This BONUS was brought to you thanks to Loverustal hard work on fixing my mistakes :D
Enjoy!
M.
Chapter 56
Monday, July 30, 2012
Parker's report card arrived in the mail exactly one month ago. That signaled that the last days of their adventure as people hiding inside the country could finally come to an end. However, the news about two senators, along with some other high-ranking personnel going AWOL, had put a dent into Sam's plan. So, here a month later, they still were Victoria and Maddie Crane.
For a reason she fully understood, Parker was getting as antsy as she was. But at least she had work to complete. Pending tasks that would take her mind off being hidden in plain sight. Her get-back-to-her-own-life paperwork was still pending. Parker's birth certificate was still hiding somewhere inside whatever place they'd hidden Sam's things.
Her phone went out then. Sam took a deep breath.
"Hello?" she answered. Not sure by the number on her screen, if she was supposed to be Victoria Crane or Samantha Carter…. Or anyone in between.
"Hi, as I've said to the person before, I'm calling from the POTUS Office. In search of one Doctor Samantha Carter, or a Major Samantha Carter?" Sam gulped, as a knot formed in her throat.
"From the POTUS Office?" Sam asked, frowning.
"Please don't hang up! This is a real call from the real POTUS Office." The woman added quickly.
"I wasn't going to," Sam said in a calming way. She heard the woman breathe on the other end.
"My name is Valery Chastain, is this Samantha Carter?"
"Yes, indeed. Too many hangs-ups?" she couldn't help to ask.
"Yes. You've got no idea, ma'am. Since the whole debacle, I've been hung up more than I used to." The woman sighed. "Anyway, I'm calling to check if you can be available at the Oval Office by the end of the week?"
"Any special date?"
"The President asked for me to squeeze you in whenever you said you could get here." Sam spotted Parker from the corner of her eye and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Can you hold on for a second, I need to check my calendar." She said as she connected to the hidden server out of habit. She smiled when she noticed he too was connected.
GrandEmpress: Jordan? Can you book a flight to DC on Thursday, to watch over Parker on Friday morning?
She held her breath as she waited for his answer.
Jnerd: Your wish is my command, oh, Grand Empress! xD
Sam shook her head and rolled her eyes at his answer.
Jnerd: There's no need to roll your eyes when I know you'll be rolling your eyes.
She chuckled at this. "Valery? I can be there on Friday morning."
"Does 8 am sound good to you?"
"It does."
"Great! I was afraid I would need to squeeze you in if you needed a later appointment. We'll be waiting for you, ma'am."
"I'll be there." She said frowning at the question on her computer.
Jnerd: So? Why are we going to DC?
GrandEmpress: I needed to confirm an appointment at the White House.
Jnerd: You what?!
GrandEmpress: It seems Hayes wants to see me.
Jnerd: And you're going?
GrandEmpress: Of course. I'll need to take all the safety precautions in case anyone's still on the loose in DC. Or if they decide to arrest me on the spot. ?
Jnerd: Don't say that! Don't jinx it! Anyhow… Should I get ready at least three safe houses?
GrandEmpress: Yes.
Jnerd: I got a question, though. How did they get your number?
GrandEmpress: It was a forwarded call from the messenger system we placed ages ago. You know, the one back in Idaho?
Jnerd: Oh, it was still working?
Jnerd: Well, nevermind. Tell Parker I can't wait to see her.
Sam smiled at this. The truth was since Jordan and Jenna had entered P's life, the girl was a lot happier. Even though things had changed little for both of them. The fact that people knew her by her real name meant the world to her daughter.
Not even ten minutes later, her phone when off again. She frowned at the new unknown number on her screen.
"Hello?"
"Sam? Hum, this is Paul Davis," He said, hoping it was her.
"Paul?" Sam asked in surprise. "Yes, it's me."
"Oh, God. Sam! I thought this number would've changed since it's the same one you gave me all those years ago. When Valery from the POTUS office called me to let me know it worked. I was utterly surprised. We were wondering how we would find you." Sam blinked.
"Why are you looking for me?" Sam asked and almost facepalmed herself. He chuckled.
"For the same reason, we contacted all of the hundred fifty-eight people in your witness list. To bring you back from the dead, of course." Sam chewed her inner cheeks for a second.
"And my daughter?"
"Yes, and your daughter. God, she must be huge now!"
"She's all grown up. It's inevitable," she said a bit defensively.
"Look. I'm going to give you my cell number. I know you must be still feeling a bit paranoid knowing that some people have managed to flee the country before we could get them. So, when you're in DC, please call me. I would like to meet with you before you go to see the President."
