They all noticed the change in Sam it wasn't hard to miss, one morning she walked in and everything seemed different, starting with the greeting.
"Morning Carter" O'Neill greeted her as she got her morning coffee, to his total surprise she stood at full attention, and saluted him,
"Sir Good morning Sir" she barked back at him
"Carter what is wrong with you?" he asked shocked
"Sir nothing Sir, Sir Permission to leave Sir"
"Carter at ease, for crying out loud, yeah dismissed" he told her flustered by the unusualness of her behaviour, as she left he made a mental note to ask Daniel or Janet to talk to her as they were closest.
Sam sat in her lab clutching her coffee trying to concentrate on work unsuccessfully trying to block the conversation from last night out of her mind,
"So what is it like here" a new airwoman had asked another in the changing rooms whilst Sam had been in the toilet
"Generally good, Hammond is fair, avoid O'Neill when he is angry but he is a great commander, his 21c is strange very hardworking, saved the plan god knows how many times but has the personality of a flea" Sam sat in the toilet stall silently listening
"Well you know she is shagging O'Neill" a third said
"I heard she was doing Hammond" the second one told them her voice betraying her puzzlement
"Probably the only way she got promoted," the third said
"I have noticed she is the only female officer allowed to speak freely to Hammond and O'Neill and most Senior Officers here" the new one told them
"Its cus nobody wants to upset Hammond and O'Neill's favourite Major, you see how protective they are over her"
Sam sat on the toilet fighting the tears hugging her knees, after a while she came to a decision, she wouldn't address them so informally hopefully that would quell the rumours.
Failing miserably she was interrupted out of her thoughts by Janet knocking at the door,
"Hey Sam how are you?" she asked, Sam smiled but remembered she had been far to liberal with her emotions her dad had always taught her soldiers never got emotional it was a big sign on weakness something the enemy could use against you, the conversation last night had proved that,
"Dr Frasier how nice of you to drop by, anything I can help you with?" Sam greeted her coolly,
"I was just wondering if everything was ok" Janet told her hurt and puzzled by her best friend's reaction to her,
"Everything is fine thank you Doctor, if you will excuse me" Sam pushed past her leaving her lab and walking to the control room knowing it was busy enough to keep private conversations at bay, entering she saw General Hammond, she stood at attention waiting for him to acknowledge her
"Major at ease" he ordered her
"Sir yes Sir,"
"Major my office" he ordered her worried at her rigid military formality,
"Sir yes Sir" she barked out again cadet style before following him to his office, inside he locked the door taking his usual seat
"Major sit" he ordered, Sam did but remained rigid
"Sam" he tried, hoping the softer tract would work
"Sam what is wrong?"
"Sir what makes you think something is wrong?" Sam asked
"Several things the fact you haven't yet denied it and Sam I have watched you grow up the only time you are this cold is when you are hurting, then you turn into a mini Jacob,"
Sam gave him a small smile knowing she would have to tell him now, she couldn't hide anything from her uncle George
"I realised I was getting to liberal in my affections for people losing my military decorum I decided I needed to switch" Sam told him
"Sam since when have you lost your military decorum" he asked genuinely puzzled
"Since I started here" she told him sincerely
"Sam you haven't honestly lost any of your military decorum I mean look at O'Neill, you're the perfect officer, Sam all you have done is open your heart to others something you haven't done since your mum died, now what brought all this on?" he asked kindly,
Sam couldn't hold it anymore reciting exactly what happened, he listened carefully
"Sam you are too much like you father" he commented, smiling slightly
"Jacob did show emotion Sam it did effect him, did he ever tell you about his POW experience in Vietnam," Sam shook her head
"We bonded in the hospital after I was shot. He named you after a man who died saving him it changed him he learnt never to show emotions never show any weakness the enemy could exploit he brought it to his home life you remember his reaction to when your mum died, he showed nothing didn't even cry, when Mark turned his back nothing, don't become too much like your father Sam" he warned her
Sam sat absorbing all the information
"tell you what Sam I will make you a deal the moment you lose your military decorum I will tell you then you can shut everyone out until then please go back to normal" he pleaded, Sam gave a huge smile
"Of course Sir thank you Uncle George" Sam stood up and walked to the door meeting Colonel O'Neill at the door
"Morning Sir"
"Don't you mean Sir good morning Colonel Sir" he joked she gave him a patient smile
"No Jack" then walked away leaving a grinning Hammond and a gob smacked Jack behind her.