Title: Getting to Know You: Part 16
Feedback: jm-webmistress@fsmail.net
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: The Broca Divide
Summary: The custody battle takes its toll on Sam, Jack does some thinking about his personal life, and General Hammond pulls some strings.
Author Notes: Set in Season 1, Humour/Drama, Charlie O'Neill IS alive in this story, and Sam has a son with Jonas Hanson.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Note: Thank you very much to all of the people that send reviews! I am very grateful! :)
~ Getting to Know You: Part 16 ~
Copyright © 2004, Ruth
**********
Sam jolted awake as her alarm began to wail. She'd had a virtually sleepless night, worrying about Nathan and the trial, and now she had to get up and go to work, facing Colonel O'Neill and the others.
She knew that they would be concerned, and it angered her. She didn't need people to be concerned for her! It was her son that needed help, and nobody else. She hated being pitied - it pissed her off more than a lot of things.
She pulled herself out of bed and went into the bathroom for a shower. That would wake her up properly - help her to feel less like a zombie and more like a human being. As the scalding water travelled down her back and across her neck, she felt invigorated, and a new sense of life was within her again.
She would face Jonas in court in three days' time.
**********
Jack looked at his watch nervously. 0850 hours. Their briefing began in ten minutes, and Carter was usually ten minutes early. Where was she? He began to pace nervously, up and down the briefing room.
"O'Neill, you are making me nauseous," Teal'c stated, "Please stop moving in an alternating vertical direction."
"Sorry, T," Jack said, continuing to pace, "I'm just worried about Carter."
"She still has ten minutes to arrive," Teal'c said quietly, "And I do not see you extending this concern to Daniel Jackson, who is also still to arrive."
"But - shut up, T," Jack said, fighting back a blush of embarrassment. Teal'c knew just what to say and how to say it to make him feel three feet tall.
At that moment, Sam entered the room.
"Carter!" Jack said, jumping up from where he had been temporarily seated. "You okay?"
Sam bit back a sharp comment and smiled politely at him. Dammit, she could see the pity in his eyes, and she didn't like it.
"Fine," she said shortly, "Why shouldn't I be?"
"Exactly," Teal'c smiled, looking at O'Neill and raising his eyebrow. "Is that not what I just told you, O'Neill?"
"Yes," Jack said, not totally satisfied that Sam was telling the truth. He was about to question her further when Daniel strolled in, finishing a cup of coffee. He threw the cup in the bin and looked at Sam. She knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.
"Hey, Sam! You okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you," she said pointedly. Teal'c, however, was the only person in the room who seemed to get the hint.
"I just thought…" Jack began, but Sam cut him off.
"Well, don't. Sir. I'm fine, and you know what would be even better? If you stopped asking me all of the time!"
Jack sat back from the table, hurt, and looked at Daniel. Sam felt guilty at her outburst, but at the same time she was glad that he had stopped talking. Fortunately, General Hammond entered and their meeting began.
**********
Later that day, they were off world on a routine mission. Jack had been reluctant to leave Charlie again, but Sara had been able to take him for a couple of days. As he walked ahead of his team, he kept thinking about Carter's outburst in the briefing room. He knew she was under a lot of pressure, but it had still hurt. He wondered whether to talk to her about it, and fell back to talk to Daniel.
Sam was now in front, and she could practically feel their eyes burning into her back. Her eyelids drooped with exhaustion, and she wanted nothing more than to stop walking, curl up in a ball and go to sleep. She knew, however, that she had another two hours of walking to do before they even set up camp, and she could hear the conversation behind her very clearly.
"I think I should say something."
"No, you saw what happened earlier - just give her some space, Jack."
"But she had no right to talk to me like that!"
"You were pestering her."
"So were you!"
"She's used to it from me - normally you never act like you care."
"Danny!"
"Trust me, Jack, just give her some space. She'll talk to us when she's ready."
"Well, I'm ready now," Jack said, still determined.
Ahead of them, Sam found her eyes closing again. She stumbled briefly on a rock and cursed under her breath, knowing that Daniel and Jack would have seen her do it.
"She can't even walk in a straight line!" Jack said, in a harsh whisper, "She's a danger to herself and to us!"
Sam swallowed and fought back the urge to snap at him. He was right, dammit, and she hated that. Now he was going to suspend her from active duty, and all because she was just too proud.
Teal'c drew level with her, and decided upon some gentle questioning.