"I might see you Thursday, then."
"Great. I can't wait to see you again." Davis said before she ended the call. She looked at the clock and noticed they couldn't have located her call. She breathed a sigh of relief. Parker looked up then. She gave her a Jack glance that broke Sam's heart.
"We need to pack," Parker stated. Sam nodded as an answer. "Do we take everything or just the important things?"
"Get a duffel bag ready with enough things for a week or two. We'll pack the rest and sent it into storage for a while."
"Okay," Parker nodded used to this and started working.
As per usual, the last room to be dismantled was her office. But it was late, and they needed dinner. So, Sam left her office for the kitchen, after setting one of the boxes containing information about her career down, and started dinner. When she was about to go searching for Parker, she saw her looking through the contents of that box.
"Parker. Leave that alone," Sam warned. "Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready."
"What's this mommy?" Parker frowned. "It's that you?"
"P… Leave it. It was all part of a past I'd rather forget now." Sam sighed. She wasn't sure she wanted to go back to being Major Carter now that things were finally looking up for them.
Understanding that it was as much as her mom would share. Parker stood up and disappeared out of the room. "I wish I could forget it. Yet, I know it'll come back to bite me in the ass. Most likely on Friday," she mumbled. She shook her head, closed the box, and got back to her night.
Friday, August 3, 2012
The bell at Sam's safe house in DC rung at 0630. There was no one asleep at that time. Although Jordan sported some nice black circles under his eyes. However, Parker needed him, so he was up as earlier as the two females were.
Sam was already dressed in a suit as she walked to answer the door. She looked through the peephole and found Lt. Colonel Paul Davis waiting on the other side. He was carrying something awkwardly on one hand.
"Good morning," Sam greeted him. The smile he gave her was blinding.
"Samantha Carter, bless ut be the eyes that can see you!" Paul said cheerily. Then he looked down at her and sighed. "Good thing I came prepared." He said raising the hand that was holding a garment bag. "I brought you… Your uniform. I thought you might need one after all this time."
"Paul…" Sam trailed off. Truth was, she didn't know if she wanted to don it. But if they had brought her back to life with those orders they had presented in the courtroom. She was still USAF, and he was now a high-ranking officer. "Want some coffee?"
"That'd be amazing. I'll get myself a cup while you get changed. We can talk on our way there." He said. Sam sighed.
"Yes, sir." She said. She missed the small smile Paul gave her as she turned around.
"God! You've all grown up since the last time I saw you!" Paul said. Nearing the kitchen where he saw a mini-Sam having breakfast.
"And you are?" Jordan asked, squinting at him.
"Lt. Colonel Paul Davis. USAF. I'm here to escort her to her meeting. She said I could get some coffee?" Jordan turned around and searched for a mug, then poured some coffee into it and frowned.
"Are you sure you need an escort?" Jordan asked as Sam entered the room. She was feeling utterly uncomfortable in the blues. As if she was an imposter and not the real Major Samantha Carter.
"Whoa! Mom… You look so cool!" Parker said. Only Parker noticed the slight flinch of discomfort her words caused her mom.
"Good coffee," Paul said and finished his mug in one swig. "Shall we?"
"You know what to do," she said to Jordan before she followed Paul out of the condo.
"What did you want to talk about, sir?" Sam asked the moment they were alone in his car.
"You can drop the sir, Sam. It's just Paul. Ah, I'm sure you have questions about that mission thing we added to your files. And the resignation letter, and the recall to active duty letter…."
"A few, yes."
"Well, I thought, I should clear the air with you, before you get there. I knew you were being followed before. I didn't know the Trust was behind it, or that they reached as far as you found they did. When the JCS came up with the idea of getting General O'Neill to take you to the safe house. My intuition told me there was something more going on. So, on your last day at the SGC…"
"You gave me a folder I needed to sign. I never read the paper," she said, remembering that encounter vaguely.
"I did the same with Hammond. I guess that you trusted me and that worked out fine that day. I had my excuses ready if you or Hammond read the document. I guess I was right."
"Thanks, Paul. You gave me the most perfect week I could've ever imagined. Knowing about that letter took a bunch of guilt off my shoulders. Added a huge load of worry too…"
"I bet it did," he smiled, and couldn't help but blush. He'd seen those pictures in court too, after all. "I had to place you back on active duty before they noticed it. That's why I also added the recall letter."
"And the mission?" Paul smiled as he showed his ID to the entrance guard along with hers.
"That wasn't my idea. When you called and explained what you wanted to do…. What you were doing… Hayes said, he didn't want you to risk more than you already were. He figured you could end up being sued for espionage and treason. He wanted you to have a safe place to land if that was the case."
