Part 3 – Jack's POV
I'm late. Late late late late late. She's going to kick my ass. But it seriously wasn't my fault. The Joint Chiefs ran late, we started the meeting 20 minutes late, and I had to have a word with the Big Cahuna after the meeting about getting some time off to spend with Sam. Good thing he likes her, too.
The good thing about President Heyes is that he's an understanding funny little man. I told him that we needed some time alone before the wedding to go fishing, and he asked why he didn't get an invitation yet. I wonder if Sam'll mind having secret service guards at our wedding.
If she doesn't kill me for being 20 minutes late, that is.
I can see her up ahead now, her back is to me. Looks like she's talking to someone.
"Sam! I'm sorry. The Big Honcho and his group of merry men wouldn't let m get away. They want to start using the S-"
And then she turns around.
Oh shit.
Sara.
Ohh great. Just what I need now. My ex wife messing with my future wife's head. Great. Really.
"Hi, Jack."
Sam's smiling at me. Not that that's always a good thing, but she's smiling. I step closer to them.
"Sara."
"Colonel Carter didn't say she was meeting you." She says.
Sneaky little Sam. "Who did she say she was meeting?"
"A friend."
Friend. Yeahsureyoubetcha. I plant a kiss on Sam, just for effect. I love her for understanding why I needed to kiss her; she smiles that great little smile when I pull back.
I can tell Sara's surprised. We haven't spoken since… It's been at least 8 years, if not more.
"It's nice to see you again, Jack," she says.
"What'cha doing in DC? Come to pass a law? Create a new amendment?"
"No, nothing like that. Just visiting Mike."
Ahh, the prodigy brother. The lawyer that's still trying to get into politics.
"The bill of rights is safe, then. How's your father? Mike?" I ask her and I hope it's as sincere as I try to make it sound. Sam's looking bored, which is new to me. She's never bored. Or maybe she's just uncomfortable. I know I am.
"Dad's good. Mike got married a couple of months ago."
What a surprise. "Again?"
Sara only nods at me, like this was an obvious conclusion I should have come to.
"Is this one any better?" I ask her, because the last 3 were a bunch of the weirdest living creatures I'd ever met, and I've been around the galaxy a couple of times.
"Yes, she's actually a nice girl. A doctor."
"You always wanted a doctor in the family."
I'm going to have me a doctor pretty soon. A two PhDs doctor. Smartest woman on earth, doctor. I smile at Sam when she moves a little closer to me.
"I hope this one last longer," Sara says, and my attention drifts back to her.
"Sara's brother changes wives like dirty socks," I explain to Sam. One day I'll tell her more about him, Mike, the family's notorious womanizer.
I can tell Sam really doesn't care, all she says is "Oh."
Yeah. Got it.
"How about you? Colonel Carter told me about your promotion. Congratulations."
Sara nearly touches the stars on my jacket, and I can see Sam's tensing up. She told me she wasn't the jealous type…
"Thanks. It's a desk-job. You know how I am with those."
"He gets bored easily," I hear Sam say. I nearly shake my head at her, I like her like this. Possessive.
"Yes, I remember," Sara says and it isn't a fond memory, I can tell.
Gotta get off memory lane here.
"They try to keep me grounded by having President Heyes talk too much, but that doesn't help much," I tell Sara. Get off memory lane and show off a little.
"President Heyes? You've met him?" She's surprised.
She never did think I'd amount to anything. She always thought I'm going to be a field soldier forever. I always hated that I can't explain, can't tell her what I'm up to. What I'm up against.
"Ah, yes, he's my CO these days," I say instead.
"Oh, wow. I'm guessing you still can't talk about work?" this time she isn't surprised.
"Still need to know. Now more than ever. Sorry." Sam knows. That's good enough.
Oh, Sam! "Actually, Sam, he's excited about dinner tonight."
"It's just a pizza over satellite readings, Sir." I love the color in her cheeks when she blushes, it's adorable. And she'd kill me for thinking that she's adorable.
"You're having pizza in the oval office?"
I wonder if Sara figured out that Sam and I aren't really in the same chain of command anymore. I wonder if she figured out just what kind of 'friend' I am to Sam.
"One of those meetings I was telling you about," Sam says.
"Oh."
Guess she didn't tell her much more than that.
She looks at me. "So you left Colorado Springs?"
"Yep. I got an apartment in Georgetown." I don't need a house there now; when I come home I stay with Sam, anyway.
I hear Sam calling me. "Sir."
"Mike lives in DC too now. You should give him a call," Sara tells me.
Why would I want to talk to that slime ball?
"Maybe," I shrug. If she knows me half as well as she used to, she knows that's a no.
"Sir, we need to go."
"He's near Norfolk. I'll give you his phone number." Sara really doesn't get it, does she.
"Sir."
"I think I still have it," I tell her, which is a complete lie, I never kept any of the family's phone numbers. I have Mark's though.
"Oh. Okay." I win, she stands down.
"Jack!"
Sam gives me that 'we're gonna be late for that really important thing later' look. "Right, sorry, Sara. We need to go." I don't even look at Sara.
"I should probably go meet my… friend… too." She's lying but I don't care. Not my problem.
I smile instead.
"It was nice seeing you again," Sam says because I won't. I don't do nice.
"Yes, you too, Colonel Carter, Jack."
She walks away.
I grab Sam's arm and pull her to me, kissing her sweet lips just a little less tenderly than before
"Sorry about that," I apologize.
"S'okay," she's smiling at me so it must really be good.
"I thought you said you weren't the jealous type," I tell her.
Ohh I love when she bites her lip like that. She smiles at me. "I never used to be."
I take her hand in mine and we start walking towards the restaurant.
"Sweet," I say, squeezing her hand in mine.
When we'll sit down and order food, I'll tell her the President authorized a week off for me, and Hank's already signed her vacation papers, and we get to go fishing for a couple of days, just the two of us, me and the future Mrs. O'Neill.