"Major Carter, do you require assistance?" he asked.
"No, Teal'c," she said, offering him a weak smile, "I'm fine."
**********
Two hours later, they set up camp. Sam could barely wait to crawl into the tent and go to sleep, but because she was sharing with Jack, he bombarded her with questions. He'd taken her off of her watch duty, so Teal'c was doing double. As if that wasn't bad enough, he told her that he was removing her from active duty from the minute they returned to Cheyenne.
"Yes, sir," she said, turning over so that her back was to him.
She didn't want him to see her cry.
Jack laid down to sleep as well, but his thoughts kept drifting to his 2IC. Maybe he had been a little harsh. Hell, he'd been very harsh. He felt sorry for her, they'd both snapped and now they weren't talking. It was hardly an ideal working environment.
He drifted into an uneasy sleep, but was woken just a few hours later by Carter. She'd woken up, and was sat bolt upright in her bed, her head in her hands.
"Carter?" he asked gently, his voice still soft and sleepy.
"Sorry, sir," she croaked, "Didn't mean to wake you. I won't…"
"Come here," he said, holding out his arm to her, "You need to talk to me."
"But I'm -" she began, but he put his finger to her lips.
"Don't you dare tell me that you're fine," he said, taking his hand away.
Reluctantly, she shuffled closer to him. It was all she could do not to squeak in surprise when he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"Talk," he ordered.
"I don't know where to begin," she said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek, "I just…I just want my son back."
The tears flowed freely then. Jack felt uncomfortable - he didn't like seeing women cry, especially not Carter. He wasn't used to seeing her in such a state, and it frightened him.
"It's okay," he tried to reassure her, "We're all here for you. You'll get Nate back, but now you need to sleep. So just relax."
When Daniel went to wake Jack up for his watch, he looked at the two of them silently, and a smile passed over his lips. He closed the flap of the tent and turned around to Teal'c, who was waiting patiently. He gave him the thumbs up, and the two of them sat down to finish their watch together.
**********
She would face Jonas in court in two days' time
Sam jolted awake to find sunlight pouring in through the tent walls. She could already hear the guys moving about outside, doing a very bad job of trying not to wake her. She felt better after the small amount of sleep she had managed to get, but uncomfortable that she had broken down in front of Jack.
It had taken her months to gain his respect, to change his mind about her, and now she'd shattered it all in one night. Pulling on her clothes, she pulled apart the flaps of the tent and stepped out into the morning sunshine.
The three men stopped talking and looked at her. She raised an eyebrow at them.
"What, do I have a spot on my nose, or something?" she asked dryly.
Daniel chuckled, and held out a mug of coffee to her.
"Get this down you," he said, "I've just got to check out some ruins and we'll be going home."
As she drank the coffee, she began to feel better. Her joke had earned her one of Daniel's smiles, and Jack wasn't giving her quite such a deeply concerned look as he had been the night before. She tried to keep a positive outlook on her situation.
Not that she had much choice.
**********
She would face Jonas in court tomorrow
As Colonel O'Neill had promised, she was now off of active duty. Sitting in her lab, she worked a 20-hour shift to try and forget about her court appearance the next day. When Janet found out, she blew a gasket.
"Samantha Carter! If I catch you pulling 20 hours again, I will drag you to the infirmary and sedate you myself! Is that clear?" She said, her hands resting on her waist.
Sam nodded, but Janet was still frowning.
"I mean it, lady - now come on. I'm taking you home, and I'll warn you now, I have a day off. We'll be spending it together."
**********
Janet Fraiser was a woman of her word. The minute she and Sam got home, she was in the kitchen making them something to eat. Sam sat down, fighting back a queasy feeling. She knew that it would do her no good to disobey Janet, but the thought of eating made her want to be sick.
"Come on," Janet said, "And you are going to clear this plate."
"Do I get any ice cream afterwards?" Sam cracked, standing up and rubbing her eyes.
"Only if you eat everything," Janet said, "Now sit."
They ate. As ordered, Sam finished the meal, and the two women sat down together on the couch. Janet looked over at her friend and took her hand.
"Sam, honey, you do know that we are all here for you, don't you?"
She nodded.
"And, no matter what happens, no matter what Jonas says - we will always be here."
"Thanks," she said softly, looking down at the floor.
Janet gently lifted Sam's chin and looked her in the eyes.
