A/N: I wrote this story a while ago, but there was always something about it that bothered me. Until tonight when I found out what that was and fixed it! So here we go. This is a story that looks at the friendship (and nothing more) between Sam and Caldwell. I always wondered what would happen if those two met, and I suspected that they probably knew each other and were friends. He seems softer and more amicable with Sam. And, if anyone has seen the deleted scenes on the Atlantis Season 4 DVD, one of those scenes kinda confirms it. This is my take on how they met. And, because I am incapable of resisting, there's some Sam/Jack thrown in as well. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to any feedback!
Disclaimer: The Stargate franchise is not mine (and that's probably a good thing...)
Sam sighed to herself as she stood along the far wall in the ballroom. Many of her fellow service men and women were mingling or dancing in the corner that had been set aside for that very purpose, but she preferred to watch as she waited for her own date to show up. She fidgeted with her floor-length blue dress; though she had originally planned to wear her uniform for the occasion, she had forgone it for the dress at the last minute.
"Care to dance?"
Sam jumped as she heard the voice speak right beside her. She looked to her right and saw a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and an Air Force uniform smiling at her. Sam looked between him and the dance floor. Just as she was preparing to say "no, thank you," he held out his hand to her. She glanced down at it before taking it and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor, uncertain of why she had decided to agree.
The song was not slow, and the man kept a respectable distance. He did not say anything as they turned and swayed in time with the music, and so Sam did not offer any conversation either, though she could not help but wonder why he had asked her to dance.
As the song came to a close, the attendees applauded the live band. Sam was about to say "thank you," and then walk off the dance floor, but the man held onto her hand as the next song started.
Taken aback, Sam fell back into step to a song that was of similar tempo to the previous song.
"I'm Sam, by the way," she said.
The man smiled. "Stephen," he said.
"So, are you here with someone?" she asked.
"My wife," he answered. "She's around, talking to some friends. She told me that I should ask you to dance."
Sam blinked. "Really?"
He shrugged. "She said you looked bored."
"Yes, well, I've never really been one for parties."
"Are you here with someone?"
Sam nodded. "I was waiting for my date. He got tied up at the office."
"Ah, he's got one of those jobs."
"Yeah. He hated it at first, but he's gotten used to it."
"I just got a new assignment a few days ago. But I think I'll still be able to see some action."
The second song ended, and the dancers applauded once more. They dispersed as a woman came on stage to announce that dinner would be starting in a few minutes.
"It looks like my wife found a table," Stephen said. "Why don't you join us?"
Sam looked around. Not seeing her date anywhere, she turned back to Stephen. "Thanks. I'd love to."
Stephen led the way to his wife, a graceful woman who appeared the epitome of a career officer's wife. She wore a tasteful black dress that reached the floor and her brown hair was pulled back into a neat bun at the base of her head. "Anne, this is Sam," he said after he gave his wife a peck on the cheek.
Sam held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Anne took Sam's hand in hers. "You too."
"Sam was telling me that her date isn't here yet, so I asked her to sit with us," Stephen explained.
Anne smiled at Sam. "Please, sit."
Sam returned the smile as she took the seat next to Anne's. Their meals had already been placed at the tables. "Thanks for sending Stephen over. I never know what to do with myself at these things."
"Neither does he," Anne supplied with a laugh.
Sam stole a glance at the door. Where is he? she thought to herself.
"Not here yet, huh?" Anne asked as she watched Sam.
Sam shook her head. "So, Anne, Stephen was telling me that he just got a new assignment."
Anne nodded. "I have no idea what it is, though."
"Top secret," Stephen supplied.
Sam nodded, wondering if it had anything to do with the Stargate.
"What do you do, Sam?"
"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist. I work in deep space radar telemetry."
Sam thought that she saw Stephen's eyes widen, but a moment later, his face was back to normal, and she wondered if she'd imagined it.
"That sounds fascinating," Anne said.
"It can be," Sam replied. She had perfected the cover story over the years, so that the smile that would have been playing on her face eight years ago was not present.
"How about you, Anne?" Sam asked.
"I'm a stay-at-home mom. We have two kids," Anne said, a glow of pride on her face.
"Really?" Sam asked.
"A boy and a girl," Stephen said.
"How old are they?"
"Our son is twelve and our daughter is ten," Anne said.
"Oh, wow. I have a niece and a nephew who are about that age."
"Do you see them much?" Anne asked.
