Chapter 7

July 30, 1997
Stargate Alliance (SGA)
Cheyenne Mountain

It's the next day before they do meet, but it doesn't go well and Sam refuses to take any of the blame because despite Catherine's orders, she finds herself returning to the SGA at zero-seven-hundred hours the next morning yet she feels far from rested.

It was late by the time her mentor had driven her back to the hotel but any plans Sam had to finally catch up on some sleep were immediately thwarted by Catherine's confession in the car. She closes her eyes as the previous night's events replay over in her mind.

As they make their way out of Cheyenne Mountain and into town, Sam keeps her gaze forward and hopes she sounds more composed than she feels.

"So," she says, "why did General O'Neill not want to meet me?"

Catherine glances in her rear-view mirror and takes a breath. "What makes you think he didn't want to meet you?"

"Earlier, you said that something came up." Catherine nods slowly. "But I know it was him I saw standing in the doorway of his office as we left. He didn't look like someone who wanted to see me."

"Sam," she sighs.

"I guess I just need to know if he's another General West," she interrupts quickly, as her attention falls to her hands clasped tightly on her lap. "I know you – and Daniel and George – have all said he's a 'good man', but –"

"Jack is a good man," Catherine nods, "trust me, Samantha. He – he received a phone call before he was due to meet you – that's why I had to leave you earlier, although you and Daniel seemed to be having a very interesting discussion without me."

Sam smiles as the older woman chuckles good-naturedly, before she sobers.

"Jack just wanted a little time to think before he spoke to you."

With a frown, Sam turns her head to look at Catherine. "Why? What did I do?"

"Nothing, sweetheart."

"Then why would he –"

"It was your father who called."

The sense of dread returns as Sam flits from anger to humiliation to confusion in the space of seconds. After Catherine's revelation she felt numb. Her appetite had vanished and even though she was exhausted, she hadn't been able to sleep.

She couldn't believe that her father had spoken to General O'Neill without even attempting to speak to her first. OK, so maybe she could have called her father to let him know that she'd been transferred to Colorado Springs, but a part of her also suspected that her father knew her every whereabouts – something he seemingly confirmed last night.

Catherine had then refused to say what the two Air Force Generals had spoken about, already saying that she'd told Sam too much, but she did add that she had nothing to worry about. It didn't ease her worries, however.

It was just another feeling to add to the others she's experiencing – most of which are towards her father. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself down; he's already managed to get under her skin and she refuses to let his interference or opinions get in the way of her work once again now that she is finally in a job that is, quite literally, out of this world.

She rounds the final corner to Catherine's lab and is slightly surprised to find the doors already open but no-one around, so she makes her way to the desk she was using yesterday and sets her purse down beside a memo with her name on it.

It's from Catherine and Sam breathes a sigh of relief – until she reads the rest of the message. It appears that General O'Neill has had all the time he needs to think and they can no longer delay the inevitable. She has to meet the boss.

She quickly checks her watch and sees she has three hours to kill so, deciding she desperately needs something to focus on until then, she pulls out a stack of blank pages and continues to work from where she left off yesterday. It's how Catherine finds her an hour and a half later, surrounded by paper and equations and post-it notes.

"Let me guess," she says smiles as she sits down, "you still don't follow my advice to eat or sleep."

Sam has the good grace to look abashed, but then gestures to her workspace. "I will – once I finish this."

"Sam –" She looks up when she realizes Catherine is waiting for her full attention, "I'm sorry about last night, I didn't –"

"It's fine," she smiles, although she can't find the humor, "it's nothing to do with you – or General O'Neill. This is between my father and I."

"Even still," she offers quietly, "I'm sorry."

Sam isn't angry or disappointed with Catherine – she could never feel that way towards the woman she views as a close friend – but she quickly accepts her apology so she can change the subject.

"Daniel said something of interest last night. He believes the Stargate can go to other places… and I think he's right."

Catherine straightens. "What?"

Pushing her work to one side, Sam shares the conversation she had with Daniel and by the time she's finished speaking, Catherine also looks like she believes the possibility. They start to throw hypotheses back and forth and the implications of what this could mean for the SGA – and Earth – when the phone rings.

"Doctor Langford."

Sam isn't privy to the other side of the discussion, but watches as Catherine glances at her before she sets the phone down and gets to her feet.

"We'll come back to this later, Samantha."

The dread returns as Sam remembers her scheduled meeting with the general and some of her fear must show when her mentor gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Come on," she smiles, "let's not keep Jack waiting."

Sam knows it's ridiculous but she feels like she is back in school and being summoned to the principal's office as she silently follows Catherine down to Level 27 to see General O'Neill. She plans out what she wants to say, and how she will say it, and decides that – unless he brings it up first, she is not mentioning her father.

