"For a man who doesn't dance," Sam said, "you do pretty well." After the first song ended, Jack attempted to let go and escape, but Sam just placed her hands on his shoulders and refused to let go.
Eventually, Jack gave in and put his hands on her sides, being extremely careful about how high or low he placed them, after all they were in the middle of an Air Force party.
"Just pretty well?" Jack joked.
"I can't go telling you how great a dancer you are. You'll end up with an even bigger ego that what you already have," Sam commented and then ducked her head as realized what she had said.
"So I have a big ego now?"
"Well, you are a flyboy," Sam explained.
"Is being a fly boy a bad thing?"
"Some girls find it to be really appealing while others know that the only reason a guy enlists is to pick up girls," Sam offered.
"And what do you think?" Jack questioned.
"I know guys who are in it for the whole chick magnet thing, but personally," she admitted, looking into Jack's eyes, "I've always liked a man in uniform."
That revelation ended all conversation between them for a while as they just enjoyed the music. When the band took a break, Sam relinquished her hold on Jack and together they went back to their table. Kawalsky and Ferretti were still there, but now one other man had joined them. Sam wanted nothing more than to turn around and flee from the room, but she refused to let her ex-fiancé cause her any more pain, so Sam just grabbed Jack's hand and seated herself between Ferretti and Jack, attempting to ignore Jonas Hanson's presence.
Jack thought it was kind of strange that Sam was ignoring the newcomer because she was always friendly towards new people, even him! He asked the men "So who's your new friend Kawalsky?"
Kawalsky didn't get the chance to speak as the aforementioned major spoke up instead as he extended a hand to Jack, "Name's Major Jonas Hanson, and I know of you though I've never had the honor of actually meeting you, Colonel O'Neill."
Jack stretched out to take the man's hand and attempted to place where he had met the man before but eventually gave up. Jack said, "Nice to meet you, Hanson, but I wouldn't believe everything that you hear about me, it can't all be true."
"Doesn't matter you're still a legend with the people I work with," Hanson complimented.
This is what Jack hated the most: the attention caused by his success even if it was only within the small community of black-ops officers. Wanting to direct the attention away from himself, he turned to Sam and introduced her, "Forgive me my manners, gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter."
"We've met," both Sam and Hanson said at the same time, which caused the other occupants of the table to exchange glances.
"Though you were still a major last time I saw you Samantha," Hanson claimed, dragging out the word Samantha.
"And you were being hauled off of some Lieutenant that you were supposed to teaching hand-to-hand combat skills to. But let's not dwell," she quipped in a sarcastic tone. "I think I need another drink," she proclaimed and stalked from the table to the bar as quickly as she could in high heels.
"What did you do to piss her off like that?" questioned Ferretti, ever the observant man.
Hanson took another swig of his beer before replying, "I was engaged to her."
Suddenly, things clicked into place for Jack; this was her ex-fiancé. The one Sam had broken things off with not long before her transfer to Colorado Springs. Though she had never said it, he firmly believed that there was more to the story than just the ending of an engagement.
"Yes, well, I suggest that by the time we return to this table that you make yourself scarce Hanson," Jack forcefully suggested as he stood and turned to follow Sam.
----
Sam wasn't at the bar, or anywhere else in the room for that matter. He checked the hallway, and even got another woman to check the bathroom, but still he hadn't found Sam. He got to the lobby and noticed that there was a door which led to a balcony. He walked out the door and found Sam sitting there.
"Hey," he said as he took the seat next to her, "Hanson won't be there when we get back."
"Thanks," she said as she buried her face in his shoulder.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Nope."
"Okay."
Jack had no idea how long hey sat there like that until he noticed how cold she was getting. "Come on Sam, if you don't want to go back in there, then let me take you back to your hotel. You're freezing."
Sam didn't speak, just nodded her head. So Jack stood up and wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder. Together, the two of them walked back into the hotel and took the elevator down to the main floor.
If either of them had been paying attention, they would have noticed the almost bald General that was following them with a deep seated look of anger on his face.
They took a cab back to the hotel, and being the gentleman that he was, Jack walked Sam to her room. Sam opened the door to her room, and then she turned around. She brushed her lips across Jack's lips and then quickly rushed into the room, shutting the door behind her before Jack had a chance to respond or even deepen the kiss.
Jack stared at the door with a huge grin on his face. He walked to the elevator to go on up to his floor, only to see an Air Force general had already hit the button.
"That your girlfriend?"
