Just a random, fluffy idea that came to me a while ago. Takes place after Sam accepts Pete's proposal.
BTW; it's also a little angsty.
So I present for your enjoyment...
The Engagement Party
~Peter and Samantha~
Invite you to join us in celebrating our engagement!
Please come to share in our happiness!
Laurel Heights Hotel Ballroom, Denver, Colorado
September 24 at 7:30 p.m.
~X~X~X~
Crap, Jack was thinking, gazing out at the noisy ballroom. He really shouldn't have come. All this happiness and goodwill...
He turned back to the bar, but even then he couldn't escape the sight of the cheerful partygoers crowding the room behind him. All of it was reflected in the mirror behind the bar.
Why had he let Daniel talk him into coming? Sure... Carter had invited him. That didn't mean he had to accept! He couldn't figure out why she wanted him there anyway. Did she truly think he'd want to share in her and Pete's happiness or was she just plain cruel? After that little scene in her lab—with the ring and questions... and of course his oh so clever reply!—he really didn't know what to think. Well, she'd obviously made up her mind...
He drained the last swallow of his beer and set it on the bar. The bartender took the empty bottle, and raised an eyebrow. "Another?"
"Sure." Jack nodded, and a moment later an open Guinness was set in front of him.
"I'll have what he's having," said a voice on his right.
Jack turned toward the woman who had materialized on the stool beside him.
She was lovely. Thick auburn hair fell in waves to pale shoulders which were set off to perfection by the deep green of the strapless dinner dress she was wearing. Green... to match the eyes that were laughing into his. Full lips were parted in a wide smile. "It's Jack, isn't it?"
He nodded, frowning. She looked familiar but he couldn't quite place her. "Have we met?"
"No we haven't. Someone pointed you out to me."
"Who... why?"
She ignored his abrupt tone. "His name was Daniel. He seemed to think since I'm a stranger here I needed to know who everyone is. He was a little... unsteady."
Jack glanced over at the table where Daniel and Teal'c were sitting. General Hammond, Janet and Cassie had been there when he came in, but were gone by now. When he first arrived Jack had stopped by their table to say hello, but hadn't felt like being sociable. Daniel had given him an extremely unhappy glare when he'd abandoned them.
"Sounds like Danny," he conceded. "Are you? A stranger, that is?"
"I'm Sam's cousin. My name's Clare Neilson."
That's why she was familiar... it was her smile. Sam's smile! He'd always thought no one else in the world could have a smile like that.
Recovering after a few moments, he extended a hand. "Jack O'Neill," he said as they shook hands. "You aren't from around here, are you?"
"I live in San Diego," she explained. "I'm in Denver for a work-related conference and Sam invited me to the engagement party."
He remembered, then, where he'd seen her—in Sam's house there was a framed photo of teen-aged Sam and a red-headed girl, laughing on a California beach.
"She has a picture of the two of you on a beach," he said. "I've seen it in her house several times."
She laughed. "The famous bikini picture? She has that out where it can be seen? I'm surprised. She was horribly embarrassed when she realized Mark had taken it." She took a sip from the bottle that had been placed before her on the bar. Her eyes wandered to the reflection in the mirror. "It's a nice party, isn't it?"
He grunted. "Yeah, I guess. Actually, I was just thinking of leaving."
"Oh? Already?"
"No much into parties." He knew the excuse sounded lame and rude.
She took another sip from her bottle of Guinness. "I'm a little jaded about parties, myself. Probably because I have to attend so many of them for my job. But I really couldn't refuse when Sam invited me. She knew I was going to be in Denver, and we haven't seen each other in a while."
"Her cousin, huh? I do see a resemblance. You're not a Carter, though..."
"No. Her mom was my dad's sister. Sam and Mark and I were close when we were kids. I'm still pretty close with Mark. I live in the same city and we see each other often." She drank some more of her beer. "Where are you from, Jack?"
"I claim Minnesota. But I've lived all over. I've been in the Air Force for—well, a long time."
"Daniel told me you and he work with Sam?"
"Yeah. She's—that is, she was on my team. Until I got promoted."