As she nears the office she takes a deep breath before she hears the unmistakable Texan drawl of George Hammond. It's followed by another man's voice that Sam doesn't recognize but guesses it belongs to that of the SGA's commander. His voice is raised, however, which doesn't surprise her as much as it maybe should, but also tells her that their meeting is not likely to go well.

She's half-ready to ask Catherine if she really has to go through with this when the older woman glances over her shoulder and smiles reassuringly.

"Trust me. You really will like her once you get to know her," she hears George say placatingly as they get closer.

"Oh, I'm sure I adore her already, George," is the sarcastic response he receives and Sam doesn't need to be there to see the roll of eyes which accompanies his statement.

She also has the distinct feeling that they are talking about her but she stamps down on her indignation because despite her distaste for the Air Force, Sam knows Colonel Hammond is on her side and while she appreciates his support, she doesn't want him to get into trouble for her.

"She's a geek."

"She is a genius, Jack."

"I know," he retorts, "otherwise she wouldn't be here. Doesn't change matters though."

There's a heavy silence that falls just as Sam and Catherine appear at the threshold.

"Carter's a scientist," he adds, oblivious to her presence, as he folds his arms across his chest and stares at George. "I don't like scientists. Can't trust 'em not to do something stupid."

"I'm actually the world's foremost expert on the Stargate," Sam finds herself saying before she can stop herself. She feels Catherine and George also turn to look at her but she keeps her gaze focused solely on the General. She folds her arms across her chest in defiance, just as Jack's gaze snaps to hers. Catherine is the first to break the stalemate as she steps further into the office.

"Jack," she says, "this is Doctor Samantha Carter. Sam… this is General Jack O'Neill."

Neither Sam nor Jack offers a greeting, instead continuing to stare as they both refuse to back down first.

"As I was saying, General," George says lightly as she shares a look with Catherine and takes a half-step closer to Sam, "Samantha here is smarter than all of us – and especially in matters related to the Stargate."

His faith in her makes her smile and she finally looks away and towards her godfather.

"Thank you," she says quietly, before she returns her attention back to the General.

"Fine," he finally sighs, then glances at Catherine. She gives him an inscrutable look, then nods in response and places a hand on Sam's arm.

"Come find me when you're finished," she says quietly, before she leaves and closes the side door to the office behind her.

"I'll be going as well," George says as he moves to the other door leading out to the briefing room.

"We'll talk later," Jack warns just before the door clicks shut and two are finally left alone to resume their staring contest.

"So, Miss Carter," he says with a sigh, "I –"

"It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation. You should call me Doctor, not Miss."

This time she does see his eyes roll and she straightens when he says, "Then you should call me Brigadier General."

It's dripping with sarcasm but there's no anger in his words. Instead, he sounds tired and frustrated and almost as if he doesn't fully trust her, but it's fine because she doesn't fully trust him either. The muscles in his jaw twitch as he studies her and Sam tries not to fidget as she feels that familiar tingle start to creep along the base of her spine. She turns her attention back to him and takes in his stance and features and, for the first time, idly realizes that he is more handsome than she was expecting.

But that's as far as the thought goes before the General starts talking and makes another, albeit slightly less, disparaging comment about scientists.

"Being a scientist doesn't make me any less than an Air Force officer," she retorts, "and just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle."

He smirks at her argument before he sits down behind his desk and gestures for her to take the chair opposite, but she chooses to remain standing.

"Oh, this has nothing to do with you being a woman. I like women – I just have a little problem with scientists."

"Well," she challenges, "I'm known to be a bit of a pool shark, I have a 1940s Indian motorcycle, and I make a mean soufflé. Is that enough to shake my 'geeky scientist' image, or are we going to have to arm wrestle?"

Jack raises his eyebrows in amusement and Sam refuses to acknowledge that she's torn between turned on and being outraged by his attitude. She forces herself to go for the latter and drive home the fact that while she may doubt herself at times, she knows she is the best person for the job.

"As I said to Doctor Jackson last night," she continues, "I was studying the gate technology for two years before you went through. I'm the foremost expert on the Stargate and right now, I am here because Catherine specifically asked me to come back and help. You need me."

"I need you," he mutters. He then rests his fists on the table and pushes himself slowly to his feet as his expression darkens. "Let me ask you something, Doctor Carter… how's dear old dad these days?"

She stiffens at the veiled accusation. "I wouldn't know."

"Really?"

"Really."

He clearly doesn't believe her, but if he wants to think that she's there as a result of some kind of nepotism as opposed to her skills and intelligence, she decides it is his problem. She's more important things to do so when she sarcastically thanks him for his time as she heads for the door, she doesn't linger on how she effectively dismisses the General by storming out of his office, leaving the word 'asshole' to fill the space where she stood just moments earlier.

She doesn't know that Jack watches her leave, nor does she see the hint of a smirk on his lips as he retakes his seat.