"Not as much as I'd like. They live in California."
"Kids are great. It's been wonderful, watching ours grow."
The conversation continued as they finished dinner. Just as the plates were being cleared, Sam spotted the man that she had been waiting for standing at the door.
Her heart fluttered as she took in the distinguished man in his dress blues who was shaking hands with a man who had practically ambushed him as he stepped into the room. Sam could see that he was annoyed. He kept looking around as the man chattered on about something or another.
His eyes stopped roaming as he spotted her. He smiled, and without so much as a "goodbye," to the man in front of him, he walked over to Sam.
"Hey, Sam," he said, as he came to stand next to her, placing a kiss on her cheek. "How long have you been here?"
"Since 7, Jack. I want you to meet some people. This is Stephen and Anne. This is my husband, Jack."
Stephen was already standing. "General," he said in greeting.
Jack nodded in return and held his hand out to Anne who took it and shook it. "Husband?" she said, turning to Sam.
Jack turned to Sam too. "What have you been telling them?" he asked jokingly.
"That I was waiting for my date. Who was really late."
"Sorry," Jack said, no apologetic look on his face. "Got held up. Pushing papers."
Sam smiled at the phrase. "It's okay. Anne and Stephen were good company."
"You ready to go?" Jack asked.
"You just got here," Sam said, though she was not shocked. Jack hated parties more than she did.
"General Gregory already ambushed me about something, not sure what, but I'm not eager for it to happen again."
Sam smiled. "Okay, let's go."
She turned to Anne and Stephen. "It was really nice meeting you. I hope to see you again soon."
"Nice meeting you too, Sam," Anne said.
Jack and Sam turned and headed towards the door, Jack keeping his head down and walking faster than was necessary, so that he could avoid General Gregory, who was still standing by the door.
As they walked out into the warm summer night air of Washington, they took each other's hands, interlocking fingers.
Jack held their hands up. Sam's wedding ring shined in the light from a street lamp. "Have I told you how much I like seeing this on your finger?"
"A couple hundred times. And I love it too," Sam said.
As Jack looked up, he saw that Sam was looking not at the ring, but at his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her. "Let's go home."
***
Sam entered the Briefing Room along with SG-1. Although she was stationed at Area 51, she had been called into the SGC to brief the commander of the new X-304, the Daedalus, which was about to embark on a rescue mission to the Pegasus Galaxy. Daniel and Teal'c were there to provide information based on their experiences with the Prometheus, and Cam and Vala had tagged along.
Sam followed Cam into the room, but stopped at the top of the stairs. Standing on the other side of the Briefing Room table, looking down at the Stargate, was a man. who looked vaguely familiar.
"Stephen?" she asked.
The man turned his head, and Sam saw that she was correct. "Sam?"
"You two know each other?" Cam asked.
"We met while I was in Washington," Sam answered. "It's good to see you again. You're the new commander of the Daedalus?"
"This is Colonel Caldwell," General Landry said, coming out of his office. "Colonel Caldwell, meet SG-1."
"Wait, you're Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter?" Stephen asked.
Sam nodded. "Guilty. This is Lt. Colonel Cam Mitchell, Dr. Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, and Vala."
The three men and Vala nodded to Caldwell, and everyone took their seats at the table. SG-1 and General Landry briefed Colonel Caldwell on what they knew about the Atlantis expedition and the Wraith, as well as some of the aspects of the X-304-class ships.
As the meeting adjourned, Caldwell stopped Sam. "It's good to see you again."
"You too. I had no idea that you worked for Homeworld Security."
"Yeah, your husband appointed me to this post," Stephen said, curiosity in his tone.
Sam smiled. "Jack has an eye for talent. We've been married for almost a month now."
"And before that?"
"He was in command here. We got married right after he got promoted. Stephen, no one here really knows about Jack and me. General Landry and Cam are new here, and I'm not ready to tell them."
"Your secret's safe with me, Sam."
"Thanks, Stephen. I appreciate that. I'm not in his chain of command now, but I was for a long time. I don't want anyone looking at either of us differently just because we're together now."
"Do me a favor though, will you, Sam?"
"Sure."
"Look after Anne for me. I wish I could tell her what I'm about to do, but I can't. And I don't want her to worry."
Sam smiled at Stephen and nodded. "Will you do me a favor?"
Stephen raised his eyebrow.
"Be careful out there. And come home safely."
Stephen smiled before turning towards the elevator, almost ready for the mission ahead.