She looked closer at the man beside her. She remembered how much Sam had talked about the team she worked with in their phone conversations and emails. Especially about the handsome team leader! During the past six or seven years the subject had come up quite often. Recently, he'd been promoted to a different position. Clare had gotten a certain vibe from her cousin when she talked about him...
Well, he surely is attractive enough! she thought, as she studied his features. Not particularly happy at this moment, however...
"You guys must be good friends," she ventured.
"Yeah, I guess." He took another pull on the Guinness.
"That's nice... that you can be close with your co-workers." She sounded sincere.
He looked at her and saw that brilliant smile again. He found himself smiling in return.
The band had started playing and several couples were heading out onto the dance floor. They watched for a few minutes, and then she smiled at him again. "Would you like to dance?"
"Sure," he said, surprising himself. "Why not?"
They finished their beers, and then got up and turned to the dance floor.
~x~
"What's wrong, babe?" Pete asked. Sam had stopped in front of him—he almost ran into her—and she was staring into the crowd. "Sam?" he prodded.
"Oh. Sorry," she said, trying to refocus, pulling her gaze away from the sight of General O'Neill on the dance floor with her cousin Clare.
"Let's dance," she said abruptly, turning and looping an arm through Pete's.
He grinned. "Okay." He followed her out onto the floor, and pulled her close with an arm around her waist. She came willingly enough, and maneuvered them so that she could see Clare and the General.
They were well matched—too damned well! Clare was as tall as Sam, so her forehead occasionally grazed Jack's cheek as they danced. Clare was talking and would pull back occasionally to look up at him. He in turn would smile as he responded.
~x~
At first, Jack seemed uncomfortable, so Clare kept up a quiet stream of meaningless talk as they danced. Sam and Pete were dancing, and Clare noticed the way Jack's gaze would stray in their direction now and then. His expression would grow sad when that happened, and then smooth over impassively.
~x~
As she watched Clare with Jack on the dance floor, a familiar and unwelcome feeling began to grow in Sam's stomach, and clawed its way up into her chest, threatening to cut off her oxygen. Jealousy! Despite the fact that the two girls had always been close—that they had grown up together and always had fun together...the three of them, actually...Sam and Clare and Mark. The three Musketeers! Despite all that, Sam had always been jealous of Clare. Clare was prettier, more confident, charismatic, charming. Her vibrancy drew people to her. Unlike shy Sam, Clare was completely comfortable with people, and—more importantly—with herself. Mark was crazy about her when they were teens.
In the last fifteen years that jealousy had faded. Sam was much more self-confident now. Clare was very intelligent, but Sam was the genius. It helped that they were not in direct competition in any way—Clare worked for a large company in California, in public relations, a perfect place for her. The two women kept in touch regularly, but saw each other only a few times a year.
~x~
Gradually, Jack began to loosen up, and respond to Clare's easy conversation. He didn't have a lot to say, but he did answer when she asked questions. Clare was one of those people who never ran out of things to say—however, she also knew when not to overwhelm others with chatter. She always paced herself, making sure to listen and encourage the other person to participate.
Once he started to feel more comfortable, Jack was a very good dancer, and Clare didn't hesitate to smile and tell him so. The faint flush on his face told her he was not accustomed to taking compliments well, so she changed the subject, and joked a little until she made him laugh.
~x~
Sadly, Sam's old jealous feelings had not vanished entirely. And now, as she watched Clare in Jack's arms, as he laughed at something she said!—the two of them seemingly quite comfortable in the intimacy of the dance—now those feelings came flooding back. Once more Clare was where Sam herself wanted to be.
Terry Palmer. The long-forgotten name popped suddenly into Sam's thoughts. Now there was a name out of the past! Senior year. Terry was the cutest boy in the class. He and Sam dated for the entire first semester. She was totally in love... He said no girl would ever compare to her, she was the one for him. Then Clare had come to visit during Christmas vacation... Sam watched, broken-hearted and helpless, as Terry fell under Clare's spell.
Tonight Sam felt as if she were reliving that experience.