"I know you're scared, and I know you're thinking about the worst, but this is going to get you nowhere. It won't help Nathaniel, and it won't help you. Now, I will be there if you want me to - you are not going through this on your own."
Sam squeezed Janet's hand in hers.
"You really are the best friend I could ever wish for."
**********
The day of the trial dawned, and Sam felt ill. Sluggishly, she moved about her house and prepared for what was looking to be like the worst day of her life. Everyone she knew had wished her the best of luck, and even her lawyer had said he was confident. Still, she felt uneasy.
The courthouse loomed above her menacingly as she got out of her car. Janet was at her side, holding her hand. Sam never wanted to let it go.
"Come on," Janet said, "The sooner we go in, the sooner we'll be out."
When they went in, they met a very smug looking Jonas with his lawyer. He sneered at Sam as she walked past, but she didn't retaliate. She was too tired, and wanted the whole affair to be over as soon as possible.
**********
"Mr Hanson, could you explain to the court why you believe your ex-wife is an unsuitable mother?"
"Certainly. For one, she works for the United States Air Force. I know for a fact that she regularly works 20 hour shifts and skips meals. The good doctor over there will validate that for you."
Janet blushed, and squeezed Sam's hand a little tighter.
"Her missions can last anything between two hours and three months - I never get any warning. She says she'll be gone for a day, and doesn't return for a month."
"I see. And, exactly how did you gain full custody of Nathan in the first place, Mr Hanson?"
"My dearly beloved suffered a nervous breakdown," Jonas said, smirking at Sam.
"You liar!" she shouted, standing up in her seat and glaring at him, "I never had any kind of breakdown!"
"Ms Carter, return to your seat immediately!" The judge frowned.
"You see, even now she's hysterical!" Jonas proclaimed, pointing at her.
"You're trying to take her son away from her!" Sam's lawyer pointed out.
"Objection!" Jonas' lawyer countered.
Sam groaned and put her head in her hands. This was not going well at all.
**********
"Hello, General Hammond speaking."
"General, it's Fraiser. Sir, I know this is a long shot, but we could do with some help from the red telephone."
"Doctor, do you realise what you're…"
"I do, sir, but this is serious. Jonas is rigging the game, and the judge is leaning in his favour. If Nathan does get placed with Jonas, you know what'll happen."
"But the president has no jurisdiction over the family courts," Hammond said, "If there was something I could do, doctor, don't you think I would have done it by now?"
"Please," Janet begged, "I can't bear to see her like this."
"I'll see what I can do."
**********
Jack sat in his office, thinking about Carter. She would be sitting in the court right now.
He had to admit, he'd come to know a lot more about her in the past few weeks. Ever since he set foot in that Head teacher's office and saw her sitting there, the two of them had learned an awful lot about each other. In her few years she'd been married, divorced, had a child and been dragged through the court system.
It was a miracle she'd turned out as normal as she had.
He liked her a lot more now. When he first met her, she'd driven him mad. Her constant techno babble and arrogance had alienated him from her, but now he'd seen into the real Carter, and she was just as human as anyone else.
He liked her a lot. A lot more than he was supposed to. Charlie's joke about her becoming his stepmother had seemed ridiculous at the time, but he could almost imagine it. Still, even if it was what they definitely wanted - it was what the Air Force definitely didn't want.
His life was just as screwed up as hers, he supposed. He picked up the phone to give Charlie a ring, grateful for the fact that his and Sara's break-up had been cleaner than Jonas and Sam's.
**********
"Mr Hanson, Ms Carter, I must say that you have posed an interesting case. Ms Carter, you clearly need to realign your priorities concerning your job, but Mr Hanson, I am concerned. You have a violent history around both your ex-wife and other people, and you were dismissed from the Air Force yourself for violent conduct towards another officer. I am not sure that this is the sort of atmosphere that Nathaniel should be raised in."
"B…but…you have no proof!" Jonas shouted, "I bet she told you that - she makes up a lot of things…"
"Mr Hanson, if you do not keep quiet, I will be forced to remove you from the court. I have here a list of over thirty witnesses who can place you at various scenes of violent crime. Have you anything to say in your defence?"
For once, Jonas Hanson was quiet.
"I hereby award custody of Nathaniel Carter to Ms Carter. Case dismissed."
Janet flung her arms around Sam's neck and cheered. Sam could do nothing but cry. Relief flooded through her in a tide and she thanked god with all of her heart.
**********
Later, General Hammond was talking with the judge.
