Author's note: Ok so here we are at the end, and the longest chapter. So I hope you feel this finishes well and have enjoyed reading the story. I'm very grateful for those who have followed the story and left comments it has really kept me going. Thanks.
Chapter 12
General Hammond wearily made his way from Level 15 to Level 28. The discussion had been long and arduous and, to his dismay, the President's advisors had won. The President had left Louisiana and was now on his way to Nebraska, to a defence site that wasn't completely classified: at least the bit above ground could be discussed with the Press core and allowed to be filmed.
Hammond, as well as several other high-ranking Generals, wasn't happy with the decision. He believed that the President should be at the SGC. It seemed incongruous that some lower members of the government had been allowed the protection of the SGC but not the President. However, the decision had been made, in part by the man himself. The President felt that there was enough of a national crisis without worrying about what the press could sniff out at the SGC. On that point the General did agree: so much would have to be changed or hidden before the press could even set foot on the base.
Hammond arrived on Level 28 and crossed the corridor into the briefing room, where for the last time - at least for today - he was met by his top personnel: the leaders of teams 1-6, Dr Frasier, and the members of SG-1. As before, the Air Force officers stood as Hammond entered and he quickly waved them to sit. They all waited patiently for their commander to speak.
"It's been decided that the President's going to the Offut base in Nebraska," he said resignedly.
"Is that wise, Sir?" O'Neill was the only one willing to question his superior.
"Only time will tell." Hammond sighed. "However, he can be protected there, and there's no national secret there that might be revealed, as is the case here. It's perhaps for the best. The Joint Chiefs don't believe there'll be another attack but have deployed several naval ships and aircraft carriers from Norfolk to protect the eastern seaboard. Our job now is to keep the people safe who've come to us before they can return to Washington."
"We have more than enough medical supplies," Janet commented.
"Yes, and we've arranged rooms for them to sleep overnight," the new leader of SG-3 spoke up.
"Well done, people, but I don't think the rooms will be necessary." He stopped and took in the surprised look on the faces of most of the people around the table.
"How do you mean, Sir?" Carter asked.
Hammond sighed. "The White House advisors feel that we should be showing a united front in Washington to show the terrorists that they haven't won."
There were murmurs in support of the plan and a few concerned mumbles.
"The President will remain in Nebraska until it's absolutely certain he'll be safe. However, his advisors feel that plans should be put in place to return the other government members as soon as possible."
"We've informed the Alpha site that they won't be needed," Jack reported to Hammond.
"Good, and I see you found Dr Jackson."
There was a smattering of laughter around the table.
"Uh, yes, Sir. It seems he was in his quarters." Jack gave the wayward Doctor a glare.
"Yes, General. I'll remind Jack to check all the obvious places next time he tries to find me," Daniel chipped in.
"Good to have you back, Doctor. Perhaps you could make yourself available on Level 15 for the rest of the day. Your skills would come in very handy."
"Yes, General, of course. Is there anything I need to know about the people who are here?"
"Only a few know about the program and those who do have been quietly reminded not to discuss things openly. But others are beginning to question the uses of this facility. I need you to keep your eyes and ears open and use your diplomatic skills to make sure that no one who doesn't already know finds out what really goes on here."
"Yes, General." Daniel began to rise from the table.
"Dr Jackson, SGs-3 and -4 are available to you and will be posted in the corridors should they be needed." Hammond looked from Daniel to those two team leaders. "You can make your way there now."
"Thank you, Sir." The two team leaders and Daniel moved to leave the room and Hammond resumed the briefing with the remaining personnel.
"Dr Frasier, you're to ensure that the people upstairs are fully catered for, medically speaking. Major Harper, SG-5 is to secure the entrance to the mountain and to make sure all Stargate personnel are taken past Level 15. Let's keep contact with our visitors to a minimum."
"Yes, Sir," both Frasier and Harper replied.
"Finally, I'd like to say well done, people. It's been a good day's work, albeit following such tragic events as have happened today." Hammond turned to Sam and Jack. "Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, please stay." He turned back to look at the others seated around the table. "The rest of you are dismissed." Hammond waited until everyone except O'Neill and Carter had left the room before continuing.
