Jack and Sam were ordered to go back to Cheyenne Mountain as soon as the General found out that Jack was at Sam's house. The drive to the Mountain was torture, with the Colonel and the Major both knowing exactly the amount of trouble they were in.
Sam wasn't in any mood to be driving; and besides that, she had Doctor's orders that forbade her to drive, so Jack was driving his Jeep with Sam in the passenger seat. The car was almost silent; the only noise was coming from the engine. Jack's knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel.
"Carter."
That one word made Sam's heart jump, and she looked at the side of Jack's face, waiting for him to continue. He looked at her briefly, before turning back to the road. "What are we going to tell General Hammond?"
Sam somehow felt that professionalism was in order, and she replied as such. "I really don't know, sir. I think we should tell him the truth, seeing as he has probably already figured it out anyway."
Jack nodded slowly, and Sam could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "This is a court-martialable offense, you know. Me being your superior officer and all."
"I know, sir. But I seduced you, sir, and I will tell General Hammond that."
Jack reacted so quickly that the car veered half a lane right. "No, you won't, Carter. You know as well as I do that I wanted it just as badly as you did."
Sam was staring at her hands. "Yes, sir, but they don't. I can't let you get in trouble because of me."
Jack turned on his turn signal, and pulled over to the side of the road. Turning to look Sam straight in the face, he said softly, "Carter, you have a lot more years in the force than I do. Remember, I was retired."
His eyes were so piercing, so deep brown, that Sam couldn't hold back. She leaned in, and kissed him fiercely. After a moment of the violent kiss, it softened, and the velvet of his lips warmed her to the core. Pulling back gently, Jack drove back into traffic, heading toward the SGC.
Having been waved through the security gate, the Jeep parked, the Colonel and the Major got out, and they went solemnly into the Mountain. Getting into the elevator, going to level 23, Jack took Sam's hand, and kissed it softly. "It's gonna be okay, Carter."
Going to the General's office, they found the General sitting at his desk, looking extremely annoyed. "General," Jack said as he stepped inside, followed closely by Sam. They both sat, and General Hammond stared at each of them in turn.
After a moment, he said, "Would either one of you care to explain what the hell's going on?"
They looked at each other, then Jack said, "Yes, sir."
They sat a moment longer, and General Hammond finally asked, "Well?"
Giving a slight sigh, Jack continued, "Well, General ... I drove Major Carter home last night under Doctor's orders."
General Hammond raised an eyebrow, and again waited for Jack to continue. Again, he finally said, "Colonel, please tell me more than one sentence at a time."
"Yes, sir. Major Carter and I went into her house, and she offered me a drink. I accepted, and we started talking. We lost track of time, and when we finally realized how late it was, she ... offered to let me stay the night."
The General's eye was on Jack, and he frowned. "Jack," he said, warningly.
"All right, General, I kissed her. The passion was helped along by the alcohol, and God damn if it wasn't the best I've ever had."
Sam's eyes had widened when Jack had said "passion", and by the time he finished his statement, she was staring at him, completely shocked.
General Hammond was also very shocked, and it took him a minute to regain himself. "So, Colonel, you ... you slept with your officer?"
Before Sam could pipe anything in, Jack answered, "Yes, sir, I did."
"Colonel, you know what will happen, don't you?"
Jack looked down a moment before resolutely staring the General in the face. "Yes, General."
General Hammond swallowed, and said, "Jack, you know I don't want to do this. If there's any other way that you can think of ..."
"No, sir, I don't think there is."
Just as General Hammond was about to put a court-martial sentence on Colonel O'Neill, Sam jumped in. "Wait! General, I have an idea."
"Yes, Major?"
"Well, sir, what if Colonel O'Neill were to retire, officially, before last night?"
The General looked miffed, and said, "Major, he didn't."
"But, General, he could back-date a resignation letter. That way he would technically not have been my superior officer."
"Major, you know what you are asking me to do?"
Sam licked her lips, and nodded. "Yes, I do."
General Hammond looked from Jack to Sam, and pursed his lips. "All right. But I would only do this for you Jack."
"Thank you, General," both Jack and Sam said, as one.
Jack wrote his resignation letter, and dated it the day before he had acted on his feelings for Sam. Submitting it to the General, he made one last comment. "Guess this is my longest vacation, huh, George?"
"Have fun, Jack."
~~~
Senator Kinsey looked through the recent letters he had received. His interest was peaked when he saw a letter with the heading: Former Colonel Jack O'Neill has resigned. He ran a hand across his cheek, thinking. Hadn't the Colonel been on a mission the day after this resignation had been submitted? Something wasn't right, and damned if he wasn't going to find out what.
~~~
"Ah, General Hammond. Thank you for taking my call. I believe that a certain 'former' Colonel O'Neill has an appointment with the military judge."
The General grimaced into the phone, and said icily, "What are you talking about, Senator?"
"I have information that places Colonel O'Neill in a very awkward position, General. It seems that he was on a mission the day after he submitted a resignation. It also seems that he is now in a relationship with his former officer, Major Carter? That lends itself to be a most suspicious play of events, don't you agree?"
The General was now glaring at the wall. "How did you come by this false information?"
