Her phone buzzing with a text message as she showed her I.D. card to the guard at the first check point of Cheyenne Mountain, Sam Carter paused to check who it was from. Cam…Why would he text her so early in the morning. Check your E-mail, Sam! Well, duh, to borrow a term from Cassie, why wouldn't I do that first thing in the morning? Continuing her progress down the many cool levels to the SGC, Sam was grateful for the invigorating air conditioning; seemingly this whole past month Colorado had been experiencing a heat wave that would not quit. The usually cool mountains had been so muggy that it was enervating.
Exiting the elevator at the commissary level, Sam found the mess hall packed to overflowing. Daniel was trying a new recipe for Iced Coffee that Vala had given him; maybe she could get a cup off of him. He wasn't in his lab, so Sam just grabbed a Styrofoam cup from behind the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of his special brew, then nearly spilled some on his desk when her phone buzzed with another message. Sucking on the slight burn on her finger, Sam read the text -- from Daniel this time. Sam, check your E-mail! "All right, all right, I'm heading there next, come on people, its still O'dark-thirty," she grumbled.
As she rounded the corner of the last corridor to her lab/office, Sam found Teal'c waiting for her. Months after their sojourn on the Odyssey, Sam still found herself getting used to the changes in Teal'c. The wisdom in his eyes matching the gentle humor that time had given her friend. "Samantha, Daniel Jackson asked me to ensure that you check your E-mail." He even now just calls her 'Samantha'.
"Yes, I've got the message or messages rather. Thanks Teal'c," Sam said as she swiped her key card to open her door. "And good morning to you, Teal'c. How are you doing this morning?"
"Good morning, Samantha, I am well."
Sam set her coffee cup down and as she powered up her laptop, she marveled at how close she had gotten to this unlikely friend. A Jaffa, former First Prime to the System Lord Apophis, had his personal ethics not demanded he turn Shol'vah because of the lies of the Goa'uld, she and her entire team probably would have died on that long ago mission to Chulack. And the entire human population of Earth would have suffered for it. They owed him so much and to his credit he never takes advantage of that fact.
"You have mail!" was the standard greeting her computer gave her as the E-mail system finished booting up. Noting several messages from various senders, including Cam, Daniel and one from Jack at the Office of Homeworld Security, Sam quickly decided to check Jack's first.
--- Sam, this is a heads up from the Joint Chiefs. And may I mention how proud I am of you. As you know, Atlantis has taken a major hit in their battle with their Replicators and Dr. Weir has been seriously injured. Well the IOA, at the instigation of Woosley, yes I said Woosley, put you up for the head of the Expedition. Sam, the Joint Chiefs just came back from a meeting the President. He approved it. You are going to be the new head of the Expedition. Congratulations, Colonel Carter! Yes, that is full-bird O6. Your Dad would have been so proud.
Give me a call when you get this, we really need to talk.
Always,
Jack.
Sam let herself sink back into the chair as she digested the message. What an opportunity. To lead the entire expedition, herself. And the promotion. Jack was right, Dad would've been proud. Surely this should have been sent through General Landry, but since it is Jack I know why. Besides Carolyn finally got her dad to go on a vacation with her mom, nice that they are working out their differences. Then it hit her, she would be leaving Earth behind and everyone on it, for who knows how long. The SGC, SG1, her friends, Cassie and even her budding relationship with Jack. It was hard enough to keep a relationship going when they lived almost at opposite ends of the country but now she would be in another Galaxy.
As Sam picked up the phone to call Jack in Washington, Teal'c silently let himself out, pausing to hang the "Do not enter --- Experiment in progress!" sign outside her lab door. Observing Dr. Lee with a load of file folders on his way to the lab, Teal'c stoically raised his eyebrow and waited until Dr. Lee stammered that he forgot something in is own lab and would be back later. With a smirk that even Jack would be proud of, Teal'c left to inform Daniel and Cameron that Sam had gotten her message and was to be left alone until she was ready.
"So Sam, what do you think of your news," Jack asked when he picked up the phone.
"It's great, everything I could have asked for. But, Jack, I'll be so far away. Who'll take care of Cassie? And SG1? The labs? My house?" she trailed off as she heard Jack chuckling over the phone. "What is so funny?"
Jack composed himself before answering, "Just you being you, Sam. You get this opportunity of a lifetime along with the promotion that most women in the military wouldn't even admit to dreaming of and all you think of is everyone and everything else. Be happy. You have a couple of weeks to get everything together, and remember Atlantis is only a Stargate away. It will easier and faster going from galaxy to galaxy than driving from your house to the cabin."
"Well that is all true. Glad I got you around to reason things out for me. And I am happy; it's just a bit to get used to."
"So, what do you say we throw you a going away party at your house? Anything you want, just name it," Jack inquired.
