Title: Opportunity

Author:  Katie McCloy (mjscfan@yahoo.com)

Spoilers: Window of Opportunity, Broca Divide

Rating: G

Summary: Episode addition for Window of Opportunity

Disclaimer:  All these characters belong to you-know-who and any similarity to other fics is purely accidental.

Archive:SJD 

Author's notes:This is my first attempt, so pleeeeez  send feedback.  Positive or negative, I don't care, as long as it is honest.   
 
 

"…Keep me apprised."  Jack took another swallow of coffee and admitted to himself he wasn't really talking to anyone in particular.  Sam had already walked away.  She sensed he was getting frustrated and headed back to her office to "run some simulations."  He knew that was a good thing, and that eventually she would find a way to get them out of this mess.  She always did.  The problem with that was, that's all she ever did.  At least, lately.   

Ever since the whole Za'tarc thing, she'd seemed a bit withdrawn.  He knew she was trying to get a handle on her professionalism-- to squelch her feelings as usual and keep things in the room they left them in, so to speak.  Problem was, he wasn't so sure he wanted that anymore.  She'd worked so hard to drag it out of him-- that little confession-- and then she'd just dropped it.  He'd buried it deep, where he thought no one would see it.  Not only had she seen it, she'd managed to get him to admit it to a room full of people!  'I guess I should be grateful.' he thought, 'She did save our butts from that brain-frying machine of Freya's.'  

But now, things were worse.  Now, he couldn't look at her without holding back a smile.  Every time he watched her talk, his eyes just seem to focus on her lips.  'Wonder what they taste like…-stop it, Jack!'  He knew they could destroy the teamwork they'd work so hard to build-- get themselves reassigned, or worse.  But he still wondered.  And then she would light up the room with her smile, or laugh at one of his jokes, and he'd be reminded that she was probably thinking the very same thing.  Heck, she had to be.  Only a woman who loved him could laugh at his stupid jokes. 'Love?  Where'd that come from?'  They'd never actually used that word.  But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that was how he felt.  He'd known she was beautiful the first time he saw her.  Only a woman like Sam could be sexy underneath all that military garb.  But over the years, the thing he'd come to love was her strength.  Deep inside he wondered-- no, he knew, that if he'd been married to Sam instead of Sara, the marriage wouldn't have ended when Charlie died.  'No disrespect to Sara', he thought. ' She's a great woman.  But she's no Samantha Carter.'  Well there it was.  Out in plain sight where he could see it, smell it, taste it.  He loved Samantha Carter.  More than he'd ever loved anyone.  And he'd never even kissed her.  Well, at least, not when it was my idea', he thought, remembering the way she'd jumped him in the locker room when she had that Primitive Virus.  Boy, it had taken all he had to fight her off.  And that was then.  If she did that now, he'd be a goner.

Jack finished the last of his coffee and checked his watch.  15 minutes.  He wondered if the time loop/subspace inversion-thingy would happen again.  'If only we had more time', he thought 'I could take Sam to dinner, talk about the possibilities…'  No, that wouldn't work.  She'd just forget if and when they looped again.  Oh well.  Off to find Teal'c and wait for the next go round… 

Countless Loops Later

Jack yawned.  Teal'c looked just as bored as he did, but at least he was listening.  He would make the occasional correction in Daniel's translation or pronunciation.  Jack was not.  After untold number of loops studying Latin -- a language he'd hated in high school and resented having to learn again now-- he wanted some time off.  Daniel was talking again. "…opportunity."  

Jack sat up.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it.  If you know in advance that everything is always gonna go back to the way it was, then you could do anything, for as long as you want, without having to worry about consequences."

"Excuse me."  Jack said, and bounded out of the room.  Teal'c put down his chalk and followed suit.  As Jack hurried through the hallway, he wondered if it would work.  How should he do it?  Ask her to talk privately somewhere?  Catch her in her lab?  And then there was always the off chance that it wouldn't work.  What if the  loop ended on that particular one?  Teal'c interrupted his reverie.

"Would this not be a good time for you to show me your game of golf, O'Neill?"

Jack paused.  Why not?  It was minor, and probably wouldn't get him into too much trouble if the looping ended.  And it would give him time to come up with a plan for… the other thing.  "Teal'c, what a great idea.  Have you ever tried interplanetary golf?'

A Few More Loops Later

Jack was nervous as he changed into civilian clothes.  This would work.  And the way he'd planned it, even if it didn't-- if the looping stopped-- it would still be OK.  By doing everything correctly, above reproach, Jack could protect both himself and Sam.  And by timing it the way he was… well, it wasn't dinner by candlelight, but maybe this was all they  could have for now. (Heck, what "they"?  He was the only one who would remember this.)  He had to admit, he did feel sorta guilty for that.  Not that he was going to take advantage of Sam.  He knew she would want to, given the choice.  But she thought they really didn't have a choice.  And this way, since she wouldn't remember, her resolve wouldn't be threatened.  His would, but he would deal with that later.  Right now he had two minutes till the loop.  He had just enough time to hand Hammond his resignation and steal that kiss for which he'd longed for months-- even years.
 
 

One Loop Later

Wow.  It was even better than he thought.  She'd responded to his kiss in ways he hadn't anticipated.  Especially not in the gateroom, in front of God and everybody.  For that split second before the loop ended, he'd wished it wouldn't.  Consequences aside, it would have been heaven to extend that kiss, for a few seconds or a few years.  But the loop had continued as usual.  And now he was watching her from across the briefing table, smiling in spite of himself, remembering.  She looked up and saw his expression.  A bewildered smile broke out across her face.  For a brief instant Jack panicked-- 'Could she know?'  No, that wasn't possible.  'She just reads me like a book', he thought.  Her smile grew wider as his Cheshire cat grin continued.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothin'…"

~finis~