Author: GateSeeker2
Disclaimer: All necessary information is listed prior to Part 1
NOTE: Ok – I'll let you in on a little secret. This part was a complete after thought. After rereading Part 8 and the original Part 9, it seemed to be lacking something. So, I went back to the drawing board and wrote this insertion piece. I got to wondering about a few things and decided that this would be an interesting direction to go. Let me know what you think.
"Waiting for the Dawn" - Part 9
Pete Shanahan had been less than ecstatic to find out that his girlfriend would not be returning home Saturday evening. His hopes for a romantic weekend were now looking like a complete bust. He was truly resenting her work. After hanging up the phone from their short conversation and pacing around her kitchen for a few minutes, he grabbed his cell phone and called a friend of his.
"Ferretty." The voice stated plainly.
"Hey Dan. It's Pete."
"Hey Hey 'ol Buddy what's up?"
"Listen, I know that it's Saturday and all but I really need a favor."
Dan was dreading this phone call already. "Pete, there's nothing else to look for on your Major I already..."
"No not that. It's related but different."
"Oh, Ok. What do you need?" Ferretty wasn't sure if he was up to this.
"I need a background check on someone else – an Air Force Colonel – Jack O'Neill. Just like before. Top down, global agency search, the works – but even more detailed! I want to know him better than he knows himself." Pete was sounding a bit on edge.
Dan was getting a little leery. "Pete what's this really about? Why are you so interested in Air Force officers all of a sudden?"
"I told you before. I'm just working a case and this...well... is a new wrinkle in a very long and important case." Pete tried to keep it sounding official.
There was silence on the other end of the cell phone.
"Dan? You still there man?" Pete asked.
"Yeah, I'm here," he sighed heavily. "Just tell me Pete...why do I even try to help you?" You could hear the slight humor in his voice.
"Because I'm the only friend you've got," Pete's voice was teasing, "and because you owe me - big time! Remember?" Pete said with more than a suggestion.
"Alright. Alright. But listen it's Saturday afternoon. I can't run anything until Monday morning...." Dan was abruptly cut off.
"No! Listen Dan. I need that info pronto – got it?! It's crucial." Pete tried hard to stay calm. He wanted to find out as much as he could about O'Neill before he met with Sam tomorrow morning for brunch.
"Fine. I'll drop by the office now. Give me a couple of hours and I'll try to get back to you." Dan resigned.
"Great! You're a true friend Dan. Thanks." Pete hung up and thought about what he needed to do now.
He saw the phone book in the nearby bookcase and decided to see if O'Neill was listed. Placing the open phone book on the kitchen counter, he turned to the "O" section. Sure enough he found him or rather he found a couple of Jack O'Neills. However, there was no one with a title listed. Since he didn't know which listing, if any for that matter, was his, he made a quick call to the Department of Motor Vehicles and using his connections there was quickly able to find out the appropriate address for a Colonel Jonathan O'Neill. He copied the address and phone number down and realized that it didn't match any of the phone book listings. Then he headed out the door which he made sure to lock according to Sam's urging earlier. Even though he didn't have a key, he wouldn't have a problem getting in again. He was after all a resourceful cop.
Within twenty minutes he arrived cautiously at O'Neill's house. He pulled up to the curb a few houses away from the house. The house looked empty, no lights were on, but there was a small hatch back vehicle in the driveway. Pete remembered seeing this vehicle in Sam's driveway last night, so it must belong to the girl. He sat there for a few minutes observing the house, but, since it was a Saturday afternoon, there were way too many people out on the street. Many were engrossed in their lawn maintenance, several other people were busy assisting a resident who appeared to be moving in a few houses down from O'Neill's, and there were a few kids that started to ride back and forth past his SUV several times on their bicycles. Since he didn't want to draw attention to himself, he decided to drive off to the convenience store that he had seen earlier around the corner.
Once he arrived at the store, he prayed that there was an old fashioned pay phone. He didn't want his cell phone number to appear on a possible caller ID. He went in to the store and purchased an extra large fountain soda, some chips and cookies, and a really nasty frozen burrito stuffed with who knows what. After heating the burrito in the microwave, he paid his bill and asked the clerk nonchalantly about a pay phone. Pete was told to look around the corner. Back by the edge of the store near the gas pumps was a phone. Pete took out the number and dialed the Colonel's phone.
The machine picked up, and Pete heard a voice plainly say, "O'Neill. Leave a message." Yep, this was definitely the right house. He remembered that voice from his brief encounter with him that day in the SGC infirmary after he had been injured. Pete remembered that the Colonel didn't seem to be very happy to meet him. And, at the time Pete thought it odd that this guy was trying to act all big and tough. It wasn't that Pete was afraid of this Colonel, but he felt unsure of him. Pete knew then that he would have to find out more about him - later. However, as Pete started spending more time with Sam, she had started to reveal more about herself and her unusual working relationship with her team, and Pete had felt more at ease knowing some more details about her private life. So, he hadn't really given the Colonel another thought. But, now something in the tone and abruptness of the message made Pete wonder if perhaps this Colonel didn't have lots to hide. It was definitely "later" now.
