Hello, this might be a longish one. I didn't manage to keep it on the same length, and it's not long enough to be two parts. So, here you go.
Enjoy!
M.
PS: Thank you very much for still being around here and reading. And for making my heart skip a beat whenever I get a review notification! 3
Dinner.
"You've got to be kidding!" Sam said as the group coming from several parts of the lobby joined outside.
"What?" Jack said, he was just behind her and was the only one able to hear her.
"It's so cliché," she grimaced, and he looked up to find two limousines waiting at the entrance, and shook his head
"It really is," he agreed.
"Cool! A limo!" Five kids shouted and jumped all into the second waiting car.
"I'll guess they'll need a babysitter," Sam said hoping her sister in law to jump in. However, all the other adults rushed towards the first car leaving only her and Jack out. "Subtle, so not very subtle." She muttered.
"Why I have the feeling that our girls aren't the only ones good at making ambushes?" Jack said loud enough to make Sam chuckle.
"Well, unless you are willing to pay a cab to go alone; we are stuck." She pointed to the limo before she slid in taking a seat on the back, allowing the kids to roam freely around. Jack sighed and followed her in. As soon as he closed the door, they were moving. They watched the kids until they finally settled, Sam looked at Jack, and they exchanged a smile before she turned her eyes towards the view. They stopped before he could say anything.
"We are here!" the girls giggled, and David rolled his eyes at all the girly excitement. The adults laughed at his reaction before Jack went out of the car. To his disappointment, the driver was faster on getting to Sam's door.
They found the others waiting still outside, and as they walked towards them, Jack's hand found Sam's back. The group walked into the building, and they were pointed to the elevators, being the last ones in the group, they were forced to wait for the next one.
"Well, at least we got this one all for ourselves," Jack said, and Sam looked at him and shook his head.
"If I recall correctly we had one of these all for ourselves a few days ago too," she pointed. "Two even, and I don't think we managed to use it for more than exchanging a few words."
"But now we are already talking, right?" She nodded, but as they entered the elevator, they fell silent. They looked at the slowly passing by numbers; until Sam's snorted.
"So much for being talking already."
"What the hell happened to us? We were so good at talking before; and now, we seem to be walking over eggshells around each other," he sighed.
"We got old?" She offered, and he snorted.
"You don't look old, Sam. Now, me? I'm not old; I'm ancient!"
"We've got older, Jack. And we didn't do it together," Sam pointed, and Jack clenched his jaw. But before he could say anything else the doors opened and they were looking at the Maître.
"Mister O'Neill and Miss Carter, I'll presume?" he said, and they nodded. "This way, please." They followed him out of the enclosed environment and towards the open terrace. "Please," he said pointing to a table set for two.
"There must be a mistake," Sam said.
"No mistake, Ma'am. You are Doctor Samantha Carter, right?" She nodded. "And you sir, are Colonel Jack O'Neill?" Jack nodded. "Yes, table for two."
"But our friends and family are waiting for us inside," Sam pointed.
"They are inside; they were very insistent on us being able to reassure you that your daughters' will be behaving their very best while you enjoy the weather and views." He told them apologetically. Sam and Jack exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes at the same time.
"If we go inside, they will find another way to get us alone, right?" Jack asked.
"My thoughts exactly." She said, and Jack pulled one chair and pointed it at her.
"Thank you," Sam said, as she helped her with the chair.
"Thanks," they once they were introduced to their waiter for the night, and both maître and waiter walked away leaving them to scan the menu.
"I'm sorry," they both said lowering menus at once.
"This is going to be awkward, won't it?" Jack sighed. Sam crooked her head and squinted, looking at him.
"It doesn't have to, Jack. As you pointed before, we were really good at talking."
"And as you pointed before, we grew apart, Sam." She sighed.
"We might be trying too hard, Jack." He frowned. "Back then we started by trying to find the things we had in common. Right? We know which are those, we could start there?"
"But do we still have them?"
"Even if we grew out form old hobbies, we still have these two lovely things in common, Jack. And I'm pretty sure that I still know you enough to affirm that you would love to learn what you've missed of Jac's life as much as I want to learn everything that went by on Sami's."
"She looks so much like you," he grinned.
"I was going to say the same thing." They laughed. "This is silly; they are twins. Tell me, what is she like?"
"Sami?" Sam nodded. "She's smart, loving; she cares about everything and everyone. She loves dancing."
"Dancing?"
"Yup, I've been on the first seat of every dance recital she has." Sam laughed.
"I can't imagine! You hated dance recitals."
"Yes, but I do love her. Both of them," Jack added with a bittersweet smile.
"I know, I do too." She said stretching her hand to take his. And he took it, giving it a light squeeze. What none of them did was taking it back. "Jac tried ballet, but she never did like it. But I've been to every theater presentation she had so far." They stopped talking for a while to get their orders.
"You know," Sam said. "I don't know if I hate more the fact that you missed Jac's life or the fact that I missed Sami's."
