"Destiny"
Prologue
The little girl waited in line patiently, watching as, one after the other, the boys and girls ahead of her went to sit on Santa's knee. Each child was allowed just a couple of minutes, while they told Santa Claus what they wanted for Christmas, and a photographer took their photo. Then they were given a candy cane and hustled back to the adult who was waiting for them. Most of them had been accompanied by both their parents. But a few, like this little girl, had been brought to the department store by her baby sitter.
The child had been thinking over what she would say to Santa for several days, and when it was finally her turn, she walked forward bravely, ready with her request.
"Ho, ho, ho! Hello little girl! What's your name?" Santa asked in a mock booming voice. He was trying his best to sound jolly, but right now he was feeling anything but. Two hundred kids in eight hours, with only thirty minutes off to pee and catch a bite to eat, had taken the jollies right out of him!
"My name is Samantha Jeanne Carter, Sir," she replied with an air of formality, sounding much older than her six years.
"And what can Santa get you for Christmas this year, Samantha?"
"It's not for me really. I'm asking for my best friend, Mary Beth. She's sick and she couldn't come to see you," she said, plucking nervously at a button on her coat.
"Oh? Okay, then what can I get your friend?" He was amazed by the unselfishness of this child. Why wasn't she asking for tons of toys like the other kids?
"She wants her father to come home for Christmas," she said simply.
"Eh...her father?" He'd been asked for a lot of things today, but this one certainly took the cake!
"Yes, Sir. He's in the Air Force, and she hasn't seen him in over a year."
"Well...eh...I'll see what I can do," he said, feeling like the worst sort of liar. "But what about you? Isn't there anything I can get YOU, honey?" he asked wrinkling his brow. Surely there had to be something she wanted for herself...something that she might actually get from her parents or someone else, so that she wouldn't think Santa was a fraud.
"There IS something..." she began cautiously.
"And what is that?" he asked curiously.
"A baby sister," she replied. Santa exhaled, puffing out his cheeks. He was very glad all the kids weren't as tough to please as this one. He figured she was going to be very disappointed in Santa this year.
"You don't ask for anything simple, do you?" he asked, smiling down at her sweet face.
"No, Sir. I can only see you this once, so I have to make this time count, Sir," she stated, showing wisdom beyond her years. The man in the Santa Claus suit chuckled in earnest. He had never seen such intelligence in such a young child before, but then he really wasn't used to being around kids all that much either. This was his first time playing Santa, and right now he was wishing he'd never taken the job.
"Well, I don't know if Santa can grant your wishes, Samantha, but he'll try his best," he assured her. The photographer told them to hold still, the photo was snapped, and then Santa handed the blonde haired cherub a candy cane.
"Thank you, Santa," she said politely.
"You're welcome, honey." Then he helped her down off his knee, watching as she walked over to the middle-aged, dark-haired woman.
Within seconds she was replaced by another child, a boy this time, and he was eager to tell Santa all about the BB gun that he wanted.
CHAPTER ONE
As she looked around the lab space that she'd been given, she didn't know whether to hate the fact that she was General Jacob Carter's daughter or be thankful for it. True, she was well-qualified for the job, but she also knew that there were men out there who were just as qualified...men who had worked on the alien machine called the stargate. In fact several had worked right beside her at Area 51. Like Rodney McKay for one. She also knew that there were very few women assigned to the SGC...four percent of the total to be exact.
So most likely she had been given this assignment because of who she was and who she knew, not just because of WHAT she knew. And after her questionable welcome by Colonel O'Neill and his men that morning in the briefing room, she realized she'd have to try really hard to prove that she had earned the assignment, particularly the spot on SG-1. With her heart set on proving her worth, she endeavored to do just that.
On her first trip through the gate she thought she handled herself very well, and the colonel certainly didn't seem to have any complaints. Three weeks later, after one particularly trying mission, she actually earned a smile and a compliment from the colonel. She had been in her lab after the debriefing when he had come to speak to her.
"Hey, Carter!" he greeted her, as he swept his eyes around the room. Then he picked up an ink pen and began to twirl it in his long, slender fingers. He hated places like this, but it was obvious that Carter was in hog heaven here. She even spent her days off in the place. Lab stuff, scientific crap, it all seemed so cold and sterile to him. Give him a forest, a stream and a fishing pole any old day! There was no way he'd ever spend his weekends in a place like this!
"Colonel?" This was an unexpected surprise!
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" he asked with a friendly smile.
"No, Sir! Is there something I can do for you?"
"No, Carter. I just wanted you to know that I really like your style. ...when it comes to negotiations, I mean. You really seem to know what to say and how to say it." Negotiating was one of his weaknesses, and he knew it. So it was a real boon to the team to have someone like Carter. And even though at first he'd has his reservations about her, now he was glad she had been assigned to SG-1.
"Thank you, Sir!" Coming from a man who, she had been told, rarely expressed his approval of anyone in words, that he had done so in her case meant a lot to her. She'd been discussing the colonel's personality with the base CMO, Dr. Janet Fraiser, and Janet had been very informative where the colonel was concerned.
"I think you're working out just fine, Carter. I just hope you don't mind the guys teasing you a bit. They're that way with newbies. Always have been."
Actually, Kawalsky and Ferretti had been teasing her mercilessly. Jack had told them to cut it out, but as usual they hadn't listened. He might just have to beat the crap out of them soon, if all else failed, because there was no way he was going to allow those two clowns to mess up a good thing. He wanted this woman on his team, and they had better not do anything to make her ask for a transfer!
"You three go back a long time, don't you?" she asked, hoping she wasn't being too personal. After all, it wasn't as if he tried to hide the fact that the three were old friends.
"Yah, about twenty-five years or so. They're really good guys, Carter. They just need to get to know you a little better."
"I understand, Sir. It's not a problem, really!" It wasn't a problem YET, and she hoped it wouldn't become one. She really liked the colonel, and she wanted to stay on his team. She knew he disliked scientists, because he had admitted as much the first day they'd met. But since then he had made a real effort to see her point of view and to listen to her opinions.
Colonel O'Neill was fair and he was a really good soldier, and she could already feel his trust bolstering her confidence. She also felt that Kawalsky and Ferretti were good soldiers, and she could see why the colonel wanted them on his team. Now if only they would start treating her like one of the guys, instead of like Air Force Barbie!
"Good! Okay then," he said awkwardly, and then he turned and walked out of her lab.
And thus began Jack's habit of coming unannounced to Carter's lab.
TBC