She didn't do it on purpose, Sam knew that. It was just that Clare was...well, Clare! She drew people to her, she made them happy to be in her presence. She made them smile—the way the General was smiling now! Damn, she hadn't seen O'Neill smile like that since...gosh, she didn't know when. It was a relaxed, genuine, easy smile... not a trace of sarcasm, snarkiness or strain. Definitely not an O'Neill smile!
Sam felt that familiar stab again. She wanted Jack's smile for herself, she wanted him to be looking at her the way he was looking at Clare...
~x~
Jack was actually starting to enjoy himself. He could not recall the last time he'd felt so comfortable with anyone this quickly. It wasn't so much that Clare was a lovely woman... although she was, very much so... it was more than that. It was the warmth that shone from her eyes, and the feeling when she looked at you that her attention was focused entirely on you, that she was genuinely interested in you. In him. It wasn't flirting—she wasn't giving off that kind of signal. It was almost like the attention of a good friend.
They'd been dancing and talking through the last two or three songs—and he had actually had fun! It had been a long time since he'd danced. Not since Sara. They used to go dancing a lot; they'd always had a good time!
~x~
As Sam watched Jack and Clare, she could not help but think about how awkward things had been between herself and the General for a while. He avoided her company... never dropped in to her lab unexpectedly any more. There was no easy give and take between them, no teasing, they no longer finished each other's sentences... There were no more team nights with the four of them eating pizza, drinking beer, and laughing together while they watched old movies. Granted, O'Neill wasn't technically a member of SG1 anymore... but they'd been more than just a team. Hadn't those times been about friendship, about family? Where had that feeling gone? Could feelings like that just vanish after more than seven years working together... Why had his changed? She still felt the same...
Sam's thoughts stopped right there and her steps faltered. She still felt the same.
"Sam? What's the matter, sweetheart? Sam?"
She blinked as Pete's voice registered, realized she had stopped dead on the dance floor. He was looking at her with concern.
"Sorry," she said quickly. "Tripped over my own feet..." She resumed dancing, but her attention was again focused on O'Neill and Clare.
"Sam?" Pete had said something to her and she dragged her gaze back to his face.
"Sorry. What?"
"I said the band is really great," he replied, sounding worried. "Are you okay? Do you want to sit down?"
For the first time in the last half hour, she focused on Pete, on the concerned brown eyes right now looking into hers. She smiled. "I'm fine, Pete. Really. If you want to sit down, we can. But I'm fine."
He studied her for a moment. "Why don't we get something to drink?"
~x~
Jack's crappy mood had lifted. He could even glance over in Carter's direction occasionally and not feel that dark pain that hit him whenever he thought of her with Shylock. At least, not feel it as bad. The reprieve was temporary—he knew that—and was due entirely to Clare's presence. But there was no reason he could not enjoy it while it lasted.
~x~
He was relaxing, Clare noted, and actually smiling more often. And his smile was devastating! There was still the air of sadness about him, though. And she recalled that his friend Daniel had made some rather interesting, if not quite coherent, remarks about how close Jack and Sam used to be, how Jack would do anything for her...
She thought back to the comments her cousin had made about O'Neill over the years, and she began to wonder just what the relationship was between the two of them. Were there more...personal...feelings, perhaps. Something romantic... And if there was something there, why on earth was Sam engaged to Pete! Pete was a nice enough guy, of course, but Jack seriously outclassed him! Clare could tell that much after spending only about twenty minutes with each man.
Clare glanced over toward Sam. Her cousin was sitting with Pete, but her attention was focused on the dance floor. No—Clare amended that thought with a small smile. Sam's attention was entirely on Jack! And she would have been horrified if she'd realized how much she was revealing with that look. Clare was always good at reading people, and what she saw in Sam's face told her all she needed to know about Sam's feelings.
Which once again begged the question—what was she doing getting engaged to Pete?!
The song was ending and Clare's attention was claimed by Jack as he spoke. "Do you want to get another beer?"
Clare really didn't want any more beer, but another quick glance toward Sam changed her mind. Sam's attention was still focused on Jack. Clare smiled. Maybe she could stir her cousin into at least giving some second thoughts to this engagement. She gave Jack her brightest smile. "Sure. Sounds good."
