Title: Proposal Of The Day
Author: Secret Art
Date: 4th September 2004
Rating: PG
Category: AU, angst, romance and a bit of fluff thrown in because they made me write it.
Pairings: Sam/Pete, Sam/Jack
Spoilers: Chimeria, Inspired by the plot and is at about the time of Affinity, but I've never actually seen the episode and it is Au so no spoilers other than the point about Sam and Pete.
Summary: Pete gives Sam something to think about, and Jack gives her the choice she never considered.
Archive: where ever you want, I'm not fussy
Feedback: can only make me better
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author.
Author's note: I have no way of explaining this fic, except that it started off in one direction, but that plot bunny was kidnapped and replaced by another and resulted in this.
She was shocked out of her thoughts by the phone ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hey Sam, what are you doing?"
"Pete? Why are you calling me?"
"It was supposed to be your day off. I have a surprise waiting for you."
She smiled. "A surprise?"
"Yep, but you won't find out what it is if you stay in your lab."
"I'll be right up."
She put the phone down, collecting together her things, willing to leave the technology until tomorrow, it wasn't like it was going anywhere. And anyway, Daniel may have finished translating the intrusions by tomorrow, giving her a greater chance of figuring it out.
Reaching the elevator she froze as it opened to reveal General O'Neill, not Jack, not anymore.
Taking a deep breath she stepped inside, trying to remain calm.
"General."
"Carter."
She looked around the elevator, finally looking at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and she realised that she had been humming again.
"Got a date planned?" He smiled kindly at her, the question intended to be friendly rather than anything else.
"Pete says he has a surprise for me."
"Must be important if it gets you out of the lab. What kind of surprise?"
"I have no idea."
The elevator stopped, and she breathed a sigh of relief, it was getting harder and harder to talk to him, she felt like every step she took towards Pete was a step away from him.
Reaching the surface she spotted his car immediately and waved at him, letting him know that she had spotted him so he wouldn't leave the car.
She climbed into the passenger seat, placing her bag behind her before belting up and turning to face the man next to her.
"So, what's the surprise?" She asked with a smile.
His only response was a grin as he drove them out of the mountain in silence.
He pulled the car over about half a mile down the road.
"Do you trust me?"
"What sort of a question is that?"
"Do you trust me?" She looked him in the eye, seeing that he was serious.
"Yes, of course. Why?"
He smiled, pulling out a blindfold.
"You want to blindfold me?"
"So you can't see where we are going." He smiled reassuringly as she nodded, not completely trusting him, but knowing that if anything happened she'd be able to take him in a fight.
She turned her head, allowing him to tie the blindfold around her head, removing her sight.
She shifted uncomfortably as everything went black, her ears straining to make out any sounds.
He grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently before starting the car up again.
She found herself quite enjoying the ride, apart from her initial embarrassment at the thought of anyone seeing her blindfolded in the car, she found that she was picking up noises that she would have normally ignored. She could smell the air change as they travelled, all things that she would have ignored if she had been able to see where she was going.
Eventually the car stopped, and she heard him unbuckle his seatbelt.
"Can I take this off now?"
She reached up to remove it but he grabbed her hands, placing them back on her lap.
"Not yet. There's something I need to do first."
She nodded, and she thought he smiled, but had no way of knowing.
She heard the car door open, and he stepped out, closing the door behind him. He then walked to the boot, opening it, pulling out a few items and the closing it, leaving her alone.
She strained her ears, trying to pick up any sounds, any hint as to where she was and what was going on. She could smell freshly cut grass so she assumed she was at some kind of park or field. She could also hear birds, which ruled out a field, perhaps a wood?
She heard footsteps, and she froze, unsure of who it was. "Pete?"
"yeah, it's me." he opened the door, and she could smell his aftershave, proving that it was him, so she relaxed slightly.
He unbuckled her belt, grabbing her hands.
"I'm going to lead you somewhere. You have to promise not to look."
"I can't see anything. You will tell me if I'm about to trip over a branch or something?"
He laughed. "Of course."
She allowed him to pull her up, and she leaned against the car, feeling the metal under her fingers.
He grabbed her hands again, dragging her towards their destination.
She counted twenty steps forward, two right, and then another twenty three forward.
He gently pushed on her shoulders, coaxing her to sit down.
She knelt down slowly, using her hands to find the ground, checking that she wasn't about to sit on anything.
Once seated she felt him move behind her, slowly removing the blindfold.
She blinked, once, twice, her eyes slowly adjusting to the light.
"Oh my, Wow! Pete, this is amazing," She gushed, looking at the picnic spread in front of her.
She smiled as she looked over the array pf food, spotting the champagne bottle in the middle.
She froze as she spotted the box carefully placed on top of the bottle. "Pete?"
He reached for the box, getting down on one knee and opening it to reveal a beautiful, sparkling engagement ring.
"Will you marry me?"
"I er...I...I don't know what to say."
"Try Yes." His smile faded as he looked into her shocked, almost terrified eyes. "Sam, look, if it is all too much I'll understand."
She shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "No, it's perfect. It's just...I need time, this is a big step." She refused to let herself think about how easy it had been to say yes the last time.
He nodded, kissing her briefly on the lips before sitting down on the other side of the picnic. "I understand. We should at least enjoy this picnic, it would be a waste to leave all this food."
She smiled. "Are you sure you're ok with this, me needing time?"
"I love you Samantha Carter. I also know you, and I understand that you need time to think, to analyse, to do whatever it is you do in that amazing head of yours. I trust that in the end you will make the right decision, you always do."
She nodded, thinking to herself, not always.
"Lets eat."
TBC