"I see you got my message," he said.
The judge frowned.
"Message?"
"About Hanson? I sent it to your secretary's office? You did get it?"
"No, I received no such letter."
"Well then, how did you…"
"Hanson was a nasty piece of work, General. There was no way he was getting custody of that boy. Goodnight."
**********
Sam sat at home on the couch, with Nathan in her arms. She wasn't concentrating on the television, the sounds coming from it were merely background noise. She didn't hear the doorbell the first time it went, but the second time Nathan poked her.
"Mom, the door!"
"Sorry," she said, uncurling herself from the warmth of the couch and going to the door, wondering who it could be. When she opened it, she smiled warmly.
"Hey," said Jack, "I heard you won. Good work."
She smiled back. "I still can't believe it myself."
"I…will you be resigning?" He asked awkwardly, shuffling his feet.
"I don't know," she said, "But Nathan has to come first."
"Yeah," Jack said, "Well…I…I'm not very good at this…"
"Jack O'Neill," Sam smirked, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were nervous."
"Me?" he asked, shaking his head, "No."
"Well?" she asked.
"I…would you like…maybe we could see more of each other. Out of work. As a couple. Lovers."
Sam smiled.
"I'd love to."
He pulled her into his arms and they embraced for what seemed like an eternity. She lifted her head to meet his eyes and they shared a kiss, lost in the sensation. Unfortunately, something brought them rapidly down to Earth again.
"UGH! GROSS!" Nathan and Charlie shouted simultaneously. Jack turned around to see Charlie hanging out of the car window making puking gestures, and Nathan doing the same at the front door.
"You know, this would make you… sort of related," Jack said, as Nathan came over to speak to Charlie.
"Ew," Charlie replied, "I don't want to be swimming in your gene pool!"
"Shut up!" Nathan replied, wrenching the car door open.
"Dad?" Charlie asked, "If we should get into a fight again, and get suspended again, would we be able to…"
"No!" Jack and Sam said, simultaneously.
"Damn." The boys replied.
THE END
Author Notes: That's it! Finito! The end! Epilogue coming soon. Hope you enjoyed it, sorry about the -wait! Please send feedback to jm-webmistress@fsmail.net and have a happy Easter!
Feedback: jm-webmistress@fsmail.net
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: The Broca Divide
Summary: The custody battle takes its toll on Sam, Jack does some thinking about his personal life, and General Hammond pulls some strings.
Author Notes: Set in Season 1, Humour/Drama, Charlie O'Neill IS alive in this story, and Sam has a son with Jonas Hanson.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. Previously unrecognised characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Note: Thank you very much to all of the people that send reviews! I am very grateful! :)
~ Getting to Know You: Part 16 ~
Copyright © 2004, Ruth
**********
Sam jolted awake as her alarm began to wail. She'd had a virtually sleepless night, worrying about Nathan and the trial, and now she had to get up and go to work, facing Colonel O'Neill and the others.
She knew that they would be concerned, and it angered her. She didn't need people to be concerned for her! It was her son that needed help, and nobody else. She hated being pitied - it pissed her off more than a lot of things.
She pulled herself out of bed and went into the bathroom for a shower. That would wake her up properly - help her to feel less like a zombie and more like a human being. As the scalding water travelled down her back and across her neck, she felt invigorated, and a new sense of life was within her again.
She would face Jonas in court in three days' time.
**********
Jack looked at his watch nervously. 0850 hours. Their briefing began in ten minutes, and Carter was usually ten minutes early. Where was she? He began to pace nervously, up and down the briefing room.
"O'Neill, you are making me nauseous," Teal'c stated, "Please stop moving in an alternating vertical direction."
"Sorry, T," Jack said, continuing to pace, "I'm just worried about Carter."
"She still has ten minutes to arrive," Teal'c said quietly, "And I do not see you extending this concern to Daniel Jackson, who is also still to arrive."
"But - shut up, T," Jack said, fighting back a blush of embarrassment. Teal'c knew just what to say and how to say it to make him feel three feet tall.
At that moment, Sam entered the room.
"Carter!" Jack said, jumping up from where he had been temporarily seated. "You okay?"
Sam bit back a sharp comment and smiled politely at him. Dammit, she could see the pity in his eyes, and she didn't like it.
"Fine," she said shortly, "Why shouldn't I be?"
"Exactly," Teal'c smiled, looking at O'Neill and raising his eyebrow. "Is that not what I just told you, O'Neill?"