"Colonel, the President and the Joint Chiefs value your knowledge and experience and want your input on what next steps need to be taken, given your Black Ops missions from before you joined the SGC. And Major, the President wished any thoughts you might have on technology that we've discovered that could now be employed in the field to counteract terrorism."
"Does he want to see us, Sir?" Jack asked the obvious question.
"No, he's still on his way to Offut on Air Force One and he's working from there at the moment. He's on the phone with several key personnel as we speak, trying to find out who the perpetrators are. For the moment, he just wants us to have a discussion and for me to pass on any thoughts either of you had."
"Well, Sir, no new technology springs to mind but . . ." Sam began.
"Well, Major, you're the most knowledgeable in this field, so any thoughts would be useful."
Sam thought for a moment and then a crestfallen look crossed her face.
"Major?" Hammond questioned.
"Sorry, Sir, I just realised that healing devices would be good to use at the crash sites but I don't suppose I'd be allowed to use one." Her voice rose in an almost question, hoping that her CO would perhaps let her go.
"Sorry, Major, as good an idea as that is we couldn't use alien technology in that way." Hammond found it difficult to look Sam in the eye.
Sam sighed and tried again. "I suppose we also wouldn't be allowed to use any invisibility cloaks for the black op's troops?"
"Again, no. Is there any technology that's been back engineered and looks like an earth product that could be used?" Hammond asked, already knowing the answer.
"Not much, Sir. Most of that work's being done at Area 51 and, as far as I'm aware, any advances they've made are still classified and, to be honest, Sir, untested."
"Very well, Major." Hammond turned to Jack. "Colonel, do you have any preliminary thoughts?"
"What type of scenario is the President planning, Sir?" Jack asked, wanting more information before he responded.
"Information is just starting to come in from the security agencies. There's a group in Afghanistan that the NSA says has been threatening something big. Well, this is big and, to be honest, most of us believe the threat is from somewhere in the Middle East. Given that, the President and his advisors are looking at a possible incursion into enemy territory, although nothing can be decided until we know more about what we're up against. The priorities at the moment are securing the crash sites and being on the alert for any more terrorist acts."
"Well, Sir, I think the best thing would be for me to meet with the leaders of any teams that would be going and discuss strategy directly. In the meantime, I can come up with possible scenarios that could be adapted to fit whatever circumstances Intel may give us."
"My thoughts exactly, Colonel. Make yourself available for possible transport to DC or Camp Pendleton."
"Marines, Sir? Is that really the way to go?" Jack asked with disdain dripping from his words upon hearing the name of the Marine Base on the West Coast.
"Sorry, Jack. They're the ones best trained for this type of thing."
"Well, if you make it an order, I suppose I could give my wisdom to the Jarheads," he said despondently.
"Good. Oh, and Jack, the call will come today. Dismissed."
_SG1_
Four days later, Jack O'Neill wandered wearily from his truck towards his CO's house. He'd spent the last three days holed up in a small room at Camp Pendleton, discussing the options with a group of other black ops specialists. The final decision would rest with the President and the Joint Chiefs but they'd laid out several incursion scenarios for them to discuss. Just before he'd left he'd been told that the plan was for the teams to move in less than four weeks. There was definitely a part of him that wanted to be involved in it and help with the effort but, as he'd spent the whole day on Tuesday telling many people, they had a job to do, here at the SGC. He knew that as soon as the next galactic threat came along he'd lose this feeling of uselessness but for now it was very strong.
He'd come straight from the plane to Hammond's house as Hammond had left a message at the base for him to join himself, SG-1 and others from the base for a BBQ. They didn't often all meet off base but at times when Hammond felt his personnel needed a little pick-me-up he organised the small events. This was maybe number eight, and they usually came after they'd had a narrow escape or someone in the command hadn't made it back.
He took a quick look around the drive. Daniel's car was there, along with Janet's and, if he wasn't mistaken, he could hear Cassie's squeals coming from the back garden. Hammond's granddaughters must have also been there. He also spotted the Jeep that Siler used when his normal vehicle had had an unfortunate accident. Jack smirked. Typical Siler - if it wasn't his body he was damaging it was his precious vehicle. On the other side of the large drive he saw Carter's car and another smile crossed his face. He'd called her from Camp Pendleton to let her know he was on his way back. They hadn't been able to be as open with each other as they had at the cabin but he was hopeful of having a future with Car... Sam.