"How did it all end up under Intelligence?"
"He wanted you to have a chance, but he didn't want to give that chance away by placing it in your main file. Since it was intelligence, I could keep real files of it, you know, the real paperwork. So, they were added afterward, with the proper creation date as the date on the file." He parked and turned around to watch her.
"So, basically you created a lot of fake documents. Those are now considered real. I'm really no better than the men and women that I forced out."
"No. They aren't fake documents. They're real. Think about it this way, those documents are the paper trail of the mission you were already doing."
"Did you ever stopped to think what would've happened if someone asked me about those?"
"I did. Jenna did too. We figured out it was best if they found them instead of you. That's why she didn't place me as your witness. We fed some data to the defense, and the subpoenaed me as a witness."
"That was a risky move," she said, with an eyebrow raised.
"One that paid off. Don't think about it too much. Let's go, the President doesn't like it too much to be awake this early."
They walked inside the White House. Sam followed Davis until he waved at a woman. "Valery." He said, "I brought the 8 o'clock."
"Ah, you must be Samantha Carter then. He's been dying to meet you. Go right ahead."
Paul knocked, opening the door slightly. "Davis! Come on in! Did you bring her?" Haye's voice reached them from outside. Paul nodded to Sam to go inside and the moment Hayes saw her he stopped dead in his tracks.
"It's a pleasure to meet you face to face, finally, Sir," Sam said, trying not to squint at the frowning man.
"Davis, I thought I said you should find her and make sure she came as an officer." Sam looked at her dress blues and frowned. Had the uniform changed that much in the past almost twelve years? Looking up, she looked at Paul in confusion. He smiled.
"Ah. I thought you would want to do the honors, sir." Hayes beamed.
"Excellent thinking, Davis! I knew there was a reason I liked you! You look confused," Hayes said, looking at Sam with an amused expression.
"I am confused, sir."
"Do you have them?" Hayes asked, turning towards David.
"Yes, sir." He said. Giving him a briefcase that Sam had noticed him dragging around. Hayes opened it and took the contents out. Looking like a kid in a candy store.
"You'll have to figure where these all go, later on." He said pointing towards some boxes. Then he found a somewhat thick file.
"Well, for your past actions during the mission proposed to you by the USAF Intelligence. You've been awarded the following medals."
"Sir?" Sam frowned, getting more confused by the second.
"An oak leaf cluster for your Air Force Commendation Medal, for acts of courage that do not involve the voluntary risk of life. We thought you wouldn't be risking your life until you proved us wrong." He said. "An oak leaf cluster for your Air Force Organizational Excellence Award. If there was anything higher, you would get that one too, but there's not."
Sam blushed.
"For your actions in defense of our country's sovereignty that went beyond the limits of the rank, as of July 23rd, 2004, the board of qualifications granted you the rank of Lt. Colonel." He read quickly, and almost dismissively, changing pages as if that wasn't even icing for her cake. "An oak leaf cluster device to add to your Airman's medal, for a heroic act that doesn't involve actual combat. And an oak leaf cluster device to add to your Meritorious Service medal for your outstanding service to the United States."
"Finally! Here's the one I was searching for," Hayes said, grinning. "As of June 15th, 2008, the board of qualifications granted you the rank of Colonel, because your actions were beyond the limits of your current rank. Ah, there's a Legion of Merit medal to thrown in the mix. That's new…" he said, turning towards Davis.
"Yeah, the new joint chiefs approved that one," Paul explained.
"Well, you'll see, Colonel. You aren't properly dressed," Hayes grinned. "If I were you, I would walk to the nearest bathroom and set my uniform right. Before reporting back to your Commander-in-Chief."
"Is that an order, sir?" Sam asked somewhat dumbfounded.
"Yes, Colonel." He placed all the boxes inside the case they were before and handed it to her. "Davis was kind enough to have the right position of your ribbons printed out for you. It's inside the file."
"Thank you," she said with a fake smile.
Grabbing the case, she walked away from the oval office and into the nearest bathroom. As she pinned the ribbons as per the paper's instruction, she couldn't help but feel bad about it. The guilt settled deep in her stomach as she considered that she had taken someone else's place in the top levels, while she was just playing house and hacking her way around to get back to her life. While becoming this version of herself, she couldn't quite look in the mirror.
She finally grabbed her jacket and placed the eagles on it instead of the golden oak leaf. She donned the jacket and wondered if she could fill the shoes of Colonel Samantha Carter this time around. With the weight of her self-doubts on her shoulders, she arranged everything in the case again before she headed back to the Oval Office.