"Yes," Jack said, not totally satisfied that Sam was telling the truth. He was about to question her further when Daniel strolled in, finishing a cup of coffee. He threw the cup in the bin and looked at Sam. She knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth.
"Hey, Sam! You okay?"
"I'm fine, thank you," she said pointedly. Teal'c, however, was the only person in the room who seemed to get the hint.
"I just thought…" Jack began, but Sam cut him off.
"Well, don't. Sir. I'm fine, and you know what would be even better? If you stopped asking me all of the time!"
Jack sat back from the table, hurt, and looked at Daniel. Sam felt guilty at her outburst, but at the same time she was glad that he had stopped talking. Fortunately, General Hammond entered and their meeting began.
**********
Later that day, they were off world on a routine mission. Jack had been reluctant to leave Charlie again, but Sara had been able to take him for a couple of days. As he walked ahead of his team, he kept thinking about Carter's outburst in the briefing room. He knew she was under a lot of pressure, but it had still hurt. He wondered whether to talk to her about it, and fell back to talk to Daniel.
Sam was now in front, and she could practically feel their eyes burning into her back. Her eyelids drooped with exhaustion, and she wanted nothing more than to stop walking, curl up in a ball and go to sleep. She knew, however, that she had another two hours of walking to do before they even set up camp, and she could hear the conversation behind her very clearly.
"I think I should say something."
"No, you saw what happened earlier - just give her some space, Jack."
"But she had no right to talk to me like that!"
"You were pestering her."
"So were you!"
"She's used to it from me - normally you never act like you care."
"Danny!"
"Trust me, Jack, just give her some space. She'll talk to us when she's ready."
"Well, I'm ready now," Jack said, still determined.
Ahead of them, Sam found her eyes closing again. She stumbled briefly on a rock and cursed under her breath, knowing that Daniel and Jack would have seen her do it.
"She can't even walk in a straight line!" Jack said, in a harsh whisper, "She's a danger to herself and to us!"
Sam swallowed and fought back the urge to snap at him. He was right, dammit, and she hated that. Now he was going to suspend her from active duty, and all because she was just too proud.
Teal'c drew level with her, and decided upon some gentle questioning.
"Major Carter, do you require assistance?" he asked.
"No, Teal'c," she said, offering him a weak smile, "I'm fine."
**********
Two hours later, they set up camp. Sam could barely wait to crawl into the tent and go to sleep, but because she was sharing with Jack, he bombarded her with questions. He'd taken her off of her watch duty, so Teal'c was doing double. As if that wasn't bad enough, he told her that he was removing her from active duty from the minute they returned to Cheyenne.
"Yes, sir," she said, turning over so that her back was to him.
She didn't want him to see her cry.
Jack laid down to sleep as well, but his thoughts kept drifting to his 2IC. Maybe he had been a little harsh. Hell, he'd been very harsh. He felt sorry for her, they'd both snapped and now they weren't talking. It was hardly an ideal working environment.
He drifted into an uneasy sleep, but was woken just a few hours later by Carter. She'd woken up, and was sat bolt upright in her bed, her head in her hands.
"Carter?" he asked gently, his voice still soft and sleepy.
"Sorry, sir," she croaked, "Didn't mean to wake you. I won't…"
"Come here," he said, holding out his arm to her, "You need to talk to me."
"But I'm -" she began, but he put his finger to her lips.
"Don't you dare tell me that you're fine," he said, taking his hand away.
Reluctantly, she shuffled closer to him. It was all she could do not to squeak in surprise when he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"Talk," he ordered.
"I don't know where to begin," she said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek, "I just…I just want my son back."
The tears flowed freely then. Jack felt uncomfortable - he didn't like seeing women cry, especially not Carter. He wasn't used to seeing her in such a state, and it frightened him.
"It's okay," he tried to reassure her, "We're all here for you. You'll get Nate back, but now you need to sleep. So just relax."
When Daniel went to wake Jack up for his watch, he looked at the two of them silently, and a smile passed over his lips. He closed the flap of the tent and turned around to Teal'c, who was waiting patiently. He gave him the thumbs up, and the two of them sat down to finish their watch together.
**********
She would face Jonas in court in two days' time
Sam jolted awake to find sunlight pouring in through the tent walls. She could already hear the guys moving about outside, doing a very bad job of trying not to wake her. She felt better after the small amount of sleep she had managed to get, but uncomfortable that she had broken down in front of Jack.