He walked up to the porch and knocked on the door. However, he could hear the group in the back garden from there and they were clearly so loud that no one would be able to hear his knock, so he walked around the side of the large house, passing the truck that the single marines of SG-3 used to cruise around town. They were notorious on a Friday or Saturday night, usually hitting one bar after another, but always making sure one of them was the designated driver . . . usually as a getaway car. Jack didn't envy Hammond having to control them. He looked over the large beast of a truck and was dismayed to see that it was a newer model than his. His shoulders slumped. There'd be no living with them now.
"Ah, Colonel, good of you to join us," Hammond said over the din as Jack came into view.
Jack walked over and shook Hammond's hand. "Thanks for the invite, Sir. Quite a shindig you have going here." Jack peered over Hammond's shoulder to see the BBQ going and groups of SGC personnel standing around talking.
"Well, it's been a difficult week. The base has been very subdued since you left. It was time to remember and be glad we're still here," Hammond answered quietly.
They were both quiet for a moment, thinking of all that had happened that week and all the lives that had been lost, some of whom were known personally to people at the SGC. Then Hammond spoke up again. "How did it go, Son?"
"Well, we spent a long time discussing options and speaking to others at the Pentagon. The CIA and NSA seem to have some leads so the teams are going to be preparing over the next couple of weeks for an incursion. They'll be ready to move out at a moment's notice as soon as we have confirmed proof as to who was behind it and where they're located."
"Very well." Hammond looked around the garden. "The rest of SG-1 are here somewhere. You should go and take some time to relax."
"Thank you, Sir." Jack walked away from the General, his eyes scanning the groups for his team.
He spotted them and wound his way across the garden. Sam's eyes lit up as she noticed him heading towards them. Beside her Daniel smiled in relief at seeing his friend.
"Sir!"
"Jack, good to see you!"
"Hey, guys, how're things?"
"Not bad, Jack. Glad you're back. We were worried you might actually be involved in the scenarios you've been planning and wouldn't be back for awhile" Daniel said, voicing the fear both he and Sam had had.
"Nope, the old knees aren't up to something like that. Besides, we have a job to do here.
"True, but all scheduled missions this week have been postponed. The President and Hammond felt we didn't need any other major crises to deal with," Daniel answered.
"They're right."
"I'm sure things will get back to normal soon," Sam said quietly. She was glad that he was back. Like Daniel she'd been very worried that his knowledge and experience would seem invaluable to someone up the chain of command and he'd be transferred to the teams going to find the terrorists. But as glad as she was that the Colonel was back, she really needed to talk to Jack. Had it only been last weekend that they'd talked of changing their lives and planning their future? What a rollercoaster of a week it had been.
"JACK!" Cassie barrelled into Jack. "C'mon, my team needs you!" She pulled him away to join the baseball game starting in the middle of the garden.
Oh, well, Sam thought, the middle of an SGC BBQ wouldn't be the place to have that discussion, anyway.
Several hours later, several people had already left, the light was fading, and everyone still there had overly full stomachs. Jack, Sam and Hammond found themselves sitting together on the patio.
Hammond looked at the two officers. "You know, this may sound strange, but I find it's at times like these that I miss my wife the most." Jack and Sam glanced at each other, surprised. Jack shrugged his shoulders. He knew a lot of the General's history and had spent time with him when they were off duty but the General rarely opened up on base. Sam, on the other hand, was a friend of the family and knew General Hammond's children and had also known his wife, but even for her it was a surprise to hear the General speak like this.
Hammond took a deep breath before continuing. "Usually during weeks like this in the past, I'd be able to go home and she'd remind me of what 'normal' was, of what I was fighting for, of what I had to come home to."
Jack nodded. He understood. He'd felt the same with Sara, and particularly with Charlie. However, he didn't comment as he noticed Hammond's faraway look. He was clearly reliving past events and Jack waited patiently for Hammond to continue.
"I appreciated the fact that even although my wife often didn't know what I'd been involved in she ensured that our family life continued as normal when I returned."
