Set during Threads
The Blessing of Misunderstanding
Colonel Samantha Carter sat in her living room. Finally after all these years the Goa'uld were gone and the Replicaters were gone. The good guys had finally won. And Daniel was home safe and sound. On a professional level she was ecstatic. After eight long years they had rid the galaxy from its oppressors.
But on a personal level, she really didn't think she'd been this crushed before. Her father had just died and she had ended her engagement with Pete. She had realized finally what she wanted.
She wanted General Jack O'Neill. But she was too late, he didn't care for her like that anymore. And why should he? She had been engaged to another man, for all he knew she had moved on. Now it was him who had moved on…had a life of his own.
Sam knew that she never should have waited so long to get up the courage to tell him her feelings. And right when she had been about to admit her feelings for him, Kerry had walked in. This was what happened when you don't say what you want to. You end up cold and alone she thought as she rested her head in her hands. The irony of this whole thing wasn't lost on her, finally when there was a chance that they could have been together, when what they had waited so long for had finally happened, one of them had moved on.
Suddenly her doorbell rang, startling Sam out of her musings. She got up and opened the door, and was surprised to find the man of her dreams at her doorstep.
"Can I come in Carter?" Jack O'Neill asked.
"Oh. Sure." She said as she opened the door to bid him enter.
Jack walked in and turned around to look at her. She closed the door and there was a moment of awkward silence. "Would you like a beer sir?" She asked.
"Oh. Ah no thanks Carter, I came to show you this." Jack said as he handed her papers.
Sam's back stiffened when she realized what they were. His transfer papers.
"I asked for a transfer to Washington and they agreed." Jack said awkwardly.
Sam's grip on the paper tightened. He had asked for a transfer…why? She thought. Suddenly she knew the answer, and a sharp pain hit her in the chest. Kerry. Kerry was on assignment from the CIA, she was only going to be here for a few more weeks. She lived in DC. Sam hadn't thought that Jack was that serious about her, but then she hadn't imagined the excruciating pain that was in her heart right now either. He was going to Washington…so that he could be with her.
Sam knew that even if Jack was dating someone else, though every single day it would hurt her to see him and not be able to be with him. She knew that the pain was nothing compared to not being around him at all. Sam closed her eyes and tried her hardest to block out the pain from her heart. It wasn't working.
If things had been different…these could have been his transfer papers, so that they could be together. But they weren't. They were his transfer papers, so that he could be with someone else.
"Your leaving the SGC?" She said hoping he couldn't hear the pain in her voice.
"Yeah." Jack whispered, his eyes trained on the ground, his hands shoved in his pockets.
"This is a surprise sir." She whispered.
"It shouldn't be." He told her as he lifted his eyes to meet hers. Sam couldn't take it and dropped her eyes immediately. Of course it shouldn't be a surprise. She'd seen Kerry at his house, knew that they were together. Sam felt the tears threatening but she held them at bay and just nodded her head in understanding.
"Your doing it because of love." Sam told him, knowing his answer.
"Yes." Jack confirmed.
All those injuries that she had received on the job through the years was nothing compared to this. She would gladly take that massive concussion that she had received last year while on board the Prometheus instead of the pain that she now felt. Having him confirm that he was transferring because of Kerry was unlike anything she had ever felt before. And she'd never fully realized how much she loved him until now. This felt like someone was yanking out her heart and crushing it into small bits.
She wanted him to be happy though, and if Kerry made him happy then she would be happy for him. She wasn't going to stop him. Sam put on a fake smile and met his eyes again.
"We'll miss you at the SGC sir"
"Yes. Well I've waited long enough for this." Jack told her.
Of course he had. After Sara and Charlie he had waited a long time for happiness. And now he would finally get it.
Sam handed him back the transfer papers.
Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Well I guess I better go get packing." Jack told her.
"Yeah." She said nodding her head.
"Bye Sam." He whispered as he walked past her to her door.
He walked out. "Bye Jack." She whispered to the empty hallway.
Sam went back into her living room and sat on her couch. She pulled her knees to herself, tears slipping down her face. The exhaustion of the past few days had finally gotten to her and she welcomed the darkness of sleep.
*****
Sam didn't hear the knocking that was at her door, and Jack, concerned for her, opened the door and let himself in.
"Carter?" He yelled. He walked into her living room and was struck by what he saw. Sam was curled up on the couch with tears on her cheeks.
Jack slowly walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder as he leaned down to brush away her tears.
"Hmmmm Jack." She whispered, a smile on her lips. She was still sleeping. She leaned her cheek against his palm.
"Carter…sleepy head…wake up." He told her gently. Jack knew he shouldn't. She was after all engaged. But if Sleeping beauty wasn't going to wake up, then he'd have to do it.
Jack leaned down and put a chaste kiss upon her lips.
Sam put her hands in his chest and they made there way up around his neck. "Jack." she whispered as her fingers stroked the hair at the back of his head.
Sam's eyes suddenly flew open and she immediately dropped her hands. "General! What…what are you doing here?" She asked confused.
"I forgot to tell you that because of the move, Daniel and T are having a shindig next week. A going away party they say. There's going to be cake." He said grinning.
"Oh. Of course." She said as she sat up. Jack took a step back, his smile fading.
"I better…" He said pointing behind him to the hall.
Sam nodded her head. Jack took a few steps to leave, but curiosity got the best of him and he turned back around.
"Why were you crying?" He whispered.
She swallowed. "I'll…miss you sir." She said honestly.
"Yes, Well… good luck with the wedding plans." He said as he walked out.
"It's over." Sam called out to him as she got up off the couch.
"Hmmm?" He said as he turned around to face her.
"I broke it off with Pete…I don't love him like a fiancée should."
Jack walked up to her, and stood within a foot of her.
"But…I thought he made you happy?" Jack said confused.
"There's only one person who can make me happy." She said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Who?" Jack whispered.
Sam knew she shouldn't say it, it wouldn't make a difference anyway. But she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. She'd always wonder about what if's if she didn't get it out.
"You." She whispered.
Suddenly Jack's hands were in her hair and his lips were on hers. As much as she enjoyed this, she knew it was wrong.
"Kerry." She said.
"What about her?" He said as his lips went to her neck.
Sam pulled away from him.
"You transferred because of her."
"No. She broke it off with me. I transferred because I didn't want to see you marry that shrub." Jack said honestly. "I love you. I couldn't stick around and see you marry him."
"So there's no Kerry?" Sam whispered.
"There's no shrub?" Jack said equally as soft.
"So you transferred because of my marrying Pete…Jack…We can be together, your no longer in my chain of command." She realized suddenly.
Jack smiled at her. "If that's what you want."
"Oh yes." She said as she put her arms around his neck. Jack dropped his head once more and kissed her lips.
"How about we go fishing?" He whispered against her lips.
The blessing of misunderstanding, Sam thought as she kissed Jack back. He had transferred because she would have married Pete. And she had been crying on her couch because she had thought he was moving because of Kerry. She had misunderstood…and they would have never had this talk without it. One little misunderstanding could change the whole future of a person's life. As her own life had just been changed.
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Author's Note- Thanks for reading! Let me know if you like it!