"Hhhmmm, that sounds like fun, we could do it next weekend before Cassie has to go back to school. Oh, but my back yard is such a mess since I haven't had the time to take care of it lately. There is so much I need to do, the grass needs cut, the grill needs cleaned and more propane and the hot tub needs cleaned, you know we got distracted and forgot to put the cover on it that last time we used it," Jack could hear her blushing over the phone.
"I'll get the guys together this weekend and fly out there to work on it with them. You take care of the turnover of the labs and meet with Hank, can't leave him out of this," Jack planned out for her.
The week passed excruciatingly slow for Sam, knowing that Jack would be here at the end of the week, yet still having to contend with the politics of the labs. Dr. Lee was trying to gain control while Balinsky and Coombs wanted Lt. Hailey to be put in charge, Felger just sat back and recounted the times that he and O'Neill fought back-to-back to all the newest arrivals. Sam found herself glad that McKay was already at Atlantis and therefore she wouldn't have to deal with him until she got there.
General Landry decided to ensure the continued scientific capability of SG1 by placing Lt. Hailey on the premier team, giving her a promotion to Captain. As a Captain, Hailey now had the authority to head the labs the same as Sam had started out doing. After General Landry had given Sam the much needed out to end the heated debate, Sam was able to breathe easier; she was able to look forward to the coming weekend and even further forward to her new command.
Jack decided to rent a full-sized pickup truck at the airport; he had an idea to really surprise Sam. Every time he visited they spent time in her hot tub, and she always wished that she had a gazebo built into the deck surrounding the tub, to keep out the sun and summer pests. He had Walter and Siler get some plans together to build one for her.
Jack got Hank to assign Sam the last Officer in Command watch Friday night so that she would arrive at her house after everyone had started working. And of course Vala begged that Sam bring her along in the morning, making her wait so that she could pack an overnight bag. Knowing that Daniel and Teal'c would have coffee and donuts for everyone and that Jack wouldn't want beer until tonight, she and Vala stopped at the corner store to stock up on ice and sports drinks.
When Sam arrived at her house at 0830 she heard the weed eater running in the back, and saw Teal'c running the lawnmower in the front. With a quick smile and a wave of a bottle of Gatorade from the cooler she pulled out of the back of the car, Sam led Vala in through the front door of house to the kitchen. While Vala grabbed a drink to take back out to Teal'c, Sam went out through the sliding glass doors to her back porch to be instantly assailed by a soulful, yet barely in tune rendering of "Achy Breaky Heart" from Cam as he carried a load of lumber from Jack's rental truck in the alley.
Sam gaped at him, first noting that he probably couldn't even hear himself through his headphones and then secondly that he was only wearing an old pair of cutoff BDU's with an equally old pair of combat boots set off by a new tool pouch belted around his waist.
She then looked for Jack, finding him inside what suspiciously looked like the start of a gazebo being built for the hot tub. "Jack, what on this planet or any other are you up to?"
"Well, good morning to you too, beautiful. Sorry about the American Idol reject in the making, but as long as he keeps bringing me the wood, I'm not gonna get him to stop," Jack answered from atop the hot tub lid with a wicked grin.
Sam, although irked that he had avoided her question, found herself nicely distracted by his state of dress, or lack thereof. Jack, like Cam, was shirtless also but he was wearing a pair of old sneakers with a pair of cutoff Levi's that were clinging to him like the hands of an anatomy obsessed lover. Jack, found his wide grin deepening to a full-blown smirk as he noted her increasingly obvious staring, turned to nail another board into place.
Daniel came around the end of the newly formed wall to see what was interrupting Jack, "Oh, hey Sam. Is Vala with you?"
"Huh?!?" Sam mumbled as she tried to tear hear eyes from Jack's sweaty back to face Daniel, whom she found wearing Khaki cargo shorts and tan hiking boots and again like Jack and Cam was shirtless, although he was sensibly wearing a floppy hat to block the summer sun.
"Did Vala come with you or does she still need picked up? Sam? Are you o.k.?" Daniel asked seeing Sam almost unable to form sentences.
Just then, Vala opened the gate to let Teal'c push the mower through to the garden shed in the corner. As Daniel went over to them to help put the mower away, Sam's eyes followed him; when they alighted on Teal'c she was almost disappointed to see he was still modestly dressed in a form fitting tank top and Khaki shorts along with a wide brimmed straw hat, but quickly realized that his now unused symbiote pouch would be exposed otherwise.
Vala mugged Daniel to give him a kiss, before passing by Sam to go in and change her clothes in the guest room. Cam pulled his headphones off to yell to her, "Don't forget to call Carolyn, Vala!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she waved over her shoulder. Cam replaced his headphones and started crooning "I've Got Friends in Low Places".
