The Next Day
"Daddy!" Ty says, flinging himself into his arms as soon as he walks through the door.
"Hey, buddy," Jack says, holding onto him and giving him a light kiss on his cheek. He's never kissed his son before. He didn't feel comfortable enough before, but suddenly, seeing how much his son missed him, it felt right. His son smells like baby shampoo, and color crayons. Jack decides that this is the most amazing smell I the world.
He sets his son down. "Can we go fishing?" Tyler asks excitedly. Jack mentioned fishing before the Abydos mission, and his son's been thinking about it ever since.
"Not today, it's raining," Jack points out.
"Doesn't that make the fish bite better?" Tyler asks.
Jack laughs, "Actually, that's true, however; I am not going to take a kid out in the rain to fish."
Tyler starts pouting. Jack grins, "I brought you that new book I promised," he says, pulling it out of his bag.
"Read it to me?" the kid says holding it up.
"I will, in a bit. I've got to talk to your mom first," he says, giving the kid's head a rub before heading into the kitchen.
"Carter," he says, walking into the room. "I, ah… wanted to give you something," he says, handing her an envelope.
She smiles, and opens it. "Jack, I can't accept this, this check is for thousands of dollars!"
"I know, I guess you could say I'm way behind on child support. I'll get you more… eventually. And I started a college savings account for him, too…" he says.
"Jack, you don't have to do that," Sam whispers, "I took care of him." Her voice has a dark edge of challenge in it.
"I want to, Sam," he says, closing her hands over the envelope. He shifts on his feet, "So… the General put us on different teams." General Hammond had made that announcement at the debriefing a few hours before. Hammond didn't like demoting him, but he didn't have much of a choice if Sam and Jack were going to be separate. No-one but Jack O'Neill was really qualified to lead people through the gate besides himself, and unfortunately his body (not to mention his daughters) wouldn't let him do missions like that anymore.
"It doesn't matter much right now, both teams are going through the gate tomorrow," Sam says.
"I know, but it might matter someday, and I just wanted you to know… I wasn't pushing for you to be on SG-2."
She's confused by this, "I thought you asked us to be on separate teams."
"I did, but I wanted you to be the one that got to keep SG-1."
She smiles, "Well, I thank you for that, but it was a completely illogical wish."
The combat of the day has caused a stray hair to lose the hold of the hair gel and fall on her face. It's begging him to wipe it away. He remembers the moan she used to make when he'd wake her up by running his hand through her hair. The same motion he used on his own hair when he was nervous. Only, when he did it on her, it didn't make her look ridiculous. It looked right on her. In fact, her new hairstyle looked a bit like it had been designed for him to run his fingers through.
He wants to touch her so bad that he aches, but instead he just turns and walks into the living room to read to his son.
Sam stands in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, watching her son curled up next to Jack on the couch. She remembers the way that it felt when she was tucked into all of his nooks and crannies in the way that her son is right now. She allows herself to remember, for the first time in four years, how safe she felt when she was with him.
She's desperate for that safety now.
But she has to keep her distance. She can't let him get to close, or he's going to figure out that she doesn't really deserve her son.
-0-0-0-
"Well, the kid finally conked out," Jack says, coming down the flight of stairs. "So, I guess I'll see you at work tomorrow."
She smiles, "Wait a second, Jack." And then she starts walking up the stairs. He follows her, and her heart starts to pound at a thousand miles a minute when she walks past the kid's room and into her own.
He swallows hard, and gives a brief smile when she turns back to him uncertainly. He feels weird being here. He felt right at home inside her tent. The two of them, huddled together on a cot made for one. With a big empty tent, a tent made for dozens, but only containing two.
This is different. The bed is made for two people, but the room is made for one. It's all Sammy in there.
She walks over to his closet, and he stands awkwardly in the doorway. She grabs down a box, "You know when you got to get your film developed, and there is always that box to check, "Single, or double?"
He stares at her, still having absolutely no idea where she is going with that. He gives her a slow nod.
"I always click double," she tells him slowly.
And suddenly Jack can't breathe. He stares at the box in her arms like a man starving.
"It's every picture that I've ever taken of Tyler," she says, putting the box in his arms.
Jack has never wanted anything in his whole life as badly as he wants that box of pictures, but he also knows that it's too much, that he can't take this from her. "I can't, Sam."