Obviously Pete didn't leave a message. He hung up the phone, gathered his food and drink and headed back to his vehicle. He decided that it wouldn't be prudent to just sit outside of O'Neill's house in broad daylight, so Pete drove around the neighborhood taking in the lay of the land while eating his junk food. There was no alley way with which to access his backyard. Trees and shrubs were surrounding his property but not so that they would obstruct someone's view of the doors and windows for safety purposes. It looked like there was a type of roof top deck towards the back of the house with a railing that could barely be seen from the far right side of the house. There was a ladder also visible on the right side of the house that obviously stretched up to the deck. There was a nearby running trail that evidently snaked its way through a nearby park about a half a block or so away from the end of his street. The parking lot of the park gave a clear view of the Colonel's driveway. Pete was planning on coming back later this evening once it was dark and sit unnoticed while using his binoculars to keep watch on his house.
It had been about an hour and a half since Pete had talked to his FBI friend. Pete figured he would give him another hour before he called him to see if he had made any progress. Pete decided that he would go to the mall and do some shopping, maybe even pick up something nice for Sam like some lotion or perfume as a token gesture to make up from their earlier heated argument. Besides he had an afternoon to kill until it was dark.
An hour later he was strolling through a bath shop at the mall when his cell phone started ringing.
"Shanahan." He said as he smelled the tester bottle of lotion before wincing at the odor and setting it down.
"Man. What have you gotten yourself into?" Dan's voice was sounding rushed.
"What? What did you find out?" Pete walked to the store's entrance and then proceeded to the center walkway of the two story mall in order to continue the call.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing!" Dan was emphatic.
"That can't be right..."
"Listen, I checked every system I could. Apart from his address, phone, DMV info, social security number, his last recent tax returns, and working at NORAD with your Major, there's nothing on this guy."
"Come on Dan. There's something on everyone. Besides he's a Colonel, he's got to have been around for awhile." Pete was a bit surprised that his friend's search had turned up empty.
"OK – yeah – the basics – Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill – Colonel in the Air Force - married – divorced and oh yeah his kid killed himself accidentally with a hand gun a few years back – but that's it."
"So he's been scrubbed too?"
"Not only scrubbed my man, but it's like he's been erased – completely." Dan was amazed.
"O...K...," Pete started slowly trying to wrap his mind around these developments. He turned to the railing and leaned over it bracing his left forearm and right elbow. He looked down at the first floor of the mall from the second story perch. "...so he's black ops too probably? And the government only wants us to see the highlights of..." Pete was cut off.
"No, you don't get it. There are NO highlights. Nothing! Not since the Kennedy files has something been locked away so tight. The government doesn't want you to see ANYTHING about him. I'd watch him carefully. Better yet, stay away unless you really have to." Dan cautioned his friend.
"Oh come on Dan! You're exaggerating! He was more than visible last year when he was suspected of shooting that Senator what's his name - Kinsey. He was even on the TV shaking his hand! If they really wanted to keep him a secret, THAT wouldn't have happened." Pete had remembered watching that special newscast. He was interested in and agreed with some of the Senator's views and thought he might make a good President. But he hadn't put the connection together that it was the same Colonel until just now.
"See there! There wasn't even a mention about him and the Senator. Pete, he certainly has a BURIED past and his present doesn't seem to be seeing daylight either if you know what I mean."
Straightening up Pete asked, "Yeah, well...thanks anyway...hey...keep on it will you – just in case."
"Sure, but I don't really see any reason. Plus, I'm not sure that my tracks were covered very well during this search." He was apprehensive.
"What are you saying? Were you flagged or something?" He knew that Dan was a great computer operator and could get around most computer system security measures. That was one reason why Pete often used him as a contact.
"No, no, I think I went undetected," he tried to reassure his cop friend, "but there was this one file that briefly popped up with the letters NID before quickly being halted. I'm not familiar with that designation, but I have a bad feeling Pete."
What was going on? Pete knew all about the Stargate Program now – or at least the basics, so he understood about the secrecy around O'Neill's files. But the depth of the secrecy was surprising. He had hoped to gather a little bit of information. Pete didn't know exactly what he was hoping for, but he knew so very little about him. Sam rarely spoke about him, and when she did she would almost sound protective and prideful of him. There was definitely something about this Colonel that bothered Pete. Now that he found out that this was a man with an incredibly secret past, he was wondering what kind of man this Jack O'Neill was and whether or not it was good for Sam to be around him. To Pete, it smelled bad. "Don't worry Dan. Everything's going to be fine."