Surprised that the higher ranking officer would want to talk about such a thing, Jack still replied, "I'm not sure she would appreciate being called that, but I think that's where things are headed sir."
"She's a beautiful woman son," the man commented.
Jack found the conversation to be going in a very strange direction, but he continued it. "Yes she is, sir. I'm not sure what she sees in me, but as long as she's happy, I won't complain."
The man gave a short laugh, "You know, I said the same thing about my wife."
Just then the elevator appeared, and the man stepped inside, but not before his last parting words of "Make sure that you treat her well son, every woman deserves to have someone who loves them."
Jack never got a chance to respond before the doors to the elevator closed.
----
That night it took Jack a long time to get to sleep because he was thinking about the words of the Air Force general who intercepted him as he was leaving Sam's door.
Jack wasn't sure where this relationship between him and Sam was heading, especially now that she had been promoted. Promotion usually meant reassignment, and the more Jack thought about it, the more he couldn't imagine living anywhere else but in Colorado Springs. The town had become his home. At the same time, Jack had let Sam get closer to him, closer than he had ever let anyone else get.
For cryin' out loud, he had flown to Washington D.C., his least favorite place to be, put on his dress uniform, his least favorite piece of clothing, just to see his new favorite person. She hadn't asked why he was there but had looked pleased to see him. He knew that if Kawalsky and Ferretti had known that he had flown across the country, delaying his trip to Minnesota, just to see the blonde Colonel, he would have been on the receiving end of some serious ribbing.
Eventually, Jack's mind quieted down, and he was able to drift off to sleep.
----
The next morning, Jack wandered down to Sam's room and knocked on the door. When Sam didn't answer after repeated knocks, Jack pulled out his cell phone and hit the number 2 on his speed dial, Sam's cell number.
After two rings, she picked up.
"Carter."
"Hey, I'm standing outside the door to your hotel room, and I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast."
The next thing Jack knew he was talking Kawalsky. "Jack, get your butt down here and convince this lovely blonde to spend another day or so here in D.C. with us."
"Kawalsky, if you can figure out how to convince Sam of anything, please let me know," Jack requested as he entered the elevator and pushed the button for the main lobby.
"Then at least come down and eat with us," Kawalsky pleaded.
"I'm not sure if I have time," Jack explained as he walked into the lobby and headed for the hotel restaurant, "Do you know how long it takes to re-pack your bags?"
"Jack, are you telling us that you're not coming down to spend time with your girlfriend before you leave?" Ferretti called from the background of the phone, but Jack heard him quite clearly.
By the time Ferretti had spoken, Jack was standing directly behind their table, facing their backs, so when he said "She's not my girlfriend," at the same time Sam claimed "He's not my boyfriend," he got to see the reactions of the three individuals.
Kawalsky and Ferretti's heads snapped around and gave him huge, knowing smirks.
Hearing Jack speak and realizing that he was right there, Sam buried her reddening face in her arms as she said in a muffled voice, "I just want to disappear right now."
Jack took an empty seat at their table and said, "Don't let them bother you Sam, they're just jealous that you're smarter, better looking, and hold a higher rank than them."
"Not to mention younger," added Kawalsky.
"Add to that the fact that you get along well with Jack," claimed Ferretti, "and we wonder if there's something wrong with you."
Sam's eyes finally peeked out from her arms and she protested, "There's nothing weird about the fact Jack and I understand each other. You three get along rather well."
"We're guys," said Kawalsky like that explained everything, "We like to fly airplanes, shoot stuff, and blow things up."
"I'm a girl and I like to fly airplanes, fast airplanes, shoot stuff, and occasionally, blow things up," explained Sam, "So am I really that much different than you guys?"
"Nope," accepted Kawalsky.
"No," claimed Ferretti.
"Kinda," finished Jack. Everyone turned to look at him. "You're still a girl, and you're much smarter than us, but other than that, I'm pretty sure that most of the time you are just one of the guys. Except for the times like last night where no one could possibly think that you were anything but a beautiful woman."
Sam blushed at the compliment but other than that didn't acknowledge his words as she said, "So can we agree that for the most part, I'm just like you guys and that Jack and I are not dating?"
Nods of agreement came from Kawalsky and Ferretti before Ferretti asked the question from earlier in the morning, "So, Sam, why don't you stay here for a few more days? You could get a flight home on Christmas Eve just in time to celebrate with your family. I'm sure you wouldn't have any problem getting a few days downtime considering you and Jack are both teaching right now."
"He's right colonels. I know for a fact that you are both on downtime right now even," said a familiar voice from behind them all.