"Same here. But from what I've seen somehow, we both managed to raise excellent kids. Highly mischievous, but good." They exchanged soft smiles as remnants of discomfort that existed before somehow disappeared.
"Can I ask you a question?" She said once their plates were lowered in front of them.
"Sure, shoot." He said taking a bite while waiting to hear whatever she wanted to know.
"How was it for you? I mean, don't take it in the wrong way but it remember those first years and no matter how much I love the girl, some days were plain hell." She confessed almost above a whisper. His eyes widened, and Sam blushed. "Well, it didn't sound that bad in my head."
"No, it didn't sound bad," Jack nodded. "It's just… I know our solutions was the Solomonic way out, but I felt and probably still feel that you were better prepared to raise a kid than I will ever be. But answering your question, I don't know what I would've done if Daniel didn't choose to follow me. He saved my ass taking care of her more times that I'm willing to confess. Thankfully he could find works teaching anywhere he wanted and that allowed him to move around with me," he looked at her and searched for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'm good. When Daniel went to you, he told me he believed that he could do more good with you than standing around with me. His decision hurt, but I can't blame him for it." She shrugged. "Now that you agree with him years later I can only be happy that he did." He grinned and out of the blue, he snorted. "What?"
"I'm pretty sure that he regretted it more than once over the years. People often thought he was my partner, or at least, more than a friend."
"Really?" She laughed.
"Yeah, I guess is not very common that two guys raise a little girl. Sami suffered a lot when I was stationed at the Academy and Daniel couldn't find a workaround. Until we both ended up at the same place."
"Cheyenne Mountain," Sam affirmed. Jack seemed surprised but nodded.
"Then Janet was added to our messed up sort of family, and finally T joined. And we managed to find out a rhythm that worked for all of us."
"And your parents?"
"They helped a lot. They tried to be around as much as possible; they went back to Minnesota once we settled in Colorado. And summing up that's pretty much it."
"You are full bird Colonel now."
"Yup."
"Who helped my dad to get cured of his terminal cancer," Jack blushed.
"Who told you that?"
"My father. Thank you for that, by the way. I'm pretty sure there was nothing I could do to help him."
"I'm sure you would've thought of something," he grinned. "Like you did to help me when I got stuck on the other side."
"Who should I kill for that one?" Jack snorted.
"Apparently somehow Janet knew you were behind it and she told Daniel. And Daniel," he trailed.
"He was never good at keeping his mouth shut."
"Yup. That's Danny, and you know him."
"I used too, yes."
"Well, you said somedays where hell and the ones that weren't?" He asked changing subjects making her laugh.
"Well, someone told me you were responsible for steering my brother back to me. And boy that was the help a needed. Truth to be told, there were points where the only one keeping us afloat was Kate. But we fared okay."
"You landed with a company who's got a contract with the most top secret base from the Air Force, and you are managing the projects, for me it sounds better than okay." Sam laughed.
"You have no idea," she added with a smile. With the way she grinned, he knew she wasn't disclosing something, but didn't question it further.
From there, they continued talking about the girls and exchanging stories; they only stopped talking when the waiter brought Sam a note.
"I've checked on you both settled the bills (on your account, so that you know). And by the time you get this, we will be a long time gone. We took the limos' back; so, grab a cab. Or even better, walk! Hold hands and do all those lovely things people in love do. XO, Kate." Sam blushed as she read the note silently.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"Nope. It's to let us know that we need to take a cab or walk back because they are gone."
"They what?"
"They've settled the bills too."
"No wonder the waiter is looking at us as we are taking too long," Jack said. "By all means, let me know when you want to leave, and we can go," he told her. Although, the last thing he wanted was to end the night.
"We can leave if you want," Sam said despite the last thing she wanted was finish their evening.
"Then, let's go." He waved the waiter who came back to let them know that the bill and tips were all settled. Then they strolled towards the elevator at the entrance. "Not this again," Jack complained, and Sam laughed.
"It shouldn't be as bad now that we seem to be talking, right?" Sam pointed. They reached the lower floor laughing and walked outside in search of a cab.
"If your feet aren't killing you, would you walk back with me?" He asked. Sam laughed again. "What?"
"Well, it's the first time in ages since someone worried about my feet. And yes, we can walk. I love walking."
"I remember that, but back then it involved sports shoes and backpacking."
"It's not like you are wearing those either." She said pointing to his shoes.
"I'll tell you what, let's start walking, and if we happen to see a cab we get in. Because your shoes might not be killing you; but mine are starting to bother me."
"We are ten blocks away; I think we will manage to survive," she grinned and took a couple of steps away.
He followed her lead, and they fell at a comfortable pace; they talked some more about the fears they had when raising their girls alone. Their hands grazed with every step they took and with a quick look at her, he intertwined their hands. Sam shivered at the contact, and he stopped to take his jacket off and helped her to put it.
