AN: My boss is happy with me, her boss not as much. At least the dislike is mutual. My boss asked me what I wanted to do about my low numbers and I told her frankly fire them all and start over. I did not pick any of these twits. One of them finally got written up after I kept telling the boss to do so. I don't have any teeth if she doesn't follow through with my warnings. Anyhoo on to story related stuff. There is a meme of General Hammond telling Jack they don't stick their noses into other people's business as the military. Jack asks him since when. This applies ALSO to 'the government doesn't do that'. Yes they would. The government and our military does LOTS of things that aren't strictly ethical or wise. We've experimented on our own service members repeatedly without their knowledge or consent. We use civilians to hide our activities. We've made deals with others we had no intention of keeping. Objection dually noted. But yahh... sometimes it do be like that guest reader.

Chapter 2

They ended up at a local diner about a mile from their temporary house. "The food is pretty good." Sam said. "James was the one that told me about it."

"You seem pretty friendly with James." Jack observed as they were seated.

Sam gave him an odd look. Was he… jealous? "Word got out that I'd moved in alone and he came over to introduce himself. I think he was angling for a date so I gave him our cover story that you were coming next week after you closed on our old house... and that I'd gotten word that Lisa needed a foster family for a while." She told him.

Jack flashed her a relaxed grin. "Just as long as he knows you aren't available." He said, giving Sam a heated look which made her blush.

Clearing her throat, she smiled. "He's sweet. A little weird."

Jack nodded. "Your taste ranges more to sweet and crazy."

Sam gave him a deer in the headlights look.

Jack held up a hand and put up a finger. "Jonas, although I don't know that I'd have called him sweet." He put up another finger. "Marty." Another. "Orlin…"

"Okay, okay, you made your point." She huffed.

"Last but not least, me." He said with a grin as his hand covered hers, the ring between them.

Sam giggled. "You're awfully confident." She admonished him.

"You're wearing my ring." He reminded her.

"So I am." She said and flashed him the smile she reserved for him alone.

Somewhere in the back of Jack's head, his inner voice told him 'Buddy, you are in BIG trouble here'.

The waitress walked up and smiled at the couple who were completely oblivious to anyone but each other. "Can I get you folks something to drink?" She asked them in a slightly bored voice.

"Coffee." Jack said.

"Diet Coke." Sam told the dark haired woman with exotic eyes.

"A coffee and a Diet Coke coming up." She said and walked away.

Jack leaned back on his side of the booth. "She's military or special ops." He said, soto voco.

"Do you think we have competition?" Sam asked.

Jack shrugged. "Stands to reason they would need more than just your stuff to finish what they started."

Sam nodded. "Want me to tail her later?" she asked just as quietly.

Jack thought for a moment. "Nah. We'll bump into each other eventually and can exchange division insults then." He said of the common practice of insulting other special ops units when their departments didn't clue them in. "I should call Uncle George though and let him know."

Sam nodded. "I got a job at a lab. It's just a paperwork job but it could lead to something better." She said, falling into character.

"Honey, that's great!" Jack said a little too loudly.

Sam beamed and blushed a little.

"I knew those night classes would pay off!" He grinned. "We should celebrate."

Sam chuckled. "Your version of celebrating is dessert for dinner."

"Normally yes, but I'm starving so how about after we eat you scoot over here and we split a dessert." He offered.

Sam shook her head and laughed. "Why do I get the feeling this is just an excuse to fondle me in public?"

Jack gave her an innocent look that made Sam laugh harder. She wasn't buying it in character or out.

An hour later, they had finished their meal and had decided to walk to the park around the corner. They were casually holding hands while they talked.

"So schoolteacher, huh?"

"You've used that cover before." She reminded him.

"True." He agreed. He actually did have teaching certifications as he'd put serious thought after his retirement into substituting as he wasn't sure if he wanted to commit to a full year with the same kids. He had worried he'd get too attached.

"I probably could have gotten you a mechanic's job but schools tend to be more relaxed about phone interviews. You can thank Walter for getting you the job." She said chuckling.

"Oh?"

"Yup. Ironically he used your actual resume… mostly."

"Mostly." He said chuckling because his actual resume was highly redacted. "So former military with teaching certs and a minor in English." He said thoughtfully.

"Yup. There's no guarantee you'll only be teaching English though. It's a general subject position so you will sub for anyone that calls off and be on call daily. The principal warned Walter that you would be subbing nearly every day of the week because someone ALWAYS calls off.

"Convenient." He said thoughtfully.

"I'm just glad the guys who hired me didn't dig too deep though usually you need the FBI to figure out I have a doctorate."

"Your name is fairly common so if it comes up you can pretend to be envious." Jack joked.

Sam nodded. "That's not actually a bad idea." She agreed.

"They never actually met you, did they?"

She shook her head. "We kept the divisions separated as we'd contracted civilians to tool the engines. My division leader was pretty furious when she found out." Sam thought for a moment. "There's so many layers to the system she only knows me as S. Carter on paperwork. We've never actually talked."

Jack nodded. "Typical smoke and mirrors. This is why I hate bringing in civilians." He grumbled.

Sam chuckled. She knew that was a dig at Daniel. "Someone from the base posing as CPS will be here tomorrow with Lisa."

"Do we really have to traumatize the kid?" Jack sighed.

"Uncle George asked Major Nelson to do it." She told him, which made Jack feel better since he had already met her through off-world young refugees when he'd gone to check up on their progress. Major Nelson was the sweet natured blond head of the NORAD day care facility.

"Who's going to watch the kids while she does this?"

Sam shrugged. "I'm sure she has other staff."

Jack wagged his head side to side. "Okay, she's good with kids. It's still going to be scary for Lisa." Jack surmised. Sam looked at Jack taken aback momentarily. She didn't think he'd remember her niece's name but he was usually good with names even when he pretended not to be and thought nothing more about the situation.

"Yah." Sam sighed. "I have no idea how they talked Mark into this one."

"Because no one would believe Walter and his wife were having problems." Jack suggested.

Sam snorted in amusement. "For a guy who spends all his time on base, he's amassed an impressive number of children in the last seven years."

"Makes you wonder when he sleeps."

Sam laughed outright and swatted his arm. "You're terrible."

"You like it." He said with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She leaned against him affectionately. "Yah." She agreed.

Several paces away, an average looking man stood with an exotic looking woman. "They seem like a normal couple." She said with a shrug.

"Looks can be deceiving." He said.

She nodded. "Keep an eye on them. Especially as she is their new records manager." The woman said of Sam.

He nodded slowly. He liked her. She was nice. He seemed like an okay guy too… but their timing was just a little too convenient.