She traces his name on the cover of the box. Jack. "I got them for you," she whispers, "It was stupid, I know. I didn't believe that I would ever see you again, but… they were always yours, Jack."
His eyes are wet, "Sam, I can't thank you enough… it's…" but there are no words to come after that. No, there is no description of what that box of pictures mean to him.
"And you asked about your mom before, I never gave you an answer. But yeah, I think we should meet her. Where does she live anyway?" she asks softly.
"Chicago, she'd be willing to fly down any time that's convenient," Jack says.
Sam nods her head. "So, the weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow, did you want to take Tyler fishing?"
"Sure, I can pick you guys up…" Jack begins.
"If you wanted… it could just be a father and son thing." Then, suddenly, she pauses, "Unless, of course, I mean if you don't want to have to take care of him, or something, I would be more than willing to…"
He stops her, "You trust me that much?"
She nods her head, but she refuses to look at him. Of course she trusts him, but doesn't that just mean that's dangerous? Doesn't that just mean that he has the power to destroy them all? But what choice does she have? She either has to trust him with her son for an afternoon or trust him for a lifetime.
The Next Day
It's not a situation Jack ever pictured himself in. Charlie threatening Carter's life. Well, actually, it was something Charlie had talked about a lot. Back when Jack was curled up in the fetal position waiting for death. But it wasn't something he ever imagined now. Charlie knew how much she meant to him. That she was the only person, the only person he had ever imagined spending his life with.
But it wasn't really Charlie.
"Don't shot," he says, looking into Carter's eyes. He wants to tell her that everything is going to be alright, but the words won't come out of his mouth.
Charlie climbs into the elevator, and he pushes the gun of an airman who didn't listen to his pleading down, "Don't shot," he says, never losing eyes with Carter until the elevator door slams shut. Jack takes off running, having noted what floor Charlie had sent them too. He starts to pray, to no-one in particular, that he isn't going to be too late.
And there is Charlie, not the thing that looks like Charlie, but Charlie standing in the elevator "Well, it's about time. Gimme a hand here."
Jack looks at his friend in shock, "Charlie, what the hell's going on?"
"I don't have a clue, Colonel, but she's hurt bad. We have to get her to the infirmary," Charlie says looking panicked.
Then Jack's eyes fall to the crumpled form of on the floor, "Carter?"
"For God sakes, Jack, my name is Samantha," she says, glaring at him.
He smiles at her, "Can we lift her?" he asks, looking at Daniel. He doesn't know why he thinks Daniel might know more about medical things than he does, but he really doesn't know anything.
"I don't think I have a spinal injury," Sam informs them.
"So, I can just carry her down there?" Jack asks those around.
"Let's wait for the infirmary staff to get up here, they've already been called," Hammond informs Jack.
-0-0-0-
"How are you doing?" Jack asks softly, coming to Sam's infirmary bed.
"Fine. They're sending me home for the rest of the day. They say that I'll be cleared for active duty again by tomorrow. How is Charlie?"
"Not everyone is nice enough to ask after their attacker," he says.
"It wasn't his fault, Jack," she says.
He sits down on the edge of the bed without being asked, "I know, but I just can't get that image out of my head. Someone threatening your life like that."
"I'm fine," she says, "Well, I'd better get ready to leave, then."
"I'll take you home," he says.
"No, you've got to stay here, Charlie…" she says.
He smiles, "They're not doing the surgery until tomorrow. Daniel is going to stay with him."
"Daniel needs sleep," she says.
"Daniel isn't going to sleep no matter where we go. He just saw his first dead body. Well, first dead body that was under 1000. Well, first dead body that was under a 1000 that didn't come back to life." Jack was wrong about that, but he didn't know that Daniel's first dead bodies had been his parents.
She nods her head, knowing that she's right. There is no way that she would have got any sleep right after their relationship blew up, and Jack hadn't died,"But I'll be fine at home. My dad is there."
"True, but I think to spend a whole day in bed with you. I think I'm a couple of years overdue," he says.
She giggles, "Ok, just let me change."
"We can pick up some movies on the way home if you want," he offers.
"Ok, but if we go to the video store, we are going to have to get Toy Story."
Jack laughs, "Has he seen it a bunch?"