They walked off the dance floor, toward the bar, and sat on stools side by side. With a surreptitious glance to make sure Sam was still watching, Clare reached across Jack to grab a couple of pretzels, leaning against him, as Jack ordered two more drinks. She lost her balance, and Jack steadied her with one arm.
"Sorry," she giggled. She turned the full force of her smile at him as she straightened, and he grinned back.
~x~
Sam closed her eyes, and rubbed a spot between her eyes as she saw Jack put his arm around Clare's shoulders. Even from this distance, she could hear Clare's laugh as she looked up into Jack's face.
"Sam?" Pete questioned. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she assured him, raising her head. "Just a little headache. I think I better lay off the wine. Maybe I should have something to eat."
Pete chuckled. "Can't hold your booze, huh? I never would've guessed."
Irritation rose in Sam, because in fact, she could hold her alcohol quite well. "You don't know everything about me yet," was all she said, forcing her tone to remain neutral.
"But I want to," he whispered, taking her words as an invitation. He kissed her cheek and then turned to beckon for a waiter.
~x~
"I guess your friend Daniel has left." Clare commented after a while. They'd been sitting at the bar for half an hour, talking. The crowd was thinning out, and she'd noticed that Daniel and Teal'c were not in evidence.
"Probably a good thing," Jack said. "Daniel and alcohol aren't the best combo going."
He had ordered sparkling water for himself when they returned to the bar, since he would be driving back to Colorado Springs tonight. Clare had only half finished another Guinness.
"Are you staying in Denver long?" Jack asked.
"My conference lasts all weekend. I'll be flying home on Monday afternoon." She glanced at her watch. "I should really be getting back to my hotel," she said, smiling. "I have an early meeting in the morning..."
"Let me give you a ride," he offered. "Which hotel?"
"I can get a cab."
"I'm gonna get going anyway. It's more than an hour's drive back to Colorado Springs. No trouble to drop you at your hotel."
She gave in with a smile. "Thanks, Jack. Just let me say good night to Sam."
He followed her over to the table where Sam and Pete were sitting. The couple stood as they approached. Jack hung back slightly as Clare hugged Sam and shook Pete's hand, avoiding any sort of embrace from him. "It's a great party. Thanks for inviting me. And best wishes, you two."
"I'm glad you were around," Sam said. "How long will you be in Denver?"
"The conference ends with breakfast Monday morning."
"Can you come down to the Springs and visit for a day or two?" Sam asked. "I think I can get some time off."
Clare smiled. "I'll check with my office tomorrow and give you a call. I wouldn't mind staying an extra day or so." She deliberately glanced sideways to where Jack was standing a few feet away, and then leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially in Sam's ear. "I met the most interesting man tonight."
"Oh..." Sam gave her a slightly stunned, wide-eyed look. "How... nice."
Clare flashed another smile and moved aside so that Jack could step forward.
"Nice party, Carter. Congratulations, both of you." He glanced at Pete.
Sam gulped. "Um... you're leaving already, sir?"
"Yeah. It's a long drive back home. See you on base Monday." He nodded again to Pete and turned, giving his attention to Clare. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Clare smiled and deliberately moved closer to Jack's side, slipping a hand through his arm. She turned back and gave Sam a broad wink before focusing her attention on Jack.
Sam stood as if pole-axed, staring as her cousin walked toward the exit on Jack's arm. Clare's words echoed in her mind; I met the most interesting man tonight. Obviously she meant Jack—and the two of them were leaving the party together!
She raised her hand reflexively to cover her mouth, and caught sight of the diamond sparkling on her ring finger. Pete's diamond. She was engaged to Pete!—had promised to marry Pete! Sam felt as if the roof had caved in on her! What if she was making a terrible mistake!?
At the door, Clare looked back and saw the expression of shock and realization on Sam's face. Despite the sympathy she felt for her cousin at that moment, Clare smiled to herself. Wake up, Sam! This engagement isn't meant to be!
x~x~x~x