# # # # #
The following day, Jack was sent for by General Hammond. He expected it to be something to do with the President's party - by that time it was many days before. He couldn't have been more wrong.
"Close the door behind you Jack." Doing as he was told, he then came to the chair in front of Hammond's desk. "Don't sit down." Jack was confused. The General was never this abrupt with him.
"What's this about sir?" he queried.
"I heard something yesterday that you might be interested to know about."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Do you know about regulations Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Then explain to me why you were expressing feelings for Major Carter yesterday, and I might consider not Court-Martialling you."
Then there was silence. Jack didn't know what to say. He didn't know how the General could have found out, and most of all, he didn't know what he was going to say to him. He had no explanation. It was how he felt. It was how they felt.
"Well?" Hammond pressured.
"I don't have an explanation. It's the truth," Jack said simply.
He couldn't say anything else. He wasn't going to bring Sam into the picture. He wouldn't mention her at all if possible.
"Do you realise how stupid you are to get caught saying things like that?! You know what regulations are there for! You know what they say about relationships between members of the SGC.and you get caught saying things about your feelings for your second in command?! Do you realise just how irresponsible that is? You are the commanding officer for our best team.I would have thought you would know that you set an example for other commanding officers and just other officers in general. What kind of example do you think you're setting by announcing to half the base you have feelings for a fellow officer?! Not only that, but your second in command! I thought you of all people would have the sense not to be so stupid!"
# # # # #
Walking through the SGC corridors in search of Jack - Sam noticed Daniel up ahead of her.
"Daniel!" she called to him.
He stopped and turned around to find the voice that was calling him.
"Daniel, here," Sam repeated as he looked around and she caught him up.
"Oh hi Sam. What's up?" he asked as she stopped in front of him.
"Have you seen the Colonel?"
"No. He's in the General's office. Sent for him this morning."
"Oh."
"We have that briefing in fifteen, don't we?"
"Oh man! I almost forgot about that."
"We might as well head up there now. Not that much time to wait."
"Yeah. Ok," Sam agreed and they both set off to the briefing room.
Before reaching the briefing room, they could both hear distinct yelling emitting from General Hammond's office. Only his voice. Yelling. Screaming could almost cover it. They silently went in and sat down. Looking through the glass, they could see Jack standing before Hammond, while he raised his voice so loud that the occupants of Chulak may have caught the general - no pun intended - idea of the "conversation".
"What's he being yelled at for?" Daniel whispered quietly - as though it would have made any difference if he'd yelled. Sam shrugged confusedly.
"I don't know. Whatever it is, it must be fairly." and it was then she realised. "Oh God no.it couldn't be," she gasped.
"What?"
Daniel queried. Sam shook her head in disbelief. It just couldn't be, she hoped. Teal'c walked into the conference room and also noticed the loudness of General Hammond's voice. Without a word, he sat down and listened with Sam and Daniel silently.
"Your negligence in this situation is unacceptable! If I could, I would Court-Martial you right here and now. Get off this base. I don't want to see your face anymore. Get out!" Hammond yelled angrily.
Sam and Daniel turned to the door and watched as Jack's form walked ashamedly out. It looked like he'd been in there for years. His expression was of nothing more than worthlessness. As he walked slowly across the room, he was unaware of his comrades sitting watching him without a sound. Unaware he was leaving under the quiet eyes of his friends. Unspoken questions thrown at him all the while.
"Jack?"
Daniel was the first to speak. It was then that he realised they were all there. He looked up without a word.
"What happened?"
"Are you in some trouble O'Neill?"
Although his friend's concern was enough to make anyone want to answer their queries, he couldn't speak. His voice ripped from him by the brutal assault of General Hammond. His feeling of worthlessness well and truly taking control. His eyes found Sam, and just looked at her. Not for long, but long enough for her to realise what had just happened, and the cause of his expression. His eyes again finding the floor interesting, he walked away from them all. Leaving the room. To leave the entire base. In the realisation of what had happened, Sam felt full guilt for ruining his career.
