Interruptions

Chapter Twenty-One

FOUR MONTHS LATER

"No, I ordered lilies, not roses… yes I'm sure… no I won't change my mind… I'm not paying for what I don't want." Sam rolled her eyes as she listened to the florist chatter on about roses. She was sitting in her lab, feet on the desk, leaning back in her chair, on the phone.

Vala walked in and grinned at Sam.

Sam pointed to the phone, mouthed the word 'flowers', then rolled her eyes again.

"No… I told you I ordered lilies, I expect to get them." She listened, then gave an exasperated sigh. "You're not listening to me!"

At this pointed Vala grabbed the phone from Sam and placed it to her ear. "Yes, hello, this is Vala Mal Doran, and I believe Samantha ordered lilies for her wedding. If you are unwilling to provide them, then we will take our service elsewhere." She listened, then smiled. "Yes, it is a pleasure doing business with you, too. Goodbye." She hung up.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"You're getting your lilies." Vala said.

Sam smiled. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Vala replied.

Sam bought her hands up to cover her face. "I'm getting married in six weeks!"

Vala grinned. "I know. Isn't it wonderful?"

Sam dropped her hands. "Yes, it is great."

"But?"

"But, I'm nervous, and Jack's in Washington at the moment, so I can't talk to him face to face. I'm organising so much without him, what if he doesn't like it?"

Vala gave Sam a hug. "He will. Don't worry. He loves you, so to him, whatever you do will be perfect."

"I guess I'm being stupid." Sam said.

"Not stupid." Vala said. "You're being a bride. A woman. NOT a military officer."

"I'm always a military officer." Sam answered.

Vala shook her head. "No, you're not. You don't have to be. Just be Samantha Carter, the woman. Not Samantha Carter, the colonel." Vala replied.

"That's good advice." Said Daniel, who had appeared in the doorway.

Vala grinned and went over to kiss him. He kissed her passionately back.

"Geez, not in my lab! Get a room." Sam said.

Daniel glared at her.

She shrugged innocently.

"How's your wedding plans coming along?" Daniel asked.

"Slowly." Sam replied. "I've done most of it, but I still need someone to give me away, and most importantly,I need a dress."

"You don't have a dress?" Valla asked.

Sam shook her head.

"That's it. You and I are going shopping." Vala said. "We'll go to Denver. Better shops there, more choice."

Sam nodded.

"Tomorrow." Vala said. "And we don't come back 'til we've found a dress."

Daniel smiled. "Girl time. Have fun."

"We will." Vala replied. "Lots."

Sam smiled too. "Tomorrow it is then."

Sam found herself trailing behind Vala as the day progressed. Vala was currently rummaging through more wedding dresses in the third bridal store they'd visited.

"How about this?" Vala held up a strapless dress, with a very fluffy skirt.

Sam grimaced.

"No?"

"I'm not into the whole big skirt thing, I'd rather something more… fitted. With straps." Sam replied.

"Can I be of assistance?" It was a shop attendant.

"Sure." Vala said. "She needs a wedding dress." She pointed at Sam, who gave a small smile.

The attendant smiled at Sam. "Okay, so what sort of dress are you looking for?"

"I really don't know." Sam replied. "I don't want strapless, and I don't want something big and puffy."

The attendant nodded. "Okay, let's have a look shall we?"

For the next two hours, she had Sam trying on dress after dress. There were a lot of nice dresses, but none seemed right.

"I also want something I know Jack will like." Sam said to Vala at one point.

"Jack's your husband to be?" The attendant, whose name was Ashly, asked.

"Yes." Sam replied.

"Is he good looking?"

"It'd be wrong of me to say no, but yes, he is." Sam replied.

"Very." Added Vala. "And he is perfect for Sam."

Sam smiled at Vala. "Thanks."

"And he'll think you look gorgeous no matter what." Vala continued.

Sam smiled again. "That's true. But I still want something he'll like."

Ashly, who wandered off during the last part of the conversation, returned with another dress. "How about this?" She held it up for Sam and Vala to inspect.

"It's beautiful." Vala said, turning to Sam. "Try it."

Sam took the dress and slipped into the change room. She got into the dress, then walked out so Ashly could make sure she was wearing it correctly.

The look on Vala's face told Sam she'd found the right dress

As Ashly laced up the back, Sam checked out the rest of the dress. The dress was a halter neck, with thin straps. It hugged Sam's figure nicely, and Sam liked that. The top part covering Sam's chest had intricate designs embroidered into it. There was a strip of lace winding it's way from the waist down to the hem of the dress. The back was plunging, open to Sam's waist, and had straps running in a criss-cross pattern holding it in place.

"Wow Sam. That is fantastic. You look wonderful!" Vala grinned at Sam. "I think this is your dress."

"So do I." Sam replied. "It's beautiful."

"Will your fiancé like it?" Ashly asked.

Sam nodded, still looking at her reflection.

"You don't wear dresses much, do you?" Ashly asked.

"Not often." Sam replied. "I'm normally in my BDU's."

"BDU's?"

"I'm Air Force. It's my uniform."

"Oh. Must be nice to wear normal clothes then."

"Yeah, though it saves me the hassle of deciding what to wear in the morning. The subtotal of my choices, is whether I should wear blue or green."

Vala chuckled. "There's always people in both."

"You AF too?" Ashly asked.

Vala shook her head. "No, I just work on base, civilian employee."

"Well, getting back on topic. I'm getting this dress." Sam said, walking back to the change room. She changed back into her street clothes, then paid for her dress, and, after thanking Ashly, she and Vala left.