Encounters

Disclaimers: the characters don't belong to me; I'm just borrowing to make them do what I want for a little bit.

AN: ok, this is just something that came into my head and wouldn't leave. It might be my sadistic side showing, but I just couldn't stop wondering what Pete would think if and when he saw Jack and Sam as a couple after she broke their engagement – the one with Pete. I haven't really find many stories dealing with that, so I thought I'd write my own since I came coming back to it – it really didn't leave alone. This is the result; it kind of wrote itself and for some reason it came out in present tense. I hope I got all the tenses right, I have a bit of a problem with that; if they're not, I'm sorry – English is my second language and sometimes I make mistakes. That's enough for author's note, here's the story:

Sam Carter looks at her watch as she steps down from her car; when she sees it's a bit after 4:30, she mutters 'damn' and slams the door with unnecessary force. If she doesn't hurry she'd be the late – the one thing she so doesn't want to be. It's been two months since she'd seen him; the longest they have ever gone without seeing each other. Well, that's of course not counting the times either was capture by the enemy, presumed lost, laying in a come or the like – and by either read Jack, most of the time. But it is definitely the longest they've gone without seeing each other since they, well, staring 'seeing' each other nine months ago. They've made it a point to see each other at least once a month. And fortunately, for once, work has not gotten in the way. Until now, that is. First her mission lasted longer than anticipated and she had to cancel her trip to DC; then two weeks ago there was some sort of crisis and he had to cancel his trip to Colorado Springs. Luckily, things have calmed down and he is now on the way to getting here. But he'll have no welcoming committee if she doesn't hurry her six up.

'Damn' she mutters again and tries to avoid bumping into people as she practically runs down to the gate. She's picked him up enough times that she doesn't have to look up the gate number anymore. For a moment the thought enters her mind that she wishes he had used military transport; it'd be much easier getting to the gate without having to deal with so many people. But Jack doesn't really like military transport, which she can understand as it's a cramped and bumpy ride usually. So, whenever possible (whenever it would get him here faster) he takes commercial flights. Again, she can understand and appreciate that. But her life would sure be easier now if she was dealing with military personnel instead of civilians. Being a Lt. Colonel has, after all, a few perks.

Her mood darkens briefly again, when she thinks that those perks apparently don't include being able to keep the scientists at the SGC in line. She'd had everything plan so carefully and for once everything was according to plan, too. She'd had all her work at the lab settled for the night and all her reports in with enough time to take a shower, change into her civvies (a new outfit she was dying for Jack to see) and have a nice pleasant drive to the airport. But just as she was leaving her lab for the locker room she'd been urgently paged to the lab three floors up. She'd been tempted to ignore it, but her training and duty won out – it could have been an emergency. In retrospect, she should have gone with her first instinct.

She shakes her head and thinks 'what a bunch of egg-heads', one of the most charitable names she'd called them in the last few hours (and a perfect example of how much time she'd been spending with Jack O'neill). Bur really, haven't they heard of basic safety precautions; even high school students know better, for crying out loud. But no, they'd just had to go ahead with their hair-brained scheme without thinking of the consequences. And, as usual, it had been up to her to clean up the mess. As mush as she loved her job she was really staring to hate 'having to clean up the mess.' Especially when it intruded into her personal time, now that she finally has a life she wants to enjoy the heck out of. Fortunately for her, General Landry had been on the base and, knowing that Jack was on his way, had ordered her out of the mountain once it'd been established that it was not an emergency and the other scientists could deal with the problem – if they actually used their brains for once.

With another shake of her head, she realizes that perhaps she's just the tiniest bit bitter, but it's not like she doesn't good have reasons to be. After all she'd have to run out of the mountain wearing the same BDU's she'd been wearing all day – goodbye new, sexy as hell, Jack-is going-to-drop-when-he-sees-you-in-it outfit. And she'd have to speed all the way to the airport – goodbye leisurely ride; she'd had been really lucky that she hadn't run into any cops. But as she approaches the gate a few minutes ahead of his plane, she tries to shake all these thoughts out of her head. Ok, so she'd had to hurry but she's here now and before him, that's what's important. And so what if she's wearing BDU's – he's been telling her for the past nine month that she looks better in them than most women look in evening gowns. And if the look he gets in his eyes every time he says it is any guide, he really means it.

The shiver she gets down her spine as she thinks of what usually follows that glint chases all the bad thoughts out of her head for good. God but she'd miss him. She'd miss the security of his arms around her; the softness of his lips on hers, the hardness of his body against hers, the way his rough hands caress her skin oh so softly leaving goose bumps on their wake, the way he makes her feel when he . . . Ok, she'd better stop that line of thinking if she doesn't want to really embarrass herself; she's already blushing scarlet. She finally gets to the gate and goes to stand by the window next to it, from where she'd be able to see him as soon as he exists. Her body is as tight as a string in anticipation and she starts to rock back and forth on her feet in unconscious imitation of the man she's about to meet.

She's so involved in her own thoughts that she had not realized a man had been tailing her for the past few minutes. A mistake like that would have been deadly in the field and one she's never made, she'd had a great teacher after all. But she's not in the field; she's in a crowded airport with her guard down and lost in her thoughts. As such the man had been able to follow her without her noticing. Not that he has any intention of harming her, he just wants to know where she's going; it has after all been almost ten months since they've seen each other. He'd almost caught up to her when he saw her stop next to the gate. He sees that the plane is due to arrive any minute and decides to let her greet whoever she's meeting and then casually walk up to her as if he'd just seen her. He figures she's picking up a friend and is already planning how he invite them to dinner and how during its course he'd see if maybe they can go back to what they had. He'd really miss her and thought that after ten months she might have changed her mind.

