Title: Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own
Summary: Her orders were simple. Lead her team to an alien planet, perform a threat assessment, retrieve Doctor Jackson, and come back home… that was the easy part. Nobody ever told her she'd have to recruit a certain Colonel Jack O'Neill into the SCG the minute she got back. S/J, AU
Rating: T for naughty language… may be changed later to M later for naughty... other things.
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Don't. Own. Anything.
A/N: This fic is completely AU, beginning at the start of the series… with a few changes. Be warned, I'm not a fan of actual plots, so don't expect some twisty turny story here.
"…Base camp was hit while we were on recon, sir. By the time we'd gotten back to the Stargate, it was too late... there were heavy casualties, Major Ferreti included, and we had to fall back to the SGC. Dr. Jackson urged the Abydonians to bury the Stargate, to prevent Apophis from returning, and we… left."
Colonel Carter sat up a little straighter. As far as a first missions were concerned, this one hadn't gone off as well as she'd hoped... considering it was her first time to an alien planet. The thought still astounded her. She glanced around the briefing room table. Kawalsky was sombre - for a change - but it was Daniel who she was concerned about. The archaeologist seated beside her was lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't said a word, not after he'd stepped back on Earth and insisted on finding his wife.
"So are we just going to sit here talking for the rest of the day?" Daniel asked with a heavy sigh, taking off his glasses, and rubbing the bridge of his nose in agitation.
"Procedure, Jackson. I realize you want to find your wife... I assume she was taken by the same hostiles who came through the Stargate?" the General asked, scribbling notes on a document before him, even though their briefing was being recorded anyway.
"Yes sir, it was those dammed metal wearing bastards," Kawalsky clarified, feeling a monumental sense of guilt. He'd been there, seen it happen.
"I have to find her General, I can't..." Daniel couldn't finish his sentence.
"We think Feretti may have seen the coordinates for the planet they took her to," Sam added with more confidence than she felt. There was no certainty Feretti would ever regain consciousness, let alone remember the coordinates.
"So what are you saying, Colonel? You want to go after them and risk endangering Earth more than we already have?" Hammond asked, his ball point pen tapping the briefing table.
"Yes sir. Permission to launch a rescue operation. Immediately." Sam said, with a slight edge to her voice.
"Request denied...at least for the moment. Let's not kid ourselves people, we're in way over our heads. If it were up to me, that ring would have stayed buried in the ground..."
Hammond looked up at the defeated faces before him, deciding to put them out of their misery.
"...Unfortunately for me, the president seems to agree with all of you. In the event these theories about the Stargate's capabilities pan out, he has ordered the formation of nine teams, whose duties will be to perform reconnaissance, determine threats and if possible, to make peaceful contact with the peoples of these worlds. These teams will operate on a covert, top-secret basis. No one will know of their existence except the President and the Joint Chiefs."
With no response except silence and widened eyes, he continued.
"Colonel Carter, your team will be designated SG1. It will consist of yourself, Major Kawalsky, Major Feretti, and-"
"Me." Daniels voice was soft yet decisive.
"Doctor, the frontlines are no place for a-"
"No! General... please, I know this is your decision, but I just… really have to be on their team." he pleaded.
"Sir. I have no objection," Sam stated, "Dr. Jackson's expertise will no doubt be of use."
Truthfully, Sam had no idea if this was true. She was still trying to wrap her mind around this... traveling to other planets... her own team! She couldn't help but feel a small glow of satisfaction, which brought with it a certain guilt considering the circumstances.
General Hammond frowned for a moment before looking back up. "I'll give it some thought… but even if I do agree, it will be strictly on a trial basis Doctor. Now Colonel, you have a rescue mission to plan... your schedule and official orders are waiting for you on your desk. See to it that you team is prepared. You have all the facilities of this base at your disposal."
"Thank you sir." Sam nodded, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"What about O'Neill?" Kawalsky asked suddenly.
"Jack O'Neill?" Daniel asked with a slight smile, "That's a name I never thought I'd hear again. How's he doing? I half expected him to have returned to Abydos to 'retrieve me'."
"Colonel O'Neill turned down the option to return to the SGC, there's nothing we can do about that presently." the General informed.
"He wasn't even told it was about the Stargate. He probably figured the mission involved a trip to the Middle East. If he knew what was really going on, he'd join us. We can't pull off this mission without him," Kawalsky said firmly.
"We've managed to get this far without O'Neill," Sam said, pointedly.
"With all due respect Colonel, we were lucky. If we're thinking of planning a tactical strike on an enemy we barely know, then Jack's the guy we need on this operation. He lead us on the first mission to Abydos, and killed Ra!" Kawalsky urged.
"He also failed to carry out his orders to destroy the Abydonian Stargate… Then he falsified the report! " Sam argued, getting irritated quickly.
"Well he couldn't just blow up a populated planet!"
"That's not the point!"
"Of course that's the-!"
"Major! Colonel!" The General snapped.
They both jumped, turning to their CO.
"Personally, I think we need every last bit of experience we have on this operation, but that doesn't change the fact that Colonel... Mister ...O'Neill is retired, and flat out refused the assignment when he was approached by us, which is why it was passed to you, Colonel Carter, in the first place. Now you have exactly 48 hours before you leave. If either of you can convince O'Neill to change his mind, then we'd be much better off. Otherwise you're on your own. Now go home and get some rest... all of you. Dr. Jackson, please refrain from contact with any friends or family until we come up with a cover story for your sudden return from the dead. Anything else?"
