COMMAND
She stepped into his office quietly and hesitantly. The Chief of Homeworld Security sat with his back to the door and his eyes out the window. "General." He spun around slowly as though he didn't want to disturb her presence in the room. Lifting his head to her, he responded in a more than familiar tone "Carter."
Walking softly, she stepped further into the office, closing the door. "I just came from my meeting with the President."
"Yes." Jack confirmed and waited.
"He offered me the Atlantis Command."
The General nodded his confirmation.
"Did you have anything to do with that?" She needed to know that everyone had the confidence that she was the person for this job and that no string had been pulled to give her a trump card.
"I agreed with the recommendation." He clarified as he leaned back in his very official looking chair and put his hands behind his head. "Congratulations."
"I haven't actually accepted yet."
"Why not? You should take it."
"I'm not sure I want it." Sam responded honestly, she thought.
"You want it." He said with a slight smile and looked at her like he knew her more than she knew herself.
She held his eyes searching for something, "What if there's more that I want?"
"Sam, you've worked hard. You deserve it."
"Are you suggesting that there are other things I haven't worked hard for and therefore shouldn't have?" She was teasing him and he knew it.
He smiled and looked at his hands. "Is there anything you haven't worked hard for?" He smiled at her with some element of pride and sadness before he told her. "Take the post."
"Jack," she began, shaking her head, but he didn't let her finish.
"Don't over-analyze this. There are some things you don't think about, you just do it because you know it's the right thing to do."
Sam lifted her head to take in not just his words, but his reaction. "Talking from experience?"
He looked at her and remembered so many times when he wanted other things for her, for them and he told her, "Yeah," in a resigned tone "too much."
She felt his words resonate through her. 'Too much' described many things they had been through, and yet some experiences they shared hadn't been enough. She walked around the desk next to him, supporting herself slightly on the large piece of furniture and sighed. "And we thought Washington and Colorado Springs made for a long distance relationship." She said, raising her hand to play with his willful hair.
"Who knew?" He said taking her other hand in his.
The hand in his hair moved slowly to caress his cheek, then tilted his chin upward, as she asked him, "What about you, now that, things are different?"
The edges of his mouth finally began to curl upwards. He remembered the somber tone, and how he felt the last time she asked him something similar. Almost asking his permission to commit herself to another man. This time she was concerned about his commitment to her, to them.
"I'll be here." He assured her as he kissed the palm of the hand he held. Then he claimed her, as he put his other hand on her waist, drawing her body to him. He looked up to her so that she could see his eyes, and the true commitment he had to her, and he reminded her, "Always."
Jack knew that he had to let his lover do this and support her fully, even as he secretly wished there was another way. He rested his head on her stomach, holding her to him, and felt her resume her playing with his hair with one hand, while she held his heart securely with the other.
END.