A Traditional Stakeout
by Layton Colt
Author's Notes: I'm so very sorry to have taken so long to get this part written. Inspiration for this story had been illusive for quite awhile, but I think I've finally gotten back the thread. I'll try to get the next parts up in a more timely matter, as well as start work again on Happenstance and Painful Echoes.
On another note--this is the worst part yet. I'm hoping the last parts will be better. It should be finished within one or two parts.
Part Four: The Invitation
Jack and Sam went down the front steps and turned to wave at the couple standing in the doorway. Both wore wide, plastic smiles.
"Well, that was a fun experience," Jack said, still smiling and waving.
Sam, also still smiling, began to steer them away. "I can't believe she hugged you goodbye."
Jack grinned then, and this time it was real. "She slipped a note into my pocket. I think I've got my second invitation."
Sam rolled her eyes. "What does it say?"
He shrugged. "I haven't read it yet, but I'm pretty sure she'd like me to come visit her sometime."
"Yes, but what if she doesn't want to meet in her house?" Sam asked sensibly.
"Damn. I hadn't thought of that." The two reached the door, and Jack pushed it open, pulling the note from his pocket as he did so.
When he read it, another smile appeared. "Turns out the good senator will be leaving tonight for a meeting. She wants me to come over at nine."
"What are you going to do when you're there?"
"Yes," Daniel said as he entered the room. "I'd like to know that myself."
"After I go in, you sneak in after me," Jack said to Daniel. "I'll--I'll distract Meredith."
Daniel smirked. "First name basis? Another one bites the dust . . . already, Jack?"
Jack closed his eyes, and tried the meditation thing Teal'c was always doing. I will not hit him, he thought, I will not hit him.
"You're going to go in there, I'll find a way to make sure the door is unlocked for you. While I keep *Mrs. Carlisle* busy, you search for the items."
"And I'm assuming if I find them I'm supposed to take them back here?"
Jack nodded. "Have you figured anything out about them? Will they be safe to move? No bombs, or anything?"
"No, no bombs. At least, I'm pretty sure there aren't."
"That's so very reassuring."
Daniel smiled. "Well, if you ask me--"
"I'm not," Jack broke in.
Daniel continued as though Jack had not spoken, "This whole idea is stupid. We should just tell them who we are and demand they hand the things over to us."
"Hand them over? Daniel, we go do that, he'll kill us."
"He's a senator! You're a former Special Ops Colonel. Forgive me for thinking we may have the edge."
"Guys," Sam said quietly. "I think Daniel may have a point, sir--I mean, Jonathan."
"Hey! Who's the Colonel around here?" Jack demanded. Then he grinned, and adapted that look Daniel just knew would be followed by something inappropriately condescending. "Besides--father knows best."
"Of course, in this case, mother knows more," Daniel said smoothly.
"Why me?" Jack asked. He looked up at the ceiling. "What? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Ah, Jack? Are you okay?"
"Daniel?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"We're going to do what I've said, alright? Our orders are to keep our cover, and retrieve the items covertly. Understood?"
"Yes, Jack."
"Thank you. Carter you'll stay here. I want you keeping track of our situation with the equipment. Teal'c is in a motel less than ten minutes away with SG-3, if we need backup, contact him."
"Yes, sir."
Jack smiled at his two teammates. "Good." He caught sight of the pizza box on the table. "Great!" he grinned. "You ordered pizza!"
He headed over to it and Daniel smiled. "Help yourself," he offered generously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, the three teammates were sitting together in front of the equipment. Watching the clock.
The Carlisle house was quiet.
"Is it time yet?" Daniel asked.
Jack dropped his head in his hands. Daniel was fitting much too easily into the role of the cosseted millionaire's son. He was going to have to run him through some training exercises when they got back to the SGC. A grin formed at the thought, and Daniel watched him suspiciously.
"What are you thinking?" Daniel demanded.
Jack's grin widened. "Oh, nothing."
Sam shook her head. The Colonel and Daniel had been more . . . well, more themselves than usual on this trip. "It's still five to nine, Daniel," Sam said. "And the senator hasn't left yet."
"There he goes now," Jack said. He watched through the telescope as the senator went down the walkway and jumped into his small red Porsche.
Jack waited until the man had driven off, then he glanced at his watch. "Close enough," he said. "Alright, I'm going over there now. I'll keep the door unlocked for you Daniel, once you see us get out of the entry way, I want you to follow."
Daniel nodded.
"When I was there, I scoped out possible hiding places for the items. I think the most obvious one is the basement."
"Where's the basement?" he asked.
