Hi there! This little story was inspired by another story called Screwing up by Lunar1. There was a little line that prompted me to think of a scene and naturally I had to write a story around it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. (At first I wrote I know nothing which is probably true too..)
DON'T BE ANGRY WITH ME
"Good morning, sir" Walter greeted Jack when he stepped out of the elevator handing him a cup of coffee.
"Morning, sergeant, thank you" Jack responded taking the cup. "What's up for today?"
"Nothing urgent at the moment. SG-7s briefing at 0900, some requisitions need to be corrected and a few reports signed." Walter read from the clipboard he was carrying. "Oh, and Jacob Carter is here."
"He is?" Jack sounded almost happy. Despite fact he didn't like the Tok'ra in general, he was genuinely fond of the former General Carter. "Did he say why?"
Walter hesitated. Only for a moment but Jack noticed. His mood went down considerably.
"I think it's personal business regarding his daughter" he said tentatively.
"Good. Then there's no big galactic emergency we need to sort out." he said gleefully. "Thank you. Walter." he continued effectively dismissing the Sergeant and stepping into his office.
He walked towards his desk but stopped to a halt abruptly. There it was, the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. Or so it felt like. The item in question was leaning against a paperweight, an off-white rectangular envelope with two lovebirds in the corner and addressed to him with neat handwriting. Handwriting he'd recognize anywhere. Carter's handwriting.
He stared at the intimidating object and his stomach turned.
"It won't bite you know" a voice said behind him. He spun around to meet Daniel's gaze.
"I KNOW" he said pointedly walking to his chair and sitting down.
"I guess you know what it is then?" Daniel asked stepping in and closinge the door. He in the chair opposite Jack. His voice was low and full of compassion and a little frustration. Jack didn't answer and Daniel sighed.
"What!" Jack snapped.
"Why can't you just tell her?" Daniel asked.
"Because I can't!" Jack barked. "We're military, remember?" Daniel didn't flinch. It wasn't the first time they discussed this. Although, one couldn't really call them discussions since Jack usually said nothing. Which effectively killed the subject. This time Daniel was persistent.
"I still don't understand. How can the Air Force forbid people to feel." It really wasn't question but Jack answered anyway. Which was very unusual and led Daniel to think that his friend didn't take this a lightly as he wanted people to think.
"It's not that the Air Force doesn't allow per se. If either of us moved to a different position, out of direct chain of command, we'd be able to do whatever we like with our private life." Jack said fiddling with the envelope, not opening it.
Then it dawned on Daniel. Duty. Honor. Fate of the world, quite literally.
"So it was your choice? To keep SG-1 intact? "
"Yes! It was OUR choice. Then" Jack said bitterly. Suddenly his rising anger dissipated and he buried his face in his hands leaning his elbows on the table, still holding the envelope in his. " I just thought, all these years, that someday there might be a future for... us." he said quietly.
For a moment Daniel was silent.
"Why can't you just tell her?" he asked again. "She's leaving soon anyway so what's the difference?" Jack's head jerked up.
"What do you mean? Has she said something to you?" he almost shouted.
"No! Nothing! But you know, marriage, kids..." he stopped abruptly.
Jack tossed the envelope form his hand with so much force it bounced once and landed at the other edge of the table. He buried his face in his hands again.
"Oh God " he muttered. He hadn't even thought of that. Somehow he'd managed to think that after the wedding was over everything would go back to normal.
It was that exact moment Jacob Carter decided to walk in the briefing room to see this very unusual burst of emotion of Jack.
TBC
