A/N: Hello, people! I just want to start out by saying that this is a One Shot and no sequel is planned, even though it could be fun to continue. :).

Also, this is set after SG-1 Season 10, Ark of Truth and Continuum. Though, there aren't any spoilers. It's just a little future fic, I suppose, you could call it, for the sake of fluff. :).

I hope you like it, since it's been a joy to write.

This is basically pointless, if you wish to call it that. It doesn't involve anyone dying or makin big revelations, it's just a phone call between Sam and Jack that ends differently then what Sam had expected. It's a nice little story meant to entertain and still you shipping hearts that someday Sam and Jack will be together.

EDIT: A huge thank you to Hobbes87 who informed me of my error at the end, the end has now been changed and I hope it works better this way! :). Thank you for letting me know, again! And also thanks to JimBeamer5 who informed me of it too!


Samantha Carter knew she was a workaholic, she'd known if for quite some time now. In fact, it was her former CO who'd first mentioned it to her, so it was something she was sure not to forget. Knowing that she was a workaholic also made it somewhat easier to accept the late nights and many sleepless hours beneath Cheyenne Mountain, long after the others had returned to their homes.

So, finding herself in her lab, at this late hour yet another night, Sam wasn't surprised. She was getting tired though, but still she couldn't seem to stop fiddling with the Naquadah reactor. She'd begun with touching up on a few things but in time had found that she couldn't stop working on it. Daniel and Vala had been by earlier that night to tell her to leave it and follow the two of them to dinner, she'd gracefully declined, something which she now regretted. After all, she was getting better and better at being a normal person who, occasionally, left work and not just the workaholic.

She owed that, also, to her former CO who'd given her a different approach on life outside the mountain as he'd taken her on a fishing trip. Sam smiled fondly at the memory, it was one of her most treasured. It had been just after her dad's death and her breakup with Pete and it had been everything she'd needed at the moment.

Sam was pulled from her thoughts as her cell phone suddenly rang, she pulled it out of her pocket and answered without checking caller-ID.

"Carter."

"I'm bored."

Sam smiled again, the voice of Jack O'Neill always seemed to have that effect on her. Aw, hell, anything that had to do with Jack O'Neill had that effect on her.

"And what can I do to help?" Sam asked.

"…Talk to me?" Jack asked, and Sam heard the innocent plea not to hang up on him yet.

"Okay," Sam nodded, momentarily forgetting that he couldn't see it. "How are things going in Washington? A bit slow, sir?"

"I think me calling you at this hour pretty much answers that question, colonel."

"Oh," Sam began, a twinkle in her eyes. "I see. So you wouldn't be calling me unless the job was running slow? What a way to make a girl feel appreciated, sir."

"Carter," was Jack's response, his voice giving her that telltale warning not to push things further. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Oh, I'm sure, sir. I'm just wondering when you became a workaholic. That is, I'm assuming you're still in your office."

Sam heard a sigh on the other end of the line, "I must have spent too much time with you, I'm blaming this on you, you know, Carter."

"…Am I correct to take that as a yes?"

"Yes, Carter. You are."

"Good," Sam smiled.

"Could we move on to other topics, please?"

"Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know," Jack responded.

"Well, sir, it was you who called me. I think you're supposed to pick a topic."

"Aw, do I have to?" he whined, sounding like a young child, which only made Carter's smile widen. "And you can stop smiling that I-shine-brighter-then-a-Goa'uld's-eyes smile, Carter."

Sam's smile did in fact falter at that comment, "How did you-?"

"As I said, I've spent too much time with you," was the response, and now Sam was sure she could hear the smile in his voice.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"When you're developing signs of workaholicism, it is."

"I don't think that's a word, sir," Sam smiled.

"…It's not?"

"No."

"D'oh."

Sam giggled briefly before catching herself doing it and abruptly stopped, though her smile remained.

"How's life beneath the mountain?" Jack asked after a few seconds.

"Good, sir. It's good."

