of the breakfast bar, looking around at their surroundings and trying to avoid the others’ eyes. After the longest silence ever between them, Jack spoke again. “Weird, huh?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied with a very slight laugh and a nod of her head. He visibly winced and she stiffened. “Sir?”
“We’re living together, Carter, as parents.”
She did not need reminding of their changing situation and her inability to deal with it. He had always been Colonel O’Neill to her, her commanding officer with regulations and rules to adhere to. There had been many occasions when the rules had been bent, not least the night on which their one night stand had occurred, but he had always remained her Colonel until earlier in the day when they had opened the door to their new home together. Despite the feelings which had grown within her for him, Sam had never envisioned this day. Regulations had always provided a safety screen between the two of them, keeping Sam’s heart safe. Nothing had ever been stated concerning their formality with each other; it was for their own benefit as it created an audible barrier. Sam had to let that barrier fall now. “Right,” she nodded, “Jack, then.” The word felt wrong on her tongue.
He nodded slowly, sipping his coffee again. “Yeah, Sam.” It sounded odd to hear her name in his voice. She was not sure if she could get used to it.
“Weird, huh?” she asked, mirroring his earlier question.
“Yeah.” He nodded and she knew that no matter how odd it felt, the difference in names was needed to ensure the separation between work and home. It was only going to feel odder when Janet brought Daniella home and the three of them would need to develop a new daily routine and in this one she held slightly more power than him. The next few weeks were going to be interesting, Sam decided.
Story Notes: Most chapters are a mixture of team, friendship, maybe UST, bit of angst. Each chapter will have specific spoilers for that particular episode (and possibly earlier ones). Basically, this is me re-writing season 6! Some chapters will be S/J heavy, others may be more team/family/friendship.
Author's Notes: Chapter one is set after More Than Anyone (3), just before episode 6.04 Frozen.
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 ]