Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter summary: Jack sneaks off for a night out with Carter.
A/note: yes, I know Jon wouldn't actually be able to get friday night off, or saturday off base either, but for the sake of the story, can we let it slide? So, if you haven't noticed, the story has been changed to save my ass. Thank you to everyone for thier kind and tolerant reviews.

FIXED: I didn't do any research and had to make some adjustments. So for those who've read this already, please go check the changes. Yes, the main changes are hard to believe, but its the only way to save this story (and my ass.)

~SJ~

That evening

The shrill of her cell startled her as she drove towards her hotel block. After a moment of digging, she found the noisy item.

"Colonel Carter." She answered.

"Hey, it's Jonathan." Oh Jesus. She wasn't expecting that.

"Ah... Hey. What's up?" she tried not to come off as awkward. She failed. Rather epically.

"You still in town?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm down for a few days."

"Um..." Uh ha, there was his nervousness. "Did you like, want to catch up or something? Seems kind of a waste of an opportunity, ya know."

"Well, I'm free until I go back to Colorado on Sunday and I'm already in my car. Are you on base or off?" This was a bad idea. Surely.

"On base, but we get liberty tomorrow at one, have a place down the road from the academy. I'll text you the address."

"You learnt how to text?" she queried.

"Well, like Daniel said, anthropologists do it all the time. Learnin' to live with the locals and such." She could tell he was smiling at the shared memory of her threatening to eat a certain headdress.

"You're not an anthropologist." She teased. Why did she just tease him? What had gotten into her?

"I am now." He replied with a small, almost indiscernible sigh. Oh, of course, he was stuck in the body of an eighteen year old with the mentality of a fifty four year old.

"I'll see you when you get here. I'm calling in pizza, fridge is kinda empty, so get out of your A classes." He advised.

She scoffed and chuckled lightly.

"I thought you were stuck on base till tomorrow? Don't you dare go sneak off..." She threatened. She would not be the cause of any disciplinary action against him.

"Ah, but that's the thing. I put you down as my next of kin. If you happened to get sick, I can get off base to attend to your needs. Relax, if I asked on Monday, they'd definitely say no. It's Friday night so they'll be more inclined to get rid of me."

"Wouldn't they notice that you ask for leave whilst I'm in town?"

"Nup. I put you down as Sam Carter, my guardian. They probably think you're a guy. If they ask, I'll put it down to coincidence. They also think you live at my place anyway. I don't think they'll notice anyway."

She sighed. It's not like she could stop him.

"Alright then. See ya." She hung up.

What the hell had she gotten herself into? Nothing. It was nothing. They were old friends. Nothing more.

~SJ~

After sunset

He managed to get Friday night off, because his 'guardian' had supposedly come down with a bad case of the flu and may need his help over the next couple of days. He was right, the commandant was happier giving him Friday night off, than if he asked for a school night.

He didn't get to spend much time in it. Some of the other cadets whose families lived in town actually went home for Saturday night liberty. He nicked of to the small property as soon as the clock hit 1300h. He didn't totally mind living on base six days a week with the other cadets, but a man needs some down time. When he first arrived to the academy, the house was there and waiting, which raised his suspicions. It was bought and paid for in his name. It was about half an hour from the academy, tucked into a small forest area. To be fair, it was quite nice and none too shabby. Fireplace included.

Giving the kitchen a quick survey, a timely knock had him rubbing the back of his neck as he made his way to the front door.

Why were they doing this? This was nonsensical. Insane. They were playing a risky game by being in each other's very company. But it felt so good at the same time. Sinfully good. Dangerously good.

With a deep breath he opened the door.

"Hey there." He said with as little care as possible. Why should he? She was a distant colleague. An old friend. He took in her attire. Comfy dark jeans, one of those fiery motorbike jackets she wore sometimes. Used to. Used to wear sometimes.

"Hi. Long time no see." she joked. He indulged her light-heartedness with a shake of his head and a smile. He nodded for her to come in. She did. Awkwardly. Though only he would have picked it up.

He wandered ahead of her into the living room to hide his discomfort. It was an unusual feeling. Nervous, for reasons he was unwilling to identify, yet another part of him cried out for him to relax. In his mind, this was a friendly catch up between to two former colleagues. But, for some stupid reason, he wanted to completely let loose and get to know Carter outside of work. Then his mind screamed 'yes' and 'no' to him. He could, but he couldn't. She wasn't part of his life anymore. She was part of his. And he wasn't Jack O'Neill anymore. That piece of logic was the bit screaming 'yes! Go make a friend!'. But he was Jack O'Neill before then. That part cried 'No! You can't!'.

Shut up Jack, Jonathan is in control now. I have my own life now. And I'm not going to envy yours any longer.

"Wow..." she looked around the room. He subconsciously looked around for anything he had forgotten. Something on the floor or the sofa he didn't pick up.

"It's more organised than I thought..." something caught her eye across the room. "These are incredible photographs." She admired the larger frames that lined the walls. "Did you take these?"

She pointed to the one in front of her. It was a stream, with water flushing over some rocks. The colour was fresh and vibrant. He gave a small shrug and nodded. She didn't hide her surprise, or the fact that she was impressed.

The doorbell rang behind him, announcing the arrival of food.

"I got it." He retreated back to the door. Of course you've got it, you idiot, it's your house! He thought. He quickly returned with the large pizza, making a swift stopover in the kitchen for plates and two cans of soda, the only occupants of his fridge.

He handed her a diet Coca Cola, remembering she liked the taste better, and cracked open his own unleaded. He set the pizza box on the glass table and fell into the sofa. She sat next him like it was nothing. And it was. Really.

"Guess what." He said before biting into the cheesy slice.

"What?" she tore off her own piece.

"I quit drinking." He said in between bites.