Sam spun back around to Jack, who had climbed down from the top of the hot tub to give her a sweaty hug then gently pushed her to the doorway, "Sam go on in and change into something A LOT more comfortable. And you might want to get something to drink; you're looking a little flushed." Sam gawked at everyone a moment, then stepped into her air conditioned kitchen. Maybe I should just grab you and drag you into the bedroom, Sam thought. Or just take a long cold shower.
By the time she had gotten herself together; dressed in a loose tank top and old Air Force sweat shorts with sneakers, Vala was letting Carolyn in the front door. Carolyn was dressed appropriately in a loosely fitted flowered blouse and Capri's with a floppy gardening hat perched on her head, while Vala again was pushing the edge of modesty in a tight baby blue bikini. Carolyn gave her an admonishing glare to which Vala said, "Don't worry I have this sarong thing to tie around my waist," as she swept it off the end of the couch to wrap it around herself.
Vala handed Carolyn one end of the cooler and as Sam slid the glass door open again they went through. Sam pulled out a grape flavored Gatorade to give to Jack. He gratefully tipped it up to gulp large swallows down and Sam found herself mesmerized by his bobbing Adams apple. As Sam reached for the plans in Jack's hand, he pulled them away and shooed her to a lounge chair on her deck, "No, no, no! You girls need to just stay out of our way. Sit back and look pretty while we sweat for you."
Sam huffed then went back into the house. Sit back and look pretty, how dare he? When have I ever just sat back and let him do all the work. And it's my house anyway. She stomped into her room to get a load of laundry. He can't stop me from this at least. She then stormed back through the kitchen towards the garage to the laundry room, getting angrier by the minute.
Daniel saw her cross by the glass window and said to Jack, "You'd better talk to her."
"Indeed, O'Neill, Samantha deserves more of an explanation," Teal'c interjected.
Jack dropped his head slightly as if ashamed his friends needed to tell him this, and then nodded decisively to them. Wiping his hands on a rag, he entered the door and called out, "Sam, honey, where are you?"
Sam heard him call, but decided not to make it easy for him and ignored him. She finished starting the washing machine, then yanked open the attic hatch and unfolded the recessed ladder. Jack found her as she was pulling a large duffle down. He reached up to take it from her; she tried to take it back but just gave in until she reached the ground. Taking the duffle, she stormed back through the house to her room. Jack knew he was really in for it but doggedly trailed after her, deciding enough was enough when she tried to slam the door behind her. "Sam, come on. Let me say something please? Come on, what are you doing?"
Sam wanted to yell, she wanted to cry, she wanted to ignore him, and she wanted to be left alone. She ended up stating, "I would have thought it was obvious, I am packing. Since the Ori are gone, I am not needed here anymore, so I thought I would just get my stuff together now." She wrenched open her closet door and grabbed two sets of BDU's to throw into the duffle. Jack grabbed her hands tightly to keep her from turning from him again.
"Sam, that's not it at all. We…I wanted to do something special for you. Something I know you have wanted for quite a while. Please Sam; let us do this for you. I didn't mean to sound the way I did earlier. I thought you would take it differently after you were all hot and bothered with all us sweaty men around. Come out to the deck; sit in the sun and watch. It'll be fun. I'll let you put sun block on my back, I promise." Sam didn't want to hear the pleading in his voice, nor in his eyes, but the fingers under chin implored her to.
"C'mere, Sam." She lost herself in his deep chocolate eyes, melting into his sun-baked body, the fingers under her chin slipping around the back of her neck to cup her head as his lips slowly brushed hers. Sam hesitantly wrapped her arms around his body, sliding across the sweaty planes of his muscled back to grasp at his shoulders, digging her fingers into muscled flesh as his tongue dipped into her mouth.
Breaking the kiss only when the phone rang, they let the machine get it as they continued to cling to each other as though each was drowning. "Hey Sam, this is Cassie. Don't know if you are in or out. I'll try your cell next. I'm just leaving Drea's house. The last blast summer sleep-over was awesome, thanks for thinking of it. Anyway, I thought I'd call to see if you needed anything on my way home. All right, I'm calling your cell now. Bye-bye."
Sam giggled and Jack relaxed his hold on her. "What have I told you about giggling, Colonel?" he said, waggling a finger to mock-scold her.
She pouted playfully, and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek saying, "I'll be out in a minute. Let me grab my cell before Cassie leaves another message."
Jack gazed into her eyes one last time to make sure she was really o.k. and then led her out of the house.
That's how Cassie found Sam later, lounging on her deck lounger with her two friends beside her. Sipping from her iced lemonade. Watching four handsome, sweating men, laboring to make something special for her to remember while she was in another galaxy.