All you wonderful reviewers really want Jack to be tortured. I really appreciate the reviews and I'm sorry to disappoint on the actual torture aspect. Angst is the main torture device for this story.
Sticks and Stones Chapter 38:
Teal'c, Sam , and Daniel spent the evening going to a movie and then playing games in an arcade. Sam had a great time! Teal'c was amazing. Teenagers lined up around him to watch his Jaffa trained reflexes kick computerized alien butt.
Daniel and Sam dropped Teal'c off at the SGC a little before eleven. Daniel took Sam home.
"I can come in for a while, if you want."
"That's ok. It's late and we both need some sleep. I had fun tonight. Thanks for dragging me out."
"Tomorrow we can keep working on how to torture Jack."
"Sounds like a plan." Sam got out of the car and went inside. Daniel didn't pull away until she was inside and the lights were on. His protective streak made her smile.
As Sam was getting ready for bed her phone rang. She spit out the toothpaste and ran into her bedroom.
"Carter."
"You're at home. You shouldn't be answering the phone like you're at work."
"Sorry, sir. Is there a problem?"
"Yes, can I come over and talk?"
"It's sorta late, sir. Can it wait until tomorrow?"
"I suppose but I'd rather do it now." Sam gave a long pause before answering.
"Ok, come on over."
"I'm outside your front door." Sam turned off the phone and shook her head. She didn't even think about what she was wearing. She went straight to the door.
"Hi." He looked amazing in just simple jeans and t-shirt. She grinned as she realized he looked amazing in everything.
"Come on in, sir." His eyes hadn't left her face. His jaw was tight and his eyes were slightly lidded. She wasn't sure if that meant he was tired or upset. Jack went straight for her living room. Unlike other visits when he sat on her sofa he went for a chair this time. Sam wasn't sure if that was a signal.
"Danny told me you saw me kissing Kathy." Sam's breathing audibly faltered. It wasn't like Jack to come right to the point.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry I invaded your privacy, sir. I wouldn't have come over if I had realized you were involved."
"Why would my having been involved change your desire to visit?" Sam didn't want to answer the question. "We promised honesty, Sam." She ran her hands through her hair and down to her neck. Suddenly realizing how little covering her halter-top provided, especially bra-less, she crossed her arms over her chest. As her arms moved, she saw him let his eyes wander over her bare shoulders.
"I was coming over to discuss my switching SG teams." His brow furrowed and his eyes shot up.
"Because I was seeing someone else?"
"No, sir. I didn't know you were seeing someone until I arrived and saw you kissing." His head hung as she said the word kissing. He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I thought if I switched teams we could maybe..."
"Why now? Why were you suddenly willing to make this change?"
"I'd spent so long telling myself we would be free to do what we want some day. Any time now, the fighting was going to end and we would be able to retire or take cushy desk jobs or something. Seeing those super soldiers convinced me it wasn't going to end anytime soon."
"That was it? A few hundred super soldiers and your ready to retire to a lab."
"That wasn't all." Sam rubbed her hands together and brushed her toes through the carpet. "I also had a check up at the academy the week after Felger's virus."
"A check up? Was something wrong?"
"Not exactly. I mean all the tests were fine. I'm the perfect picture of health, I just happen to be old." Jack grinned and looked up at her.
"You are so not old, Carter."
"I don't mean old like retirement home old. I mean old like fertility is almost zero old."
"Oh." Jack looked at her bare feet. He had to look away as he began thinking how sexy her ankles looked when she flexed her feet.
"There was a pamphlet on infertility in the examining room. It went into the effects of age on egg production. It wasn't anything I didn't know but it got me thinking."
"About?"
"I'm closer to the age my mother was when she died then when she had me."
"Ok." Jack wanted to seem compassionate but he didn't know how. The phone rang as he was pondering a better response. Sam got up and grabbed the living room extension. Jack glanced at the clock. It was just after midnight. What idiot would be calling Sam this late? Jack hoped it wasn't an emergency. His pager was clipped to his belt. He checked to be sure that he hadn't missed a call. Sam returned to the sofa carrying the phone.
"No, it's fine. I wasn't in bed yet." Sam forgot to cover her chest with her arms. Jack sucked in a breath as he watched her getting settled on the sofa, tucking one of her legs behind the other and sitting on her foot. She looked small and venerable, very un-Carterlike, sitting like this on her sofa.
"I appreciate that but I'm not ready yet. I promise I will call as the memories begin." She paused, listening to her caller. She avoided making eye contact with Jack.
"I don't know how long it will take. The memories seem to coming back slower now that I have gone back to work. I guess I'm just not spending as much time stressing over getting them back as I was in the beginning."
"I've been cleared for full duty. That's not fair. He wouldn't do anything to risk my life." Jack watched Sam's mouth tightened. He knew the signs of a pissed off Sam and she was building steam.
"You are being irrational and I refuse to discuss this with you. I don't know what has gotten into you tonight but sleep it off. I'll talk to you later." Sam pushed the off button on the phone. Jack glanced up but kept his head down.
"Friend of yours?"
"Pete?"
"Ah, how's he doing."
"He's having a hard time with this."
"Doesn't he realize putting pressure on you isn't going to help?" Sam shrugged. The shrugging motion reminded her of her bra-less state and she recrossed her arms.
"He's just anxious for answers that I can't provide, yet."
"He's not alone." Jack looked up and caught her eye. "Why did you request assignment on the Prometheus and what happened while you were out there?" Sam slowly nodded her head.
"Honestly, huh?"