It had taken her months to gain his respect, to change his mind about her, and now she'd shattered it all in one night. Pulling on her clothes, she pulled apart the flaps of the tent and stepped out into the morning sunshine.
The three men stopped talking and looked at her. She raised an eyebrow at them.
"What, do I have a spot on my nose, or something?" she asked dryly.
Daniel chuckled, and held out a mug of coffee to her.
"Get this down you," he said, "I've just got to check out some ruins and we'll be going home."
As she drank the coffee, she began to feel better. Her joke had earned her one of Daniel's smiles, and Jack wasn't giving her quite such a deeply concerned look as he had been the night before. She tried to keep a positive outlook on her situation.
Not that she had much choice.
**********
She would face Jonas in court tomorrow
As Colonel O'Neill had promised, she was now off of active duty. Sitting in her lab, she worked a 20-hour shift to try and forget about her court appearance the next day. When Janet found out, she blew a gasket.
"Samantha Carter! If I catch you pulling 20 hours again, I will drag you to the infirmary and sedate you myself! Is that clear?" She said, her hands resting on her waist.
Sam nodded, but Janet was still frowning.
"I mean it, lady - now come on. I'm taking you home, and I'll warn you now, I have a day off. We'll be spending it together."
**********
Janet Fraiser was a woman of her word. The minute she and Sam got home, she was in the kitchen making them something to eat. Sam sat down, fighting back a queasy feeling. She knew that it would do her no good to disobey Janet, but the thought of eating made her want to be sick.
"Come on," Janet said, "And you are going to clear this plate."
"Do I get any ice cream afterwards?" Sam cracked, standing up and rubbing her eyes.
"Only if you eat everything," Janet said, "Now sit."
They ate. As ordered, Sam finished the meal, and the two women sat down together on the couch. Janet looked over at her friend and took her hand.
"Sam, honey, you do know that we are all here for you, don't you?"
She nodded.
"And, no matter what happens, no matter what Jonas says - we will always be here."
"Thanks," she said softly, looking down at the floor.
Janet gently lifted Sam's chin and looked her in the eyes.
"I know you're scared, and I know you're thinking about the worst, but this is going to get you nowhere. It won't help Nathaniel, and it won't help you. Now, I will be there if you want me to - you are not going through this on your own."
Sam squeezed Janet's hand in hers.
"You really are the best friend I could ever wish for."
**********
The day of the trial dawned, and Sam felt ill. Sluggishly, she moved about her house and prepared for what was looking to be like the worst day of her life. Everyone she knew had wished her the best of luck, and even her lawyer had said he was confident. Still, she felt uneasy.
The courthouse loomed above her menacingly as she got out of her car. Janet was at her side, holding her hand. Sam never wanted to let it go.
"Come on," Janet said, "The sooner we go in, the sooner we'll be out."
When they went in, they met a very smug looking Jonas with his lawyer. He sneered at Sam as she walked past, but she didn't retaliate. She was too tired, and wanted the whole affair to be over as soon as possible.
**********
"Mr Hanson, could you explain to the court why you believe your ex-wife is an unsuitable mother?"
"Certainly. For one, she works for the United States Air Force. I know for a fact that she regularly works 20 hour shifts and skips meals. The good doctor over there will validate that for you."
Janet blushed, and squeezed Sam's hand a little tighter.
"Her missions can last anything between two hours and three months - I never get any warning. She says she'll be gone for a day, and doesn't return for a month."
"I see. And, exactly how did you gain full custody of Nathan in the first place, Mr Hanson?"
"My dearly beloved suffered a nervous breakdown," Jonas said, smirking at Sam.
"You liar!" she shouted, standing up in her seat and glaring at him, "I never had any kind of breakdown!"
"Ms Carter, return to your seat immediately!" The judge frowned.
"You see, even now she's hysterical!" Jonas proclaimed, pointing at her.
"You're trying to take her son away from her!" Sam's lawyer pointed out.
"Objection!" Jonas' lawyer countered.
Sam groaned and put her head in her hands. This was not going well at all.
**********
"Hello, General Hammond speaking."
"General, it's Fraiser. Sir, I know this is a long shot, but we could do with some help from the red telephone."
"Doctor, do you realise what you're…"
"I do, sir, but this is serious. Jonas is rigging the game, and the judge is leaning in his favour. If Nathan does get placed with Jonas, you know what'll happen."