"Thanks," she whispered before they resumed their walk, this time he offered his arm to her, and she took it. Somehow, Sam found herself leaning her head on his shoulder, and his heart skipped a beat. They could see the entrance of the hotel and both started to walk slower until they stopped by the golden doors.
"Would you…" They both started at once.
"Ladies first," Jack said.
"Will you join me for a coffee?"
"A coffee?"
"Well, it could be a beer too. But I don't really want to mix it with the wine I had with dinner or the headache I had most of the afternoon."
"I know the feeling; I took a couple of pain relievers and a nap before we went for dinner." He confessed. "Let's grab a coffee," he added offering his hand, without any sign of reluctance she took it, and they walked towards the garden only to find the cafeteria already closed. They sighed.
"Would you come to my room?" Sam asked and blushed, raising her hands. "Geez, my mind and my mouth aren't getting along today. What I meant is that I'm pretty sure there's a coffee machine there." Jack looked at her and squinted before he nodded. "If you still want that coffee, I mean."
"Okay. Lead the way."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup."
"You'll have to lead the way, Sam. I know where my room is, I have no idea where's yours." He told her once they reached her floor.
"Here we are," she smiled nervously when they reached the end of the hallway, and she slid the card into the slot. She opened the door and entered.
"Holy Hannah," he whistled, and she smiled shaking her head. He had mocked her so much for her phrasing that still managed to stick to his vocabulary. "Mine is huge as it is… what's this? An extra suite or something?" He followed her as she moved towards the kitchen area.
"Presidential Suite," Sam shrugged, checking all the possible spaces where they could've hid the coffee. "Kate's idea."
"And who's account?" Jack raised his eyebrow and chuckled walking towards the coffee machine that was set on the kitchen bar.
"Company paid, I'll suppose. I didn't make the arrangements, Kate did. Hey! You've found it!"
"Yup. So, she works in the same company you do?" Sam nodded, and after watching the device for a few, she made it work.
"She's a Medical Advisor. She also works in the San Diego Children's hospital, and she has a private practice."
"And Mark?"
"He's a CFO."
"Oh, and how did you land as the main scientist for the contractor at Cheyenne? Have you been there a long time? Or did you start with the project to save me?" Sam chewed inner cheek, while pondered what to tell him.
"I've been there from the start," Sam started passing him his cup and grabbing one for herself. "And the project for the beam fell into my hands later on. Can we not talk about work?" She grinned sheepishly, passing him the sugar.
"Thanks, and sure." He took a sip of his coffee. "So, if we have talked about the girls, and work is a no-no. We've covered your family and mine. Also, friends have been spoken of… I'll guess the only subject that remains is: You. How have you be, en?"
"Good. Once I figured how to work around with the cards I was dealt, life became somewhat easier. Jac is on an excellent school that not only provides excellent educations. It gives me not only peace of mind but if the need raised, I can either leave her in it or move her to another of their facilities across the country. It's convenient."
"And it must cost a fortune," Jack blinked and Sam shrugged.
"It's paid by the company." She said.
"Now I feel bad that I'm only sending Sami to the regular public school," he sighed.
"Don't, really. Jac had to go there for my peace of mind." She said once again giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Also, once I knew Sami was with me, I asked her about her school life. And she's been doing pretty good. She mentioned advanced courses and told me about the way you made her learn several languages. For a single father, Jack.. that's amazing." She looked at him in the eyes and their eyes locked. He cleared his throat under her heavy gaze.
"Thank you, Sammie." He whispered, and goosebumps covered Sam's skin.
"No one calls me like that anymore," she explained noticing his look.
"No one else should," Jack said placing a strand of hair behind her ear and unconsciously leaning forward. "Never again." She nodded also leaning forward.
"Jack," she whispered, her breath caressing his lips.
"Yes?" he whispered back not losing the eye contact. But looking forward to knowing if her lips still felt as they used too against his. Sam felt her breath getting caught in her trough mixed with the beat on her heart that somehow was there too. She licked her lips, and he whimpered. Sam moved an inch closer, and then, there was a knock on her door, and she jumped away from him. And he could see all her barriers from earlier that day quickly piling up as she walked towards the door. "Kate," she almost hissed.
"Hey, I wanted to know if you got here alright. I asked the front desk, and they told me you already returned and…" she saw Jack. "Oh, ah, Hi Jack," she grimaced. "I'll better leave you two alone, right? Good night."
"You should go, Jack." She said the words, but for some reason, he knew she didn't mean them. She even closed the door behind Kate. "Please," the way she pleaded made him nod.
He turned around to grab the jacket she had left on one chair once they entered and walked just a bit past her. Jack took one deep breath, her perfume invading his senses and before he could do or say anything, he would consider as something stupid. He opened the door.
"I would've never willingly hurt you, Sam." He whispered before he walked out. The moment her door was closed; Sam slid down by the door, her knees still weak by his proximity. Outside, he placed his hand on the door clenching his jaw.
"Why feelings had to be such a complicated thing?" They both though, before shaking themselves back to their reality.