Although he had said he didn't care about their careers - or at least his own - she still knew he didn't plan on losing it and seeing how it felt. Daniel and Teal'c shot off like two bullets in hot pursuit of Jack to find out the exact details. Unaware, of course, that Sam already knew. She stormed into Hammond's office angrily.
"Major Carter, I also wanted." Sam cut him off so to yell more effectively.
"Why did you yell at him like that?!" she hollered.
"Excuse me?" Hammond question in puzzlement.
"Why did you yell at Jack like that?!"
"How about you sit down and we."
"No, how about I don't sit down. I don't want to. Listen, you had no right to yell at him like that! And say all those horrible things. He isn't stupid or irresponsible! If you are going to yell at anyone, is should have been both of us. If I am involved, which I am, then it's not fair to blame it all on him! And no, I don't care about all that insubordination shit, stuff it. I'll say what I want to say, and you'll listen. It was all the President's party. It was my fault. I got drunk.I mean, admittedly, we were both drunk. We did a whole heap of stuff we shouldn't have. It's my fault General. I want to take all the blame, not him. Punish me. Jack's my senior officer, and you are senior officer to him.surely you have seen what a great officer he is. He's the best, and you know it."
"Someone has to take the blame Major. I found out from an unnameable source that he was doing the talking. It's only natural for me to assume him that person."
"Well, you shouldn't have! He's not the only one involved here. There's me too. You should have talked - or should I say, yelled - at both of us."
"Well I had no idea of your involvement in this until just now."
"Well, if you're not going to do anything about it, I quit. Someone has to take the blame you said, well, let it be me. I'm going. Jack can stay. Let him stay, and I'll go."
"You can't leave Major. You're too valuable to the entire program. This base needs a brain, and without sounding like I'm out to praise, you are one of the best. You're too valuable."
"And he's not?!" Sam yelled angrily and stormed from the General's office to pack her things and leave before anyone had the chance to notice.
# # # # #
The following day, Jack was sent for by General Hammond. He expected it to be something to do with the President's party - by that time it was many days before. He couldn't have been more wrong.
"Close the door behind you Jack." Doing as he was told, he then came to the chair in front of Hammond's desk. "Don't sit down." Jack was confused. The General was never this abrupt with him.
"What's this about sir?" he queried.
"I heard something yesterday that you might be interested to know about."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Do you know about regulations Jack?"
"Yeah."
"Then explain to me why you were expressing feelings for Major Carter yesterday, and I might consider not Court-Martialling you."
Then there was silence. Jack didn't know what to say. He didn't know how the General could have found out, and most of all, he didn't know what he was going to say to him. He had no explanation. It was how he felt. It was how they felt.
"Well?" Hammond pressured.
"I don't have an explanation. It's the truth," Jack said simply.
He couldn't say anything else. He wasn't going to bring Sam into the picture. He wouldn't mention her at all if possible.
"Do you realise how stupid you are to get caught saying things like that?! You know what regulations are there for! You know what they say about relationships between members of the SGC.and you get caught saying things about your feelings for your second in command?! Do you realise just how irresponsible that is? You are the commanding officer for our best team.I would have thought you would know that you set an example for other commanding officers and just other officers in general. What kind of example do you think you're setting by announcing to half the base you have feelings for a fellow officer?! Not only that, but your second in command! I thought you of all people would have the sense not to be so stupid!"
# # # # #
Walking through the SGC corridors in search of Jack - Sam noticed Daniel up ahead of her.
"Daniel!" she called to him.
He stopped and turned around to find the voice that was calling him.
"Daniel, here," Sam repeated as he looked around and she caught him up.
"Oh hi Sam. What's up?" he asked as she stopped in front of him.
"Have you seen the Colonel?"
"No. He's in the General's office. Sent for him this morning."
"Oh."
"We have that briefing in fifteen, don't we?"
"Oh man! I almost forgot about that."
"We might as well head up there now. Not that much time to wait."