"Still saving the galaxy every two hours or so? Not getting into too much trouble, are you? Teal'c's not going to have any dirty details if I ask him about you?"

Sam giggled again, "No, sir. Everything's good."

"Well, good," Jack repeated her word. "So… Did you catch the latest episode of Simpsons?"

"Eh," Sam began, grimacing slightly. "I'm sorry, sir, but I sort of missed it."

She heard his mock gasp of utter shock, "Missed? How could you miss it?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll try harder next time."

"I'll hold you to that, Carter," Jack said, and Sam knew he was serious about it. If there was anything he ever was serious about, it was 'the Simpsons'.

"Did you catch it, sir?"

"Me? Of course I did, what do you take me for, Carter? A Goa'uld?"

"Sir, I don't think the Goa'ulds know what a TV is, let alone 'the Simpsons'."

"…So?"

Sam sighed, "Nothing, sir. Absolutely nothing."

At this point, the conversation fell into a comfortable silence. No words passed between them for awhile, and none needed to pass either. It was just a nice little moment that Sam knew would last her through the week.

"So…," Jack said eventually. "Fish anything lately?"

"No, sir. The fishing part has been a bit… slow for awhile."

"Carter."

Sam sighed again, "Fine. Last time I went fishing was with you."

"You mean, six months ago?" Jack asked. "That's way too long a period to not fish in, Carter. You've fished at least four times a year the last three years. You're not coming down with a cold or anything, are you?"

Sam opened her mouth to say exactly what was on her mind, but she hesitated. Her hesitation must have been made clear to the general as he gently asked, "Carter?"

Sam sucked in her breath, she might as well confess to it, "Well, sir, all those times have been with you."

There was silence on the phone again, though undoubtedly not the same comfortable one as before. Sam knew she was stepping into dangerous territories, a room they'd both silently promised to keep locked until either one of them retired and they were free to act on their true feelings. In fact, the fishing trips were pretty much the only private moments that they allowed themselves to be Jack and Sam in, though they still were experts at avoiding the real reason as to why both enjoyed their private trips so much.

"Oh?" Jack asked in fake surprise a few seconds later. "You saying you can't go fishing by yourself?"

"Maybe… What about you, sir?"

"Me?"

"When did you last go fishing?"

"Oh, eh… well… That would be same as you, Carter."

Sam smiled and feigned surprise herself, "Oh? Why's that, sir?"

"Well, there's no fun doing it without my fishing parter, now is it?"

"No, it's not," Sam agreed with a soft smile.

"Actually, that's kind of why I called…"

"I thought you were bored."

"Ah, well, guess my covers blown," Jack admitted and Sam could practically see the shrug that came with that comment. "I wanted to know if you have any free time coming up?"

"Actually… I do."

"Great. When?"

"I haven't decided yet, I was kind of saving it for… something special."

"Like a fishing trip?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, excellent!"

Sam smiled at his obvious enthusiasm, "When do you want to go fishing?"

"How does July sound to you?"

Sam frowned, "Eh, sir, that's almost four months from now..."

"So? Are you free?"

Sam's frown remained as she responded, not bothering to check a calender, "I suppose... I don't have anything planned that far ahead..."

"Good," Jack proclaimed and Sam was sure he sounded even more cheerful.

"So, what day do you want to go fishing? Does a Thursday sound good to you?" Sam asked, still finding the prospect of waiting until July to go fishing a bit... odd, to put it mildly.

"Actually, I was thinking you should take a week off, hell, maybe even two and come up to my cabin."

"What?" Sam asked, frowning slightly in confusion. Not that she didn't like the suggestion, it was just that their trips usually only lasted for about a day.

"Don't you have the time?"

"No, no, it's not that. I have the time. I'm just wondering…"

"Why I want you to take such a long vacation?"

"Yeah…"

"Carter," here he paused and took a deep breath. "I'm retiring."


And that's that! Hate it? Love it? Care to share your thoughts? I know I'd appreciate them immensely. :).