Sam smiled gently at him. She could remember one time when both General Hammond and her father had returned together and both wives had made sure that they were fully involved in family life within hours of them arriving home.
Hammond shook himself from memories of the past and turned to his two officers, people he counted as friends. "I suppose this is why I organise events like this. It's good to get together, to meet in 'normal' life, so to speak." He looked at Sam, who sat beside him on the patio, while Jack was opposite.
"So, did you both enjoy your downtime? Major, I was surprised . . . and I must say, pleased . . . not to see you on base over last weekend. Did you visit your brother?"
The look of panic that flitted across the Major's face made the General wish he hadn't brought up the subject. He couldn't miss the looks passing between Sam and Jack.
Jack could see the fear in Sam's face and decided to take the heat from her. They'd done nothing wrong and it seemed that fate had decided the topic he'd planned to leave for another time would be aired now.
"Carter came to Minnesota with me, Sir. Lots of fishing, relaxing, hiking . . . you know the drill," he said flippantly, while closely watching the emotions crossing his CO's face.
Hammond took a deep breath. Oh, this was a bad conversation to be having today and he didn't know if he was ready for this. However, when he looked between the two officers, he saw no guilt on their faces. There was concern and fear about the direction of the discussion, but no guilt. Hammond smiled gently.
"Did you come to any decisions?" he asked casually, knowing that having had that time alone, they would have had to have dealt with the feelings that had been bubbling between them for years.
Sam's face turned a beautiful shade of pink while Jack simply stared at his CO, amazed at his perceptiveness. It was, to Hammond's surprise, Sam who spoke up.
"Yes, Sir. We wanted to discuss some issues with you at a convenient time."
Hammond smiled at the young woman who, although she hadn't said much, had actually said a great deal and had effectively put all her cards on the table with one sentence, even if she didn't realise it herself.
"Well, Major, now that this crisis has been put to bed - at least from our perspective -and we're back to simply dealing with intergalactic crises, you could both come over for dinner one night and we could discuss the situation. I don't believe this is the best time to discuss it, with others present." Hammond looked at Jack with raised eyebrows. "I assume there'll be no regulation irregularities until then?"
"Uh . . . that would be fine . . . Sir," Jack stumbled through his sentence. "Thank you, Sir, and um, no . . . no irregularities."
"Good." Hammond focussed back on Sam. "And did you actually catch any fish in Jack's pond, where the fish grow this big?" Hammond stretched out his hands as Jack had done on many occasions. He smiled, throwing a quick glance in Jack's direction.
"Uh . . . no, Sir. The Colonel believes I scared them all away with my technobabble." Sam blushed saying such a thing to her CO.
"Yes, well, an interesting theory, Jack. It seems there's always something stopping you from catching one, isn't there!" he gently joked.
"I'm sure if you were to visit, Sir, they'd all line up to attention," Jack quickly riposted.
Hammond laughed. "Well, now, wouldn't that be a sight to see."
"Sam, Jack, we're all heading off now!" Daniel called from the kitchen where he, Janet and Teal'c had taken washing-up duty.
"Yeah, we're just coming, Danny boy." Jack stood up and turned to Sam.
Sam began to rise and then sat back down. She gently and discreetly took Hammond's hand from the armrest. "Thank you, Sir, for listening and not . . . jumping to conclusions," she said quietly, having not responded earlier to the General's offer to discuss the situation between her and Jack.
Hammond gently squeezed Sam's had and smiled, replying just as quietly. "No problem, Sam, you know I'd do anything within my power to help you."
Hammond stood and watched the group leave: Cassie was being held up between Teal'c and Daniel, Janet was picking up her picnic basket, and lastly the two officers were walking over to join their friends. He smiled and watched as Sam and Jack fell into step with each other, still not touching inappropriately, but it was clear that they'd decided that they could no longer ignore each other. For now, though, there were terrorists to find - not by his teams, though - and galactic emergencies to avoid. America would never be the same again, but it would fight back and would - hopefully - prevail. Then General Hammond would move heaven and earth to keep Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter at the SGC but allow them to share that life, together.
AN: And there you have it, thanks to my beta for a great job, especially the rush today. If you wish to comment that would be great.
