This chapter was written by my fantastic co-writer and beta reader lkhoward88. A few sentences here and there are mine but most of the credit should not be given to me. Thankyou for reviewing, it keeps us writing!

Chapter 12

It was Homecoming week at the school, and in George Hammond's experience, this could be a very good, fun filled week, or a very bad, tense week. This year, he expected things, at least for the football team, to go smoothly.

Jack O'Neill was in his second year as Captain of the football team and knew exactly what Hammond expected from him as a leader and model player.

So walking into the locker room to find his star quarterback and likely homecoming king, who had been nothing but good friends; about to come to blows was quite a shock.

"What is going on here?" he bellowed, stepping between the two young men. Both of them suddenly found the ground fascinating. "My office now!" he ordered.

Enclosed in his office, the two boys' familiarity with the military shined through as they stood at almost perfect parade rest while they waited for their coach to speak.

"One of you want to tell me what was going on out there?"

Silence.

"Okay. See I'm at a loss here guys," George admitted as he sat on the corner of his desk. "If you were Kawalsky and Ferretti, I would think that the two of you were just goofing off and it had gotten out of hand. But since I know Jack is usually the one to break apart that kind of thing- that leaves me with the other option. A girl."

"He asked my sister to the dance," Mark exclaimed, like this was a world ending event.

George would have laughed if not for the seriousness of the issue. If his star running back and quarterback weren't getting along, his football team was doomed.

"Is this true Jack?" George said accusingly, although in all honesty he could see little problem with the two dating. After all they were both good kids from nice families. Although he had to admit he was feeling somewhat protective towards Sam, but if she couldn't date a nice guy like Jack then who could she date? At least it wasn't some of the other boys George knew at the school.

Jack swallowed, thinking, he wasn't as stupid as he pretended to be. So he lied to the older brother of his homecoming date and coach, who was also old friends with said girl's father.

"Yes sir, but we're going as friends, nothing more. It was a deal I had with Daniel to get him to ask Janet out. He had to ask her and I had to ask Sam. I figured she already had a date so it wouldn't be that big of deal," Jack explained. "But she didn't. Have a date that is."

"I know she didn't have a date. I've been threatening every guy that's come near her for the past two weeks," Mark claimed.

"Oh."

George watched Jack look up and meet Mark's gaze.

"I'm sorry," Jack offered weakly.

Mark shrugged. "Nah, I'm sorry. I overreacted, but she's my little sister you know? I've been chasing off potential boyfriends for years now. I think I was more upset with the idea that one of my friends was dating my sister and he hadn't thought to tell me first, you know?"

"Hey, I totally understand. I have four younger sisters, remember?" Jack reminded him. "Just be glad you only have one sister or else every conversation in the house would dissolve into 'girl talk'." Jack mock shuddered.

George stopped the conversation there before it went any further. He had two daughters of his own and considered himself to be way too knowledgeable in the habits of girls. Knowledgeable enough that he didn't want to know any more. "So we're good boys?" George asked rhetorically.

Both boys nodded in agreement.

"Good then get out of here," he ordered, shooing them out the door. "And no more fighting!" He added as an after thought.

George sighed and sat down at his desk. There were some weeks he wished he had stayed in the Air Force, and given that this was only Monday, this was going to be one of those weeks. Maybe he should call Jacob and talk to him about something that wasn't a teenage drama, like airplanes.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Unlike most days, Sam wasn't waiting for the boys in her usual spot when they emerged from the locker room.

Instead she was perched on the hood of a brand new shiny black car while her father stood next to her, dangling the keys for Mark.

Jack watched as Mark tried not to look too eager as he approached. When he was within throwing distance, Jacob tossed Mark the keys. "Happy belated birthday son," he said.

Mark smiled, and for the first time in Sam's recent memory, hugged their dad.

Jack gave them all a wave before he got in his own car and drove away. Sam smiled feeling girly as she couldn't help but blush as Jack shot her a dazzlingly charming smile.

Sam watched Mark walk around the new car, admiring it as their dad pointed out all the features of the vehicle. "Are we going to go home any time soon?" Sam finally asked impatiently. It was nice that Mark had gotten a car but she really didn't need to stand in the school parking lot for hours on end whilst the men talked machines. Besides, she probably knew more about the car then they did!

Mark just smiled and got behind the wheel of his new car. Sam slid in the backseat and asked her next question to her dad.

"So Dad, does this mean I'm getting a car for my birthday?"

Jacob's only response was a laugh.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Because Mark now had his own car, Sam missed out on her daily rides to and from school with Jack. Meaning that lunch on Tuesday would have been the first time she saw him that day. Sam felt unbelievable thankful for her Dad's timing for buying Mark his car. The new turn of events between her and Jack made her desperate to avoid him.

Rather then going to the cafeteria, where Jack would be, Sam headed for the library to meet up with Janet and Daniel. Obviously she and Jack had a difference of opinion about where they stood in their relationship.

/Flashback/

"So?" Sam asked as soon as she got home and had the chance to call Janet.

"I'mgoingtothedancewithDaniel," Janet said all in one breath.

"I'm going with Jack!" Sam squealed.

"I told you," the both said at the same time, which only made the two girls laugh.

"So he asked you?" Sam finally asked, once they both had their breathing under control.

"No," Janet admitted. "I asked him."

"You didn't!"

"No, I figured you were right. There was no way that Daniel was ever going to ask me, so I asked him," Janet explained. "So I'm guessing things went okay between you and Jack?"

"Excellent!" Sam confirmed. "Magnificent. I kissed him," she confessed.

"No way! How was it?"

"Surprising… but nice. Real nice," Sam admitted, her face flushing at the memory.

/End Flashback/

It had taken all of Monday for the entire school to find out that one of the Captains of the football team was taking the younger sister of the quarterback to the Homecoming dance, which was how Mark had found out in the locker room after practice.

What Jack didn't expect was for Mark to go home and repeat their entire conversation to Sam.

/Flashback/

"So, you're going to the Homecoming dance with Jack?" Mark asked from the door of Sam's room.

"Yes I am," Sam confirmed. "Do you have a problem with that?" she challenged, expecting Mark to be angry.

Mark shook his head. "Nope."

"Good." Sam smiled, surprised at her brothers mature reaction to the situation.

Mark turned and headed for his own room. "After all, Jack said you guys are just going as friends, so I have nothing to worry about."

Suddenly Sam's world had been flipped upside down and she was left with a great amount of uncertainty in her recently evolved relationship with Jack.

'Jack didn't say anything about just friends,' Sam thought. 'Didn't that kiss mean anything?'

/End Flashback/

Naturally Sam had furious at Jack for leading her on in such a way but had very little experience in how to deal with him, instead finding herself dwelling on every little detail of the situation. Had she somehow been to blame for Jack's actions?

Of course not Jack's actions were his own.

Sam had been starring at the same page in her Calculus textbook for ten minutes before Janet called her on it.

"Get your mind off of him Sam," she recommended. "There's nothing you can do when a guy is being a jerk."

"Guy? Jerk?" Daniel asked.

"Jack asked Sam to the dance and then told Mark that they were going 'as just friends'," Janet explained.

"Oh," Daniel said, not quite sure what he was supposed to say. After all, he was a guy, and should, therefore, jump to Jack's defence. But he had been Sam's friend first and was now kind of dating Janet, which meant he should side with the two girls.

'Wow, this relationship thing can get really complicated,' Daniel realized as he half listened to the two girls engage in a session of boy bashing.