The Senator laughed. "My connections, General. Call up the good Colonel. He has a date with the law."
******
TO BE CONTINUED ...
Sam wasn't in any mood to be driving; and besides that, she had Doctor's orders that forbade her to drive, so Jack was driving his Jeep with Sam in the passenger seat. The car was almost silent; the only noise was coming from the engine. Jack's knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel.
"Carter."
That one word made Sam's heart jump, and she looked at the side of Jack's face, waiting for him to continue. He looked at her briefly, before turning back to the road. "What are we going to tell General Hammond?"
Sam somehow felt that professionalism was in order, and she replied as such. "I really don't know, sir. I think we should tell him the truth, seeing as he has probably already figured it out anyway."
Jack nodded slowly, and Sam could almost see the wheels turning in his head. "This is a court-martialable offense, you know. Me being your superior officer and all."
"I know, sir. But I seduced you, sir, and I will tell General Hammond that."
Jack reacted so quickly that the car veered half a lane right. "No, you won't, Carter. You know as well as I do that I wanted it just as badly as you did."
Sam was staring at her hands. "Yes, sir, but they don't. I can't let you get in trouble because of me."
Jack turned on his turn signal, and pulled over to the side of the road. Turning to look Sam straight in the face, he said softly, "Carter, you have a lot more years in the force than I do. Remember, I was retired."
His eyes were so piercing, so deep brown, that Sam couldn't hold back. She leaned in, and kissed him fiercely. After a moment of the violent kiss, it softened, and the velvet of his lips warmed her to the core. Pulling back gently, Jack drove back into traffic, heading toward the SGC.
Having been waved through the security gate, the Jeep parked, the Colonel and the Major got out, and they went solemnly into the Mountain. Getting into the elevator, going to level 23, Jack took Sam's hand, and kissed it softly. "It's gonna be okay, Carter."
Going to the General's office, they found the General sitting at his desk, looking extremely annoyed. "General," Jack said as he stepped inside, followed closely by Sam. They both sat, and General Hammond stared at each of them in turn.
After a moment, he said, "Would either one of you care to explain what the hell's going on?"
They looked at each other, then Jack said, "Yes, sir."
They sat a moment longer, and General Hammond finally asked, "Well?"
Giving a slight sigh, Jack continued, "Well, General ... I drove Major Carter home last night under Doctor's orders."
General Hammond raised an eyebrow, and again waited for Jack to continue. Again, he finally said, "Colonel, please tell me more than one sentence at a time."
"Yes, sir. Major Carter and I went into her house, and she offered me a drink. I accepted, and we started talking. We lost track of time, and when we finally realized how late it was, she ... offered to let me stay the night."
The General's eye was on Jack, and he frowned. "Jack," he said, warningly.
"All right, General, I kissed her. The passion was helped along by the alcohol, and God damn if it wasn't the best I've ever had."
Sam's eyes had widened when Jack had said "passion", and by the time he finished his statement, she was staring at him, completely shocked.
General Hammond was also very shocked, and it took him a minute to regain himself. "So, Colonel, you ... you slept with your officer?"
Before Sam could pipe anything in, Jack answered, "Yes, sir, I did."
"Colonel, you know what will happen, don't you?"
Jack looked down a moment before resolutely staring the General in the face. "Yes, General."
General Hammond swallowed, and said, "Jack, you know I don't want to do this. If there's any other way that you can think of ..."
"No, sir, I don't think there is."
Just as General Hammond was about to put a court-martial sentence on Colonel O'Neill, Sam jumped in. "Wait! General, I have an idea."
"Yes, Major?"
"Well, sir, what if Colonel O'Neill were to retire, officially, before last night?"
The General looked miffed, and said, "Major, he didn't."
"But, General, he could back-date a resignation letter. That way he would technically not have been my superior officer."
"Major, you know what you are asking me to do?"
Sam licked her lips, and nodded. "Yes, I do."
General Hammond looked from Jack to Sam, and pursed his lips. "All right. But I would only do this for you Jack."
"Thank you, General," both Jack and Sam said, as one.
Jack wrote his resignation letter, and dated it the day before he had acted on his feelings for Sam. Submitting it to the General, he made one last comment. "Guess this is my longest vacation, huh, George?"
"Have fun, Jack."
~~~
Senator Kinsey looked through the recent letters he had received. His interest was peaked when he saw a letter with the heading: Former Colonel Jack O'Neill has resigned. He ran a hand across his cheek, thinking. Hadn't the Colonel been on a mission the day after this resignation had been submitted? Something wasn't right, and damned if he wasn't going to find out what.
~~~
"Ah, General Hammond. Thank you for taking my call. I believe that a certain 'former' Colonel O'Neill has an appointment with the military judge."
The General grimaced into the phone, and said icily, "What are you talking about, Senator?"
"I have information that places Colonel O'Neill in a very awkward position, General. It seems that he was on a mission the day after he submitted a resignation. It also seems that he is now in a relationship with his former officer, Major Carter? That lends itself to be a most suspicious play of events, don't you agree?"
The General was now glaring at the wall. "How did you come by this false information?"
The Senator laughed. "My connections, General. Call up the good Colonel. He has a date with the law."
******
TO BE CONTINUED ...