"But the president has no jurisdiction over the family courts," Hammond said, "If there was something I could do, doctor, don't you think I would have done it by now?"
"Please," Janet begged, "I can't bear to see her like this."
"I'll see what I can do."
**********
Jack sat in his office, thinking about Carter. She would be sitting in the court right now.
He had to admit, he'd come to know a lot more about her in the past few weeks. Ever since he set foot in that Head teacher's office and saw her sitting there, the two of them had learned an awful lot about each other. In her few years she'd been married, divorced, had a child and been dragged through the court system.
It was a miracle she'd turned out as normal as she had.
He liked her a lot more now. When he first met her, she'd driven him mad. Her constant techno babble and arrogance had alienated him from her, but now he'd seen into the real Carter, and she was just as human as anyone else.
He liked her a lot. A lot more than he was supposed to. Charlie's joke about her becoming his stepmother had seemed ridiculous at the time, but he could almost imagine it. Still, even if it was what they definitely wanted - it was what the Air Force definitely didn't want.
His life was just as screwed up as hers, he supposed. He picked up the phone to give Charlie a ring, grateful for the fact that his and Sara's break-up had been cleaner than Jonas and Sam's.
**********
"Mr Hanson, Ms Carter, I must say that you have posed an interesting case. Ms Carter, you clearly need to realign your priorities concerning your job, but Mr Hanson, I am concerned. You have a violent history around both your ex-wife and other people, and you were dismissed from the Air Force yourself for violent conduct towards another officer. I am not sure that this is the sort of atmosphere that Nathaniel should be raised in."
"B…but…you have no proof!" Jonas shouted, "I bet she told you that - she makes up a lot of things…"
"Mr Hanson, if you do not keep quiet, I will be forced to remove you from the court. I have here a list of over thirty witnesses who can place you at various scenes of violent crime. Have you anything to say in your defence?"
For once, Jonas Hanson was quiet.
"I hereby award custody of Nathaniel Carter to Ms Carter. Case dismissed."
Janet flung her arms around Sam's neck and cheered. Sam could do nothing but cry. Relief flooded through her in a tide and she thanked god with all of her heart.
**********
Later, General Hammond was talking with the judge.
"I see you got my message," he said.
The judge frowned.
"Message?"
"About Hanson? I sent it to your secretary's office? You did get it?"
"No, I received no such letter."
"Well then, how did you…"
"Hanson was a nasty piece of work, General. There was no way he was getting custody of that boy. Goodnight."
**********
Sam sat at home on the couch, with Nathan in her arms. She wasn't concentrating on the television, the sounds coming from it were merely background noise. She didn't hear the doorbell the first time it went, but the second time Nathan poked her.
"Mom, the door!"
"Sorry," she said, uncurling herself from the warmth of the couch and going to the door, wondering who it could be. When she opened it, she smiled warmly.
"Hey," said Jack, "I heard you won. Good work."
She smiled back. "I still can't believe it myself."
"I…will you be resigning?" He asked awkwardly, shuffling his feet.
"I don't know," she said, "But Nathan has to come first."
"Yeah," Jack said, "Well…I…I'm not very good at this…"
"Jack O'Neill," Sam smirked, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were nervous."
"Me?" he asked, shaking his head, "No."
"Well?" she asked.
"I…would you like…maybe we could see more of each other. Out of work. As a couple. Lovers."
Sam smiled.
"I'd love to."
He pulled her into his arms and they embraced for what seemed like an eternity. She lifted her head to meet his eyes and they shared a kiss, lost in the sensation. Unfortunately, something brought them rapidly down to Earth again.
"UGH! GROSS!" Nathan and Charlie shouted simultaneously. Jack turned around to see Charlie hanging out of the car window making puking gestures, and Nathan doing the same at the front door.
"You know, this would make you… sort of related," Jack said, as Nathan came over to speak to Charlie.
"Ew," Charlie replied, "I don't want to be swimming in your gene pool!"
"Shut up!" Nathan replied, wrenching the car door open.
"Dad?" Charlie asked, "If we should get into a fight again, and get suspended again, would we be able to…"
"No!" Jack and Sam said, simultaneously.
"Damn." The boys replied.
THE END
Author Notes: That's it! Finito! The end! Epilogue coming soon. Hope you enjoyed it, sorry about the -wait! Please send feedback to jm-webmistress@fsmail.net and have a happy Easter!