Jack grinned. "When I went to the bathroom, I peeked through a couple of the doors. It's the first door in the hallway, and the hallway is the first turn from the entry way. Even you should be able to find it."
"I don't know, Jack---you know us civilians. Maybe you ought to draw me a map."
"Maybe I oughta--"
"Colonel," Sam interrupted. "It's nine o'clock."
Jack glared at Daniel for a moment, before throwing his hands in the air and walking from the room. Daniel watched him go with amusement.
"Didn't you ever learn you aren't supposed to play with fire?" Sam asked.
Daniel turned to her. "What?"
"Daniel, the Colonel is not a happy camper at the moment."
"God, its contagious, isn't it? I'll be saying yeah sure you betcha before I know it."
"Daniel," Sam said sternly. "Please, for the sake of the mission, and so the Colonel doesn't kill you, stop being so . . ."
"So . . . ?" Daniel prompted.
"So impossible!"
Daniel nodded towards the equipment. "Shouldn't we be keeping an eye on Jack?"
With a frustrated sigh, Sam turned back to the telescope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack walked up the steps to the door, and raised his hand to knock. Meredith pulled it open before his hand connected. "Come in," she said silkily.
Jack's hand dropped. The things he did for the SGC.
He entered the house and Meredith shut the door behind him. "So, where was good ole Brentley headed off to?"
Meredith leaned against the wall. "Let's not talk about him, alright?"
Jack shrugged. "So you want to give me a tour of this place?"
Meredith grinned and started up down the hallway. "Of course, let us go see the bedroom first, shall we?"
Jack watched her for a moment, and when she turned the corner, he quickly unlocked the front door. Then he followed her cautiously. "I'm married, you know," he said.
She turned to grin at him. "And so am I. So what? We may wear a ring, Jonathan, but we aren't dead."
"Yes, but I'm HAPPILY married," he called to her as she disappeared into the room at the end of the hall. "I thought maybe we'd talk."
"I'm not much for talking!" Meredith laughed. "I'm an action person myself."
Jack frowned and entered the bedroom. "Look I'm not going--"
His words were cut off as something connected with the back of his head. Stunned, he fell to his knees.
"Not going to what?" Meredith purred. "Cheat on your wife?"
Jack fell on his back, and stared up at Meredith in dazed confusion.
"Of course you wouldn't, darling," she said. "You'd have to be married first."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: I'm so very sorry to have taken so long to get this part written. Inspiration for this story had been illusive for quite awhile, but I think I've finally gotten back the thread. I'll try to get the next parts up in a more timely matter, as well as start work again on Happenstance and Painful Echoes.
On another note--this is the worst part yet. I'm hoping the last parts will be better. It should be finished within one or two parts.
Part Four: The Invitation
Jack and Sam went down the front steps and turned to wave at the couple standing in the doorway. Both wore wide, plastic smiles.
"Well, that was a fun experience," Jack said, still smiling and waving.
Sam, also still smiling, began to steer them away. "I can't believe she hugged you goodbye."
Jack grinned then, and this time it was real. "She slipped a note into my pocket. I think I've got my second invitation."
Sam rolled her eyes. "What does it say?"
He shrugged. "I haven't read it yet, but I'm pretty sure she'd like me to come visit her sometime."
"Yes, but what if she doesn't want to meet in her house?" Sam asked sensibly.
"Damn. I hadn't thought of that." The two reached the door, and Jack pushed it open, pulling the note from his pocket as he did so.
When he read it, another smile appeared. "Turns out the good senator will be leaving tonight for a meeting. She wants me to come over at nine."
"What are you going to do when you're there?"
"Yes," Daniel said as he entered the room. "I'd like to know that myself."
"After I go in, you sneak in after me," Jack said to Daniel. "I'll--I'll distract Meredith."
Daniel smirked. "First name basis? Another one bites the dust . . . already, Jack?"
Jack closed his eyes, and tried the meditation thing Teal'c was always doing. I will not hit him, he thought, I will not hit him.
"You're going to go in there, I'll find a way to make sure the door is unlocked for you. While I keep *Mrs. Carlisle* busy, you search for the items."
"And I'm assuming if I find them I'm supposed to take them back here?"
Jack nodded. "Have you figured anything out about them? Will they be safe to move? No bombs, or anything?"
"No, no bombs. At least, I'm pretty sure there aren't."
"That's so very reassuring."
Daniel smiled. "Well, if you ask me--"
"I'm not," Jack broke in.
Daniel continued as though Jack had not spoken, "This whole idea is stupid. We should just tell them who we are and demand they hand the things over to us."
"Hand them over? Daniel, we go do that, he'll kill us."