Nobody said a word.
"Good, dismissed."
No less than five seconds after Hammond stepped out of the room, Kawalsky felt a stinging punch in his arm.
"Aghr! Carter, why'dya-"
"What the hell was that Kawalsky!" Sam snapped, getting to her feet, and looking down at her subordinate with a violent stare.
"What was what?"
"You practically called me incompetent in front of the General! You just couldn't wait to get me out of the way so that you and O'Neill could skip through the Stargate hand-in-hand and explore alien planets 'till your heart's content! God- why is everyone on this base so in love with Jack O'Neill!"
"Wha-huh? I said no such thing!" Kawalsky said, looking to Daniel for support. The archaeologist raised his empty mug, and mumbled something about 'no caffeine on Abydos' before making a hasty exit.
"Coward!" Kawalsky called after him, turning to face his now extremely frustrated CO.
He wisely waited a few seconds for her to calm down before speaking. It was no secret around base that she was not someone you wanted to piss off.
"Look, Colonel Carter... I know I gave you a really hard time at the start when I found out I'd have to take orders from a scientist... and yeah, a woman-"
"Well that's your proble-"
"Hear me out will ya! Jeepers, I'm trying to say that I grossly underestimated your abilities, but I've learned my lesson. There's a reason why you made the rank of Colonel so early, and I respect that."
"You just think O'Neill could do a better job than me." She stated, eyes narrowed.
"Yes. I mean- no... Argh! You make me nervous, y'know that? Permission to speak freely."
"Granted."
"We'd have a better chance with O'Neill on our side, Carter. That's just the plain truth. I think rescuing Dr. Jackson's wife is more important than maintaining your..."
"Go on, say it."
"Ego."
Sam sighed, sinking back into her seat. All at once feeling petulant and childish for wanting to protect her position at the SGC this way. Sure, she'd made Colonel young, but she'd been passed up for a hundred different career opportunities because people felt safer with a man in charge... but this wasn't about her.
"You're right Charlie."
"Whoa- can I get that in writing!"
"Don't be an ass."
"Sorry... so... what now?"
Sam bit her lower lip, hating having to recruit someone new to this mission. Regardless of the fact that they shared the same rank, O'Neill would automatically be given leadership since he was the senior officer... she wasn't sure if she was ready to give that up. Looks like she didn't have much of a choice though- she couldn't let herself be territorial, not when there was so much at stake.
"O'Neill. Find him, bring him here. Drag his butt here if need-be, but get it done. The General obviously thought it was a good idea... let the Colonel know that we just need him for one mission. ONE."
"I wish it were that simple… He won't listen to me, I'm his buddy. He needs to hear this from someone else..."
"Daniel then. He'd be up to it."
"No-can-do. Daniel's not supposed to come into contact with anyone yet, remember? We can't tell Jack about this until he agree's he's in."
"Shit. Well Feretti can't do it, so who the hell did you have in mind to pay him a visi— oh no! NO. Forget about it."
"Aw c'mon Carter! Just make an official visitation, confuse him with all your big words and geek-talk. He won't know what hit him."
Sam rolled her eyes, "Listen Major, you can forget about it right now, the answer's no."
"I'll give you fifty bucks."
"Wh-what?"
"Carter, I'm tired and hungry, and I don't have nearly enough energy to argue with a superior officer. So what d'ya say?"
Sam smirked… as much as she detested the man, she was incredibly curious to meet Jack O'Neill, if only to prove that he'd lost his edge during retirement. Probably spent his days with a beer in one hand and a tv remote in the other.
"Make it a hundred and we've got a deal Kawalsky."
"Done."
Jack O'Neill had a beer in one hand and a tv remote in the other.
He had stumbled into his home a few moments ago, deciding to drink brood in private instead of at a bar... not much difference, the effect would wear off too soon, and he'd have just as good a chance of getting laid here... which wasn't very good at all. He put down his half filled beer bottle, deciding he was done with it. He never allowed himself to get so drunk he couldn't neutralize a weapons grade explosive in under two minutes. Granted, you'd have to actually tell him it was a bomb, or he might just throw up all over it instead.
He hated living like this. Maybe someone had called?
'You have no new messages'
Jack glared at the answering machine before falling into his couch. Figures nobody would remember.
He hated birthdays. Especially his own. Life used to be so simple... he remembered turning twenty-three and being single, with nothing to care about but himself. Now he was forty-three and divorced... with nothing to care about but himself.
Just wasn't the same thing.
Jack glanced to the phone which had, surprisingly, started ringing.
"O'Neill."
"Jack, is she there yet?"
"Charlie, you make less and less sense every time I talk to you."
"Damn... I thought she'd be there by now. She already took my money, so she'd better be," he heard Kawalsky mutter.
"You paid some woman to come here?" Jack asked confused.
"Long story. Let's just say you'll be getting an interesting surprise on your doorstep any moment, and I hope you accept."
"A surprise? Well at least someone remembered."
"Remembered what? Shit-- gotta go Jack, duty calls and such."
Jack heard a click and a dial tone.
"Well that was odd," he said to to an empty room.
No sooner had he sat down, his doorbell rang. Repeatedly.
"Kawalsky, this better be a massive sized birthday cake... or beer. Beer cake? Hmmm..."
More ringing. Then some knocking.
"Yeah, yeah I'm right here, no need to- "
Jack flung open the door... which was precisely the same moment when he felt his thoughts grind to a halt.
"Colonel O'Neill I presume?"
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