The group turned around, and Jack said, "General Hammond, good to see you again."
At hearing the world "General," Kawalsky and Ferretti made a move to stand while George motioned them back into their chairs, saying "As you were."
"But sir," Sam protested, "I don't have anywhere to stay."
"Sam, if I remember correctly, your father lives in D.C., and I'm sure he'd love to have you stay with him," promised George.
"Of course he would," murmured Sam.
"Doesn't matter Sam, I am on a plane to Minnesota later this afternoon," explained Jack.
"Come on Jack, it may be a long time before you see us again. We ship out to Iraq two days after Christmas. Why don't you go change that flight date until Christmas Eve and spend a couple more days here in D.C. with us," begged Kawalsky.
"No," replied Jack.
Now Ferretti started working Sam over, "Come on Sam, hang around for a couple more days. We can show you the sights of D.C., give you a little bit of blackmail on Jack."
"Nope, I'm getting on a flight back to Colorado Springs this afternoon," explained Sam.
"Actually, you aren't Sam. Colorado got 18 inches of snow dumped on it last night with more on the way. There is no possible way that any planes are making it into Peterson right now," explained George. "The only reason I'm leaving town is because I'm meeting up with my family in Texas. Give your dad one more shot, and if things don't work out, I give you my word that you will be on the first flight back to Colorado Springs on Christmas Eve day."
Realizing she had no other choice, Sam almost accepted and then realized that she could probably get something good out of this and a plan began to form in her mind. "Okay," she said, "on one condition." "You two," she claimed, indicating Kawalsky and Ferretti, "have to promise me some excellent blackmail on Jack here."
They exchanged glances before Kawalsky said, "Done," and they shook on it.
"I'm sitting right here guys!" Jack protested, "And there is no way I am leaving you guys alone with Sam for three days, so I guess I'm staying, too."
Sam had to work to hide her grin because everything had gone according to plan. "Good, I'll give Dad a call and see if he has room for two at his place."
"Not necessary Sam. I'll just request some temporary quarters on base," Jack offered.
"Oh no," insisted Sam, "There is no way I'm spending two nights at my father's place without back-up, and considering you are the only one without quarters already, you just became the prime candidate."
"But," Jack began, only to be cut off by General Hammond.
"Son, if there is one lesson you need to learn about Samantha Carter, it is that when she sets her mind on something, there is nothing you can do to change it. Give in now and you will save yourself a whole bunch of pain and suffering," George explained with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Fine. Call Dad and see if he has room for two," relented Jack. "But make sure that he understands that we are nothing more than friends. The last thing I need is for him to think that we're dating or something," Jack insisted.
Sam gave Jack one of her trademark smiles as she pulled out her cell phone and left the table to make a call to her father.
Jack took the chance her absence offered to turn to George and ask, "Colorado really didn't get any snow last night, did it?"
"I may have exaggerated things slightly," George admitted, "But I had words with Jacob last night and I pretty much told him that this is his last chance. If he screws this up, there is no way in hell that she will ever speak to him again and I won't even try to interfere."
"Uh-huh," Jack accepted like that explained everything, "and somehow I just played right into her hands and got dragged into the middle of an ongoing family feud."
"Probably, but I figure I can count on you to try and keep the peace, Jack. The same goes for you two. Not a word to Sam, or you will find yourself scrubbing toilets in Diego Garcia for the rest of your military careers," George threatened.
"Not a peep sir," Kawalsky reassured the General.
That conversation quickly ended when Sam returned to the table. "Dad said he had plenty of room for the two of us at his house, and he informed me that I was to invite all my friends to supper tonight at his house. He said he had to go out, but he told me where he hid the spare key. So how about Jack and I go check out, take our stuff over to his house, and then go explore D.C.?" Sam suggested.
An hour later, and everyone, minus General Hammond who had bid the group good-bye and made his way to the airport, was standing outside of Jacob Carter's house as Sam and Jack entered and put their bags in the living room. Locking the house up again, Jack and Sam went back out to the jeep they had borrowed from the motor pool and joined their friends for a day in D.C.
They spent the day touring the nation's capital, and as promised, Kawalsky and Ferretti made excellent tour guides at the various monuments around the city while Sam avoided traffic by making use of her knowledge of the city from when she was stationed at the Pentagon. They joked and laughed, shared stories, and quickly discovered just how much the four of them really did have in common despite their obvious age difference.
At exactly 1800 hours, the friends returned to the Carter house for dinner, an event that Sam was dreading with every fiber of her being.