"He's a senator! You're a former Special Ops Colonel. Forgive me for thinking we may have the edge."
"Guys," Sam said quietly. "I think Daniel may have a point, sir--I mean, Jonathan."
"Hey! Who's the Colonel around here?" Jack demanded. Then he grinned, and adapted that look Daniel just knew would be followed by something inappropriately condescending. "Besides--father knows best."
"Of course, in this case, mother knows more," Daniel said smoothly.
"Why me?" Jack asked. He looked up at the ceiling. "What? What did I do to deserve this?"
"Ah, Jack? Are you okay?"
"Daniel?"
"Yes, Jack?"
"We're going to do what I've said, alright? Our orders are to keep our cover, and retrieve the items covertly. Understood?"
"Yes, Jack."
"Thank you. Carter you'll stay here. I want you keeping track of our situation with the equipment. Teal'c is in a motel less than ten minutes away with SG-3, if we need backup, contact him."
"Yes, sir."
Jack smiled at his two teammates. "Good." He caught sight of the pizza box on the table. "Great!" he grinned. "You ordered pizza!"
He headed over to it and Daniel smiled. "Help yourself," he offered generously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, the three teammates were sitting together in front of the equipment. Watching the clock.
The Carlisle house was quiet.
"Is it time yet?" Daniel asked.
Jack dropped his head in his hands. Daniel was fitting much too easily into the role of the cosseted millionaire's son. He was going to have to run him through some training exercises when they got back to the SGC. A grin formed at the thought, and Daniel watched him suspiciously.
"What are you thinking?" Daniel demanded.
Jack's grin widened. "Oh, nothing."
Sam shook her head. The Colonel and Daniel had been more . . . well, more themselves than usual on this trip. "It's still five to nine, Daniel," Sam said. "And the senator hasn't left yet."
"There he goes now," Jack said. He watched through the telescope as the senator went down the walkway and jumped into his small red Porsche.
Jack waited until the man had driven off, then he glanced at his watch. "Close enough," he said. "Alright, I'm going over there now. I'll keep the door unlocked for you Daniel, once you see us get out of the entry way, I want you to follow."
Daniel nodded.
"When I was there, I scoped out possible hiding places for the items. I think the most obvious one is the basement."
"Where's the basement?" he asked.
Jack grinned. "When I went to the bathroom, I peeked through a couple of the doors. It's the first door in the hallway, and the hallway is the first turn from the entry way. Even you should be able to find it."
"I don't know, Jack---you know us civilians. Maybe you ought to draw me a map."
"Maybe I oughta--"
"Colonel," Sam interrupted. "It's nine o'clock."
Jack glared at Daniel for a moment, before throwing his hands in the air and walking from the room. Daniel watched him go with amusement.
"Didn't you ever learn you aren't supposed to play with fire?" Sam asked.
Daniel turned to her. "What?"
"Daniel, the Colonel is not a happy camper at the moment."
"God, its contagious, isn't it? I'll be saying yeah sure you betcha before I know it."
"Daniel," Sam said sternly. "Please, for the sake of the mission, and so the Colonel doesn't kill you, stop being so . . ."
"So . . . ?" Daniel prompted.
"So impossible!"
Daniel nodded towards the equipment. "Shouldn't we be keeping an eye on Jack?"
With a frustrated sigh, Sam turned back to the telescope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack walked up the steps to the door, and raised his hand to knock. Meredith pulled it open before his hand connected. "Come in," she said silkily.
Jack's hand dropped. The things he did for the SGC.
He entered the house and Meredith shut the door behind him. "So, where was good ole Brentley headed off to?"
Meredith leaned against the wall. "Let's not talk about him, alright?"
Jack shrugged. "So you want to give me a tour of this place?"
Meredith grinned and started up down the hallway. "Of course, let us go see the bedroom first, shall we?"
Jack watched her for a moment, and when she turned the corner, he quickly unlocked the front door. Then he followed her cautiously. "I'm married, you know," he said.
She turned to grin at him. "And so am I. So what? We may wear a ring, Jonathan, but we aren't dead."
"Yes, but I'm HAPPILY married," he called to her as she disappeared into the room at the end of the hall. "I thought maybe we'd talk."
"I'm not much for talking!" Meredith laughed. "I'm an action person myself."
Jack frowned and entered the bedroom. "Look I'm not going--"
His words were cut off as something connected with the back of his head. Stunned, he fell to his knees.
"Not going to what?" Meredith purred. "Cheat on your wife?"
Jack fell on his back, and stared up at Meredith in dazed confusion.
"Of course you wouldn't, darling," she said. "You'd have to be married first."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~