"Yeah. Ok," Sam agreed and they both set off to the briefing room.
Before reaching the briefing room, they could both hear distinct yelling emitting from General Hammond's office. Only his voice. Yelling. Screaming could almost cover it. They silently went in and sat down. Looking through the glass, they could see Jack standing before Hammond, while he raised his voice so loud that the occupants of Chulak may have caught the general - no pun intended - idea of the "conversation".
"What's he being yelled at for?" Daniel whispered quietly - as though it would have made any difference if he'd yelled. Sam shrugged confusedly.
"I don't know. Whatever it is, it must be fairly." and it was then she realised. "Oh God no.it couldn't be," she gasped.
"What?"
Daniel queried. Sam shook her head in disbelief. It just couldn't be, she hoped. Teal'c walked into the conference room and also noticed the loudness of General Hammond's voice. Without a word, he sat down and listened with Sam and Daniel silently.
"Your negligence in this situation is unacceptable! If I could, I would Court-Martial you right here and now. Get off this base. I don't want to see your face anymore. Get out!" Hammond yelled angrily.
Sam and Daniel turned to the door and watched as Jack's form walked ashamedly out. It looked like he'd been in there for years. His expression was of nothing more than worthlessness. As he walked slowly across the room, he was unaware of his comrades sitting watching him without a sound. Unaware he was leaving under the quiet eyes of his friends. Unspoken questions thrown at him all the while.
"Jack?"
Daniel was the first to speak. It was then that he realised they were all there. He looked up without a word.
"What happened?"
"Are you in some trouble O'Neill?"
Although his friend's concern was enough to make anyone want to answer their queries, he couldn't speak. His voice ripped from him by the brutal assault of General Hammond. His feeling of worthlessness well and truly taking control. His eyes found Sam, and just looked at her. Not for long, but long enough for her to realise what had just happened, and the cause of his expression. His eyes again finding the floor interesting, he walked away from them all. Leaving the room. To leave the entire base. In the realisation of what had happened, Sam felt full guilt for ruining his career.
Although he had said he didn't care about their careers - or at least his own - she still knew he didn't plan on losing it and seeing how it felt. Daniel and Teal'c shot off like two bullets in hot pursuit of Jack to find out the exact details. Unaware, of course, that Sam already knew. She stormed into Hammond's office angrily.
"Major Carter, I also wanted." Sam cut him off so to yell more effectively.
"Why did you yell at him like that?!" she hollered.
"Excuse me?" Hammond question in puzzlement.
"Why did you yell at Jack like that?!"
"How about you sit down and we."
"No, how about I don't sit down. I don't want to. Listen, you had no right to yell at him like that! And say all those horrible things. He isn't stupid or irresponsible! If you are going to yell at anyone, is should have been both of us. If I am involved, which I am, then it's not fair to blame it all on him! And no, I don't care about all that insubordination shit, stuff it. I'll say what I want to say, and you'll listen. It was all the President's party. It was my fault. I got drunk.I mean, admittedly, we were both drunk. We did a whole heap of stuff we shouldn't have. It's my fault General. I want to take all the blame, not him. Punish me. Jack's my senior officer, and you are senior officer to him.surely you have seen what a great officer he is. He's the best, and you know it."
"Someone has to take the blame Major. I found out from an unnameable source that he was doing the talking. It's only natural for me to assume him that person."
"Well, you shouldn't have! He's not the only one involved here. There's me too. You should have talked - or should I say, yelled - at both of us."
"Well I had no idea of your involvement in this until just now."
"Well, if you're not going to do anything about it, I quit. Someone has to take the blame you said, well, let it be me. I'm going. Jack can stay. Let him stay, and I'll go."
"You can't leave Major. You're too valuable to the entire program. This base needs a brain, and without sounding like I'm out to praise, you are one of the best. You're too valuable."
"And he's not?!" Sam yelled angrily and stormed from the General's office to pack her things and leave before anyone had the chance to notice.
# # # # #