"Yeah...don't try and spare my feelings. Tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth."
Sticks and Stones Chapter 38:
Teal'c, Sam , and Daniel spent the evening going to a movie and then playing games in an arcade. Sam had a great time! Teal'c was amazing. Teenagers lined up around him to watch his Jaffa trained reflexes kick computerized alien butt.
Daniel and Sam dropped Teal'c off at the SGC a little before eleven. Daniel took Sam home.
"I can come in for a while, if you want."
"That's ok. It's late and we both need some sleep. I had fun tonight. Thanks for dragging me out."
"Tomorrow we can keep working on how to torture Jack."
"Sounds like a plan." Sam got out of the car and went inside. Daniel didn't pull away until she was inside and the lights were on. His protective streak made her smile.
As Sam was getting ready for bed her phone rang. She spit out the toothpaste and ran into her bedroom.
"Carter."
"You're at home. You shouldn't be answering the phone like you're at work."
"Sorry, sir. Is there a problem?"
"Yes, can I come over and talk?"
"It's sorta late, sir. Can it wait until tomorrow?"
"I suppose but I'd rather do it now." Sam gave a long pause before answering.
"Ok, come on over."
"I'm outside your front door." Sam turned off the phone and shook her head. She didn't even think about what she was wearing. She went straight to the door.
"Hi." He looked amazing in just simple jeans and t-shirt. She grinned as she realized he looked amazing in everything.
"Come on in, sir." His eyes hadn't left her face. His jaw was tight and his eyes were slightly lidded. She wasn't sure if that meant he was tired or upset. Jack went straight for her living room. Unlike other visits when he sat on her sofa he went for a chair this time. Sam wasn't sure if that was a signal.
"Danny told me you saw me kissing Kathy." Sam's breathing audibly faltered. It wasn't like Jack to come right to the point.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry I invaded your privacy, sir. I wouldn't have come over if I had realized you were involved."
"Why would my having been involved change your desire to visit?" Sam didn't want to answer the question. "We promised honesty, Sam." She ran her hands through her hair and down to her neck. Suddenly realizing how little covering her halter-top provided, especially bra-less, she crossed her arms over her chest. As her arms moved, she saw him let his eyes wander over her bare shoulders.
"I was coming over to discuss my switching SG teams." His brow furrowed and his eyes shot up.
"Because I was seeing someone else?"
"No, sir. I didn't know you were seeing someone until I arrived and saw you kissing." His head hung as she said the word kissing. He ran his hand over the back of his neck. "I thought if I switched teams we could maybe..."
"Why now? Why were you suddenly willing to make this change?"
"I'd spent so long telling myself we would be free to do what we want some day. Any time now, the fighting was going to end and we would be able to retire or take cushy desk jobs or something. Seeing those super soldiers convinced me it wasn't going to end anytime soon."
"That was it? A few hundred super soldiers and your ready to retire to a lab."
"That wasn't all." Sam rubbed her hands together and brushed her toes through the carpet. "I also had a check up at the academy the week after Felger's virus."
"A check up? Was something wrong?"
"Not exactly. I mean all the tests were fine. I'm the perfect picture of health, I just happen to be old." Jack grinned and looked up at her.
"You are so not old, Carter."
"I don't mean old like retirement home old. I mean old like fertility is almost zero old."
"Oh." Jack looked at her bare feet. He had to look away as he began thinking how sexy her ankles looked when she flexed her feet.
"There was a pamphlet on infertility in the examining room. It went into the effects of age on egg production. It wasn't anything I didn't know but it got me thinking."
"About?"
"I'm closer to the age my mother was when she died then when she had me."
"Ok." Jack wanted to seem compassionate but he didn't know how. The phone rang as he was pondering a better response. Sam got up and grabbed the living room extension. Jack glanced at the clock. It was just after midnight. What idiot would be calling Sam this late? Jack hoped it wasn't an emergency. His pager was clipped to his belt. He checked to be sure that he hadn't missed a call. Sam returned to the sofa carrying the phone.
"No, it's fine. I wasn't in bed yet." Sam forgot to cover her chest with her arms. Jack sucked in a breath as he watched her getting settled on the sofa, tucking one of her legs behind the other and sitting on her foot. She looked small and venerable, very un-Carterlike, sitting like this on her sofa.
"I appreciate that but I'm not ready yet. I promise I will call as the memories begin." She paused, listening to her caller. She avoided making eye contact with Jack.
"I don't know how long it will take. The memories seem to coming back slower now that I have gone back to work. I guess I'm just not spending as much time stressing over getting them back as I was in the beginning."
"I've been cleared for full duty. That's not fair. He wouldn't do anything to risk my life." Jack watched Sam's mouth tightened. He knew the signs of a pissed off Sam and she was building steam.
"You are being irrational and I refuse to discuss this with you. I don't know what has gotten into you tonight but sleep it off. I'll talk to you later." Sam pushed the off button on the phone. Jack glanced up but kept his head down.
"Friend of yours?"
"Pete?"
"Ah, how's he doing."
"He's having a hard time with this."
"Doesn't he realize putting pressure on you isn't going to help?" Sam shrugged. The shrugging motion reminded her of her bra-less state and she recrossed her arms.
"He's just anxious for answers that I can't provide, yet."
"He's not alone." Jack looked up and caught her eye. "Why did you request assignment on the Prometheus and what happened while you were out there?" Sam slowly nodded her head.
"Honestly, huh?"
"Yeah...don't try and spare my feelings. Tell me the whole truth and nothing but the truth."