Apologies to my American readers! I have *no idea* about how to play baseball, it sounds hideously complicated to me! Rounders is a game we play at school with four posts/bases, a bat and a ball. You hit the ball as hard as you can and run all the way round the four posts to score one rounder. Hence the name 'rounders.' Fairly simple, I think!
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It was very dark when Carter finally came home, pushing the door open as quietly as she dared, hoping against hope that the Colonel would be in bed, asleep, elsewhere...
No such luck. He was standing in the corridor as if he had know all along she would appear at exactly this moment and be ready and waiting to meet her. "We need to talk," he said heavily and Carter nodded, heading towards the living room. He'd made her a cup of scalding hot tea, just the way she liked it, and she sat with the mug steaming between her hands.
"What happened today?" O'Neill asked, every word sounding as if it was a sustained effort to drag it out of a deep hole. His dark eyes met her blue ones in the dimly lit room, holding them with a burning intensity and making her remember the feeling from earlier of his body against hers; of heat, a prickling of sweat and his intoxicating smell.
She looked away. "Nothing sir," she said, "We can just forget it-"
"I don't want to forget it." There. He'd said it. Her eyes flicked back to his.
"But I'm.... I'm with Ben. I haven't even been away a month and already I'm with another man..." she muttered, mostly to herself.
"I'm not the other man," O'Neill heard himself saying, as if from far, far away, "He is."
Carter looked stricken. "I know," she said in a low voice, "But we can't be together. Officially you're still my CO. We could be court martialled for that kiss."
"No we couldn't. We're not in the military anymore. Not under anyone's command. We're just Sam and Jack here, even if we don't always call each other by those names."
"I can't deal with this at the moment."
Jack's pain was clearly registered in his face; she knew that right now he wanted closure more than anything else in the world. And she wanted it too, so badly. But now wasn't the time or the place. She was unsettled by new surroundings, emotional, not thinking straight. She couldn't expect to make such a life-changing decision right now. "Alright," he sighed, "Enjoy your tea."
He went to bed.
*
Time flowed onwards as it always has; hours gradually turning into days, and days to weeks. O'Neill continued to improve and personalise their home with various wooden ornaments and tools that he made in what Carter often jokingly referred to as 'woodwork class.' Carter won a few more Fel'Tak races, and the matter disintegrator in the toilet was working at three hundred percent efficiency after Carter got fed up during weekly maintenance work around the house.
It was nearly three weeks later when Jack finally plucked up the courage to have another brave stab at 'making a move' on Carter. Things had been comfortably understated between them, the old tension returned in full measure.
But O'Neill had sent a letter to General Hammond with Janet during his last check-up, explaining that he was officially resigning from the military. He was now officially able to pursue his relationship with Sam Carter... assuming that was that she consented to be part of it, of course.
That was why he was struggling to drag a new wooden bench for their balcony over the walkways to their house. Carter opened the door to the red faced ex-Colonel. "Present for you," he said.
"A bench?" She was definitely looking incredulous.
"A carved bench no less," he replied, looking slightly hurt.
"Sam and Jack," she read, her fingers tracing the intricately carved letters entwined with vines, like the wooden framework all around them. She helped him carry it through to the balcony and then sat on it experimentally. "Comfortable," she said, as if passing judgement.
"I'm glad." He sat down next to her, going through the various speeches he'd been planning all day.
"I sent a letter to Ben today."
He marvelled inwardly at her amazing ability to take whatever situation he was planning and turn it completely on its head before replying. "About what?"
"Clarifying the position of our relationship," she said, uncomfortably. Jack knew not to push his luck, but Carter plunged in recklessly, as if determined to expunge the emotion involved in her letter. "I told him that as it is so unlikely we can ever see each other again, we are officially over."
O'Neill tried to hide his glee, contriving to keep his face in the traditional 'concerned friend' expression. As he often did in such circumstances he thought of the Simpsons. Homer's bracelet; WWJD? In Jack's case he mentally filled in the words as 'What Would Jackson Do?' "Was it the right thing to do?"
"I think so," she said, relief crossing her face. "It hurt a lot, but there was a kind of relief there too. Hard to explain."
O'Neill wondered if now was the right time to ask Carter what he had been planning to ask her all day. Probably not, he decided. Better leave it a while...
...Damn!
*
Carter sat close to the roaring flames, grinning in the flickering firelight as she nibbled on a sweet, hot fruit. Beside her O'Neill was sitting on the same log, his hip brushing hers as he laughed with someone on his right, so close were they squashed together. There was entertainment tonight, juggling and music, a real carnival atmosphere.
O'Neill turned to Carter, smiling, eyes dancing in the light. "Dance?" he asked, extending a hand.
"Sure," she replied, her own eyes shining as she took his hand. Soon they were dancing exuberantly amongst the other party-goers.
"Carter!" O'Neill shouted over the din, close to her ear as they danced.
"What?!" she shouted back, curious as to the cause of his wicked smile.
"This!" he said.
She opened her mouth the reply 'this what?!' but O'Neill had leaned in, his lips brushing hers gently.
"Oh!" she replied.
He looked uncertain, almost as if expecting reprisal for his action. "I handed in my resignation yesterday to Janet."
Carter knew that had he said this a few weeks ago, before they had come to Eden, she would have been devastated. As it was, it had very little bearing on their situation. She put her hand on his shoulder and kissed him again, properly this time, like they had in the games field.
"Will you go out with me?" O'Neill asked, his tone joking but his eyes sincere despite the immaturity of his words.
"Okay," she replied, smiling stupidly.
There was a silence between them, filled by the blaring of instruments, crackling of burning wood and the voices of other people.
"Oh good," he said, and thinking of nothing else to do, he kissed her again.