"I should hope so. You're what? Eighteen...ish?" she guessed before taking a bite herself. She let out an indulgent 'mm'; obviously not getting enough junk food these days.

"Yeah. But I'm not going to start when I'm actually allowed to." He took another bite and swallowed quickly. "I figure, might as well quit whilst my liver likes me." He licked some stray tomato paste off his knuckle. "Why waste a second chance?"

"Fair point." she admitted, polishing the last of her slice off. "So, I'm curious: why am I listed as your next of kin?"

"Oh, I just needed a name when I enrolled. Yours was the first that popped into my head. I can't exactly use my other self. You don't mind do you?"

"No, not at all. I was just surprised... so... the Coast Guard, huh?"

"Yeah. Boats. Couldn't resist. Besides, apparently I have a knack for choppers. And it's not as regimental as the Air Force. Well it is, but it isn't. Ya know?" he asked. She nodded her understanding. "I wasn't up for the Army or Marines. I considered the Navy for a while, but eventually the Coast Guard won out. It's been good. I'm actually enjoying it. It's not full on military, but enough to make life comfortable."

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it." she smiled politely. And she was. It seemed to suit him.

"So how is everyone?" he asked lightly.

She gave him an 'I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you look'.

"Well, I'll get the worst of it out first." She finally relented to his mild pout.

"Uh oh..." he was worried.

"For one, Janet died offworld a couple of months after your incident..." she said sadly. He felt as though he had been punched in the chest. Janet was dead?

"How?" He felt tears grow in his eyes and he hid his face in his hands.

"Staff blast to the chest." He groaned. "She was saving someone else and got hit. Died instantly." She relayed mournfully.

Oh god... Janet.

"Cassie?" he remembered.

"She's in college at the moment. California. She was living with Janet's brother for a little bit." Her tone changed to something lighter. He would cry for Janet later. There was a lot more to talk about.

"Um also..." her voice went back to that sad and sombre tone. His chest tightened. Daniel? Teal'c? George?

"My dad and Selmak died a little over a year ago." She said quietly. He looked at her, now curled defensively in the corner of the sofa. She probably felt a bit vulnerable at the moment.

"Geez Sam... I'm sorry." And really he was. He briefly noticed how nicely her name rolled off his tongue. But he had begun to identify her as Sam in his mind a long time ago.

"It's okay. I'm fine. I was with him to the end and he went peacefully. We ended on a good note." She offered a shy smile and he knew she was being honest. He let her have a moment to compose her thoughts again.

"Congratulations on the promotion by the way. About time."

She smiled and began to tell him about Jack's promotion to Brigadier General and George's promotion to Lieutenant General. How Jack had taken over the SGC and made her promotion his first act. Jonathan smiled. He would have done the same thing. He was glad she got command of SG1. It sounded like things were going great. Apart from Janet and her dad of course.

Then things didn't sound so great. Alright, not a fair assessment, given it was no longer his life, but it wasn't totally right. Sam had nearly married another man. Some cop from Denver. Even weirder, Jack had gotten a girlfriend of his own. He couldn't get past the part about Sam breaking it off with this Pete guy.

"Carter...sorry, Sam, not to be dense, and it's not my place to pry, but: what?" he was confused.

She seemed conflicted about how much she would divulge. It was unreasonable to ask for the same censure as Jack, it wasn't his business. Anymore. However, as far as he was concerned, it used to be.

"I couldn't bring myself to marry him... I would have been settling. I could have been happy with Pete. He was great. But he wasn't everything I wanted... " She bit her lip and looked away. "Because there is only one person I really ever wanted."

They shared a sad silence.

"I'm guessing that's why I, Jack, broke it off with Kerry?" he felt shame for his second mistake.

To his surprise, she snorted. Then giggled. Not a girly giggle. More like a snigger.

"She broke up with him. Told him to retire. Called him he was an idiot for letting the Air Force keep us..." she trailed off. 'Apart', he presumed she was going to say.

"I hope he listened. He's a bigger idiot if he didn't." He admitted.

He was surprised at his honesty. Actually, more at his openness. He would never lie to her about their thing. The thing they used to have. The thing she had with him.

"I guess that's where you and he differ." She shrugged sadly. She tried to smile but it was hardly convincing.

"Wait... so you two didn't..." he left her to finish the sentence. She sighed.

"Well... he got promoted again and moved to Washington. I left the SGC to work at Area 51; it let me live a little closer to Cassie. We weren't in the same chain of command anymore, but I told him I was going to Nevada and he let me go. Never followed. It didn't take long for the SGC to get a new commander, Hank Landry, I think you knew him. SG1 got a new commander too: Cameron Mitchell. He brought us all back together and now I'm back on SG1." She explained, deliberately keeping him in the dark about the Ori.

He was left in stunned silence. What the hell... the man was a moron! Jack O'Neill, you were a genetic advancement in the wrong freaking direction! He left that man in charge with only one mission: make good on his feelings for Sam. The feelings that Jonathan still carried around with him every day, despite his best efforts. They were there, strong as ever, he had just pushed them far away.

"That's it." He stood up quickly. "Grab your bag, we're going out." He ordered.

"What?" now it was she who was confused. Impatiently he took her by the elbows and removed her from his couch.

"If that dipstick didn't take his chance, then even if it's the last thing you and I get to do together, we're gonna go and have some fun." He hooked her bag over her shoulder. "Tonight we're Jonathan and Sam. And I am personally going to follow you out that door... I promise."

That seemed to have sold her. He held out an innocent hand. She studied it for a moment, but gave him an abandoning grin and took it. He decided to screw following, he tightened his grip on her hand and lead her out the front door. Exactly like Jack should have done.

~SJ~

A/note: Yeah, I know there are some factual errors.