He's so caught up in his fantasy that he fails to notice that Gen. Jack O'neill has just step out of the gate. Sam, however, hasn't and as she smiles the smile she only gives him she can't help thinking 'my, but he looks good in his uniform.' Jack's smile lights up his whole face and it's one few people had ever seen as he gives them only to her. Sam, herself, hadn't seen it until nine months ago but has gotten real use to seeing them since them. For a moment or two each it's frozen in their place as they get lost in the other's eyes. As someone bumps into Jack, the moment of paralysis is broken and they hurry into each other's arms.

Even as Pete misses Jack's arrival, he notices Sam's reaction to it; and as he sees her beautiful smile break through, all he can think is 'she's never smile at me like that.' For a moment he's spellbound by the brilliance of that smile but as he sees her rush forward, he turns to see who it is that can put that look of absolute joy on her face. He's confused when he first sees Jack as all he sees is the uniform and doesn't immediately recognize him. The few seconds of understanding he as he recognizes Jack is follow by more confusion when Jack reaches Sam and hugs her so tight that the actually picks her up from the floor. Sam is hugging Jack just as tightly and out of nowhere Pete gets the thought that if they had been alone Jack may very well have spun Sam around while she threw her head back and laugh out loud in sheer joy. The image is so clear in his mind that for a minute he could swear he could actually hear Sam's laugh. Then he realizes that he is hearing Sam's laugh as she is laughing softly as something Jack's said as she gazes into his eyes. And all he can think is 'she's never laugh with me or look at me like that.'

As Pete keeps watching them, Jack lowers his head and kisses Sam. And Sam kisses him back. At first it's an obviously tender, hello-type of kiss. It nevertheless gradually deepens until for a few seconds they're sharing the type of kiss that it's better left for the bedroom. With a visual effort, they separate and look at each with an almost identical looks of chagrin on their faces. They don't last, however and a few seconds later they both wearing the same looking goofy expression complete with goofy grins. They're both thinking that it's only their military training, the fact that they're both in uniform and that it's their duty to behave with proper military decorum while in them that gave them the strength to break the kiss before it got any deeper. With a leer, Jack gives Sam a peck on the lips and suggests, "What say we take this home?" "Oh, yes please." Sam answers on a sigh and with a seductive look in her eyes. The tone of her voice and the look in her eyes makes him groan as he bends down to pick up the duffle bag he'd dropped in his hurry to hug Sam.

When Pete sees Jack pick up his bag, he turns away and tries to get out of their line of sight; he no longer wants to talk to Sam. But he needn't have bothered. Jack and Sam are lost in each other and the rest of the world has disappeared from their frame of reference. As they passed him, Pete can't resist turning back to follow them with his eyes. They're walking down the corridor with their arms around each other; his is around her waist, his hand firmly on her hip, hers is under his uniform jacket, obviously gripping his shirt at his waist. Their steps are in tune, one of the few tangible reminders of the seven years they spent in the field together. He looks down at her every few moment with a tender smile and leans down to kiss her head; she looks up at him with the same smile every time he kisses her and gives him a kiss in the cheek in return. It's obvious they can't wait to be alone together. And thought they're not saying much, there is an aura of communication and intimacy around them that's unmistakably that of lovers. Everyone watching them assumes that they've been together for years and quite a few think how nice it is that even after such a long time they can't keep their hands or eyes off each other after what must have been a long separation. And though they are all technical wrong in their assumptions, they are, in a very real sense, right too.

The man watching the pair leave would have, up until about ten minutes ago, swore on a stack of bibles that there had never been 'together' like that. In fact, one of the first clear thoughts he has as he watches them leave is how inappropriate it is for a CO and 2IC to treat each like that. But then he realizes that they are no longer CO and 2IC; they are quite obviously much more than that. For a few seconds he wonders if they had been together all this time; if Sam had been 'doing it' with her CO while being engaged to him. But the moment of doubt is brief. He knows Sam well enough to know she would have never endanger either of their careers like that; she respects the Air Force, her uniform and rank and, ironically enough, Jack too much to so flagrantly disregard the rules. And isn't it sad that he's sure she wouldn't have cheated on him because she respects Jack too much? What does that say about what he thinks of her feelings for him? It really says it all, doesn't it?

As they disappeared from his view, the thought pops into his head that he's really lost her. But then he realizes that he couldn't have lost her because he never had her to begin with. She was never his; it's suddenly clear to him that she was always Jack's whether they were actually together or not. And with that realization, letting her go becomes, strangely enough, easier. Oh, it still hurts; the death of a dream always hurts and it will probably always hurt a little. But knowing that it was only a dream, beautiful yes, but just a dream, makes seeing it die easier to accept than if it had been reality. After all, it is easier on the ego to know that the end came not because of what he did or gave but because of what she couldn't give – her heart. With that thought he turns back to what he had come to do his heart more weary than before but, strangely enough, lighter too.

The End.

AN2: That's it. I have an idea for another vignette, one where Pete actually talks to them. But I don't know whether to write it. Let me know if you guys like this and would like another one, please. Pretty please. I'd really like to get some reviews to see whether you guys are liking what I write. I know what a hassle it is to leave review, I myself, am guiltly of enjoying a bunch of stories and leaving nothing behind - though I'm trying to change that. But it really helps inspire one, so please at least some of you leave a review. Thank you!