Grace
by Aria
Chapter Fourteen
Rating: Same as the show.
Disclaimer: I don't own them; if I did then I would be a hell of a lot richer. No one's paying me to write this, so I'm not making any profit from writing it. I'm just killing time.
Spoilers: Divide and Conquer, Beneath the Surface, Point of No Return, Tangent, Serpent's Venom, Grace, The other guys, Heroes.
Synopsis: Grace arrives through the Stargate, and it's not just Sam that can see her. Set a couple of months after Heroes, and Lost City.
Just in case anyone is still confused, I'm telling two stories that will eventually intertwine here. Even chapters are one story, odds are another. It'll become obvious quickly how they join.
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Jack O'Neill swirled the Jameson's around in its shot glass and admired what a small volume of Irish whisky could and couldn't do for his mood.
When he'd left the base elevators he'd stood tapping his keys on his thighs in the parking lot. He had a few supplies in the cab of his truck, he could've driven up to the cabin if he'd wanted, perhaps augmented his options by stopping at a market on the way for some basics, bread, meat, beer, but decided against it.
He needed time and space to think. He wouldn't realise until the following morning that a bar probably wasn't the best location for either, he never realised.
Samantha Carter, his second in command; quite possibly the smartest person on the planet, and she was beautiful air force officer who worked with him every day. Blonde hair, blue eyes, could hold her own in a fire fight or in hand to hand. She actually seemed to find his jokes funny.
There was something between them; they'd admitted it under the duress of an alien truth test under penalty of long term sedation. They'd limited themselves to both stating that they cared about each other more than they were 'supposed to' which meant that Doc Frasier and Anise were later able to report to General Hammond in a manner that didn't threaten either of their careers.
He'd kissed her once during a time loop and he'd done it properly, resigned first and then dipped her to the floor. What was the point in making her feel like it was just because they could get away with it? He wanted the kiss to be one to remember, and it was. He smiled, even now.
The night they'd shared together was more of a blurry memory than he'd like. They'd clearly been building a relationship, and he'd been similarly diplomatic in stating in his report how close they'd become. Thera had started it. He remembered that. One kiss from her and they'd quickly discarded their terracotta robes and made a bed in the corner of one of the engineering sections. Afterwards there had been no time to revel in their newfound proximity either, they'd dressed quickly with smiles and gentle touches and walked together back to their bunks. Jonah had planned to woo her for a little longer before even trying to kiss her; he never imagined things would be so easy between them. Perhaps a reflection of their years of tension?
Sam had told him that she was having a baby nearly six months ago. Initially it had felt like a blow to the chin to be told that not only was Samantha not 'his' but she was so not 'his' that she was having another man's child.
Why had she lied to him about the child?
He felt a mixture of sorrow and joy when he recall his first reactions – he thought the attachment to this unidentified male must have been great for her to be willing to give up field work to have his children. Did that theory hold true now? With his new knowledge?
He'd been angry when he'd learnt via General Hammond that she seemed to be planning to care for the child alone. It had been confirmed by Daniel, Teal'C and Doctor Frasier, and he'd felt a need to act in someway. Daniel had pointed out he had no role, Sam had never told them anything about dates or boyfriends, and they'd all assumed it was because she worked too hard to have any, then he wondered if she was just very good at keeping her work and private life divided. They'd all felt like they were poor friends, with hindsight Sam had been keeping an even bigger secret.
He'd tried his best to get past her predicament; the new scientists had provided him with entertainment and usually much more exercise on missions. He was surprised to see just how geeky the majority of the scientific community was, even when you made them run for their lives on a daily basis.
He'd only realised that what he was feeling was heart break when he found himself spending an evening in this very bar talking to a woman he didn't find attractive, he didn't find interesting and he didn't think was particularly bright either, but he'd gone to hers after the bar closed anyway. The next day he felt like crap.
There was more flirtation but less promiscuity in the months that followed, almost like deliberate self harm to deal with the pain. He eventually realised that he wasn't yet ready to meet a woman who could replace her spot in his heart, and stopped trying.
A gust of wind reminded him that the bar's only other patron had just left.
He'd found himself visiting Carter's lab and asking about random artefacts and doohickeys. He started to call her Sam more often, and felt worse for it. Eventually he was visiting to ask about the random items procured on other missions. Sam keenly informed him on all matters scientific, sharing her theories with him as though he understood more than 10% of what she said. When he drew a blank face or looked confused she smiled at him brightly and simplified things.
He felt like more of an idiot on days when he saw her.
Kaitlin Turner was probably the only genuine female relationship he had, other than with her. She was also smart, about space bugs, plants and goo though, she didn't understand anything to do with worm holes. She was slender and tall, not particularly strong, but a decent shot. She had long hair and warm brown eyes. She was one of very few reservists at the SGC, approached because of her brains and as such she was less formal with the team outside of the briefing room.
Jack had tried to get to know her more, perhaps form an attachment to her, but all he'd done was discover all the little ways that she wasn't Samantha Carter.
The barmaid looked up at him as he began to chuckle. He couldn't believe that he'd actually wished the child to be his. After seeing the strange reaction Carter had had to his flirtation with Kaitlin at the party last week he'd just thought it whilst blowing out his candles. Their heated discussion had played heavily on his mind at the moment when he'd been offered the sheet cake.
He downed the last half of the short and reached into his pocket. The question of why Sam had told him the child wasn't his still weighed heavily on his mind. The barmaid wandered over, "I'd offer you another, but I'm about to close up."
Jack shook his head, "No, I think I'll settle up anyway." He dropped a number of bills on the counter top and pulled out his car keys as he pocketed his wallet again.
"Woah, where do you think you're going?" asked the barmaid, smiling warmly at him as she tugged on his keys. "I don't think you're good to drive."
Jack glanced down at the volume of money he'd placed on the bar. It was midnight. He'd been here since eight or so. There was no chance, even with watching the game, playing a rack of pool and chatting to the odd woman at the bar that he'd drunk any less than thrice the legal limit, definitely not if it had cost as much as he'd given her.
Jack shrugged.
"I'll call you a cab, where're you going?"
Jack spouted off his address, repocketing his keys. She collected the phone from the back wall of the bar and lifted the receiver. Then his curiosity got the better of him again, and without really thinking about it as much as he should have, he stopped the waitress mid-dial.