"Enough that he has it memorized. He had his own copy, but he wore it out. Seriously! I didn't even know that was possible. I haven't got the chance to buy him a new one yet, so…"
"We would pretty much make his night," Jack says.
Sam nods.
"I've never seen Toy Story," Jack admits.
"Well, that is something that is going to have to be fixed immediately," Sam says, grabbing her clothes and walking past him. She's careful about the back flap of the hospital gown, but the beautiful view of those gorgeous legs, that's enough to make him relive all his favorite seconds with Samantha. He remembers what those felt like wrapped around his hips. He remembers the involuntary squeeze they made whenever she came. And that brought back the way she said his name with a sharp intake of breath. Like she was swallowing his identity whole.
She looks back at him self-consciously. "What?" she asks.
"Nothing," he says. But she remembers that look in his eyes. It was the look of a starving man before a banquet. The look someone gives a mirage in the desert. And the look he gave her every time they were alone in the tent, in that second before their bodies joined.
She just about invited him to come to the bathroom to help her dress. She could claim she couldn't lift her arm or something, right?
He glances away, blushing, and she uses the loss of eye contact to escape. But as she walks away, she thinks of all the times she make him blush, from the middle of his chest all the way up to his ears. And all it took was a few words of dirty talk whispered in his ear.
-0-0-0-
Surely this was the definition of perfection, Jack thought, looking around at the bed. Sam was laying on the other side, and their son was between them.
"Daddy, watch, he's going to say it again," Tyler informs him.
"To infinity and beyond," Jack quotes with his son.
Tyler giggles at the enthusiasm with which his dad says it.
"Tyler, it's time for you to be going to bed," Sam says softly.
"No, mommy, wait until it's over," Tyler whines.
"Ok, but as soon as it's over, you brush your teeth and go right to bed, then," Sam instructs.
Tyler eagerly nods his head, turning back to the television.
"Pushover," Jack accuses.
"Five minutes left," Sam mouths.
"Genius," Jack amends.
-0-0-0-
"Ok, the kid's out, now on to films made for adults," Jack says, popping the movie Sam had requested in. "'An Affair to Remember', sounds like it just about belongs in the porno section."
Sam starts laughing historically.
"What is so funny?" Jack asks.
"Oh, nothing you're just in for an… unpleasant surprise."
The movie begins. "It's in black and white?" he asks.
"Yes, Jack, yes it is," Sam says.
"There aren't going to be any sex scenes in this movie, are there?" he asks, handing her a bag of popcorn.
"Nope," she says with a grin.
-0-0-0-
Jack glares at the closing credits, "That was the worse movie ever," he says firmly.
Sam giggles, "It's widely considered the most romantic movie of all time."
"She should have just told him she couldn't walk," Jack says.
"Yeah, she should have told him," Sam says looking in his eyes.
"And he should have known she'd never really want to be with anyone else," Jack adds now knowing the game that they are playing at.
"Well, the evidence was pretty damning," Sam says.
"Still."
"Yeah, still," she says scooching down so she is laying on her side on the bed facing him.
"But you know, they got together in the end," he says.
"Even though she was hurt," Sam says, reaching over to take his hand. Jack scoots down on the bed next to her.
"So maybe it was a really good movie after all," he says, taking a hand to run through her hair.
"I think so, very romantic," Sam replies, scooting closer to them. Close enough that the familiar scent enters both of their nostrils. Some… themness… that can't be hidden by changing from military issued to their own soaps and shampoos.
Jack slowly puts his hand on Sam's cheek. A sure sign, she remembers, that's he's about to kiss her.
Jacob enters the room, "Sam, did you need anything before I go to bed…" He freezes, "Jack, I didn't realize you were still here."
Jack stands up quickly, "No, I was just leaving, the movie was done."
"Jack, I didn't mean to chase you out of my daughter's room," Jacob says, sounding truly apologetic.
"No, seriously, it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow at work, Sam. Have a good night Jacob," Jack says as he leaves the room.
Jacob walks over to turn off the television that's finished a movie, and pops the rented flick out of the film. "Well, no wonder," he says, holding up the movie title toward his daughter, "Your mother always said no-one could help melting after a movie like that."
"Actually, he said it was the worse movie known to man," Sam corrects.
"I'm sure he did, sweetie, that's why your faces were an inch apart when I walked in."