Pete was about to hang up when he thought of one last thing. "Dan, you said he had an ex-wife. What's her name and address?"
Detective Pete Shanahan had learned years ago on his very first case as a rookie detective to be thorough, even if the supposed lead turned up nothing. After jotting down Sara's name and address and asking Dan to run a check on her too – just in case. He hung up from Dan and continued his shopping to find a little something special for Sam.
After purchasing a nice over the top gift wrapped bath set complete with bubble bath, bath oils, bath salts, body splash, lotion, loofas and candles for Sam, he drove over to her house. He wanted to just leave it by her tub with a note to surprise her when she returned home from work. He jotted off a quick note: "Sam, you work too hard – so I thought you needed something to keep you soft. Love Pete. PS sorry for the argument in park, maybe this can help soothe things over."
Pete left Sam's house and proceeded to Mrs. O'Neill's house before heading back to Colonel O'Neill's neighborhood for the evening. He hadn't seen anything unusual at Mrs. O'Neill's house and he had been watching it for about thirty minutes. There was an old yellow Mustang in the drive way that had seen better days. But, the house appeared normal and no one seemed to be home although there were a few lights on in what he thought could be the living room. However, just as Pete was about to leave, he noticed a red sports car pull up in the driveway. A well dressed man in a black suit with dark black wavy hair got out and walked up to the door and knocked. Pete figured him for some sort of professional businessman. A few moments later, an attractive woman exited the house. Pete couldn't tell her age from where he was parked, but he noticed that she was tall and lanky with darker blonde hair. She definitely had a nice figure, and the dress she wore accentuated her body nicely; it flowed freely as she walked. Pete decided that she was obviously on a date and that the ex Mrs. O'Neill would need no further observation.
The sun had set about two hours ago; it was now 9:30pm, and so far Pete had yet to see O'Neill return to his house or any other activity occur around his residence. Pete's vehicle was situated in the park's parking lot somewhat behind several large Pine trees. He was sure that no one would notice him from his lookout position.
Being used to stakeouts and the endless nothingness that would often continue for hours, Pete attempted amuse himself by passing the time reviewing the reasons why this Colonel was bothering him. Well, for starters, he really hadn't spent any time around this Jack O'Neill – other than that day in the infirmary, so he was always a bit hesitant of people he didn't know – must be from his suspicious cop nature. Next, according to Sam, she had seen the Colonel almost every day for close to seven years while working side by side as his second-in-command, whereas Pete had only been seeing Sam for about three months and it was sporadic at best. He never considered himself the jealous type and didn't think that Sam was the cheating type, especially not with her commanding officer. She was too by the book to pursue something like that. Besides, Pete knew that he was an OK looking fairly cute guy, more so than O'Neill he thought, and could turn a few heads, and he knew that Sam appreciated his looks. Plus, he had this deep down feeling that although the Colonel saw Sam everyday that he had never seen as much of her as Pete had; he grinned brightly at that thought. However, there was still something nagging Pete about this Colonel.
Sometime later as Pete was lost in a slightly different thought, his mind replayed the encounter with that girl early this morning. That teenager was adamant that Sam could not possibly be happy in a relationship with Pete. The girl was both surprised and hurt. She clearly implied that she knew Sam was in love with someone else, but when he had confronted Sam on it, she had denied it emphatically. Perhaps she denied it a bit too much?
Pete continued his review of the facts. Ok, Sam rarely talked about Colonel O'Neill, but then again she didn't really talk much about any of the people with whom she worked – at least not specifics. The few times she had mentioned Jack O'Neill it was with an almost awe-like reverence that Pete didn't really seem to understand. For some reason, Pete knew that she had a great deal of respect for this man. But to Pete, Jack O'Neill had just seemed like a goofy dimwitted old guy who seemed unlikely to be a Colonel. Plus, Pete thought that he could probably easily take him down if necessary. However, Pete was getting more and more unsettled thinking about him and what sort of influence he had over Sam. He remembered how emotional Sam had been in the park earlier today when she had mentioned almost losing the Colonel. At the time, Pete had thought her just overly emotional from the stress of loosing her best friend and now having to care for her daughter. But, now he was wondering just how deeply she cared for this aging Air Force Colonel. What was the true nature of their relationship? Her words and actions definitely spoke more than mere superficial or familiar affiliation.
As stakeouts went, this was right up there with the top ten most boring. He had given up on analyzing his reasons for being suspicious of the Colonel some time ago and decided that nourishment was badly needed. Pete left his secluded area around 10:30pm for a brief pit-stop and a fast food burger and a large coffee.
Now it was almost 1:00am and Pete was having a hard time staying alert. However, as he had just decided to call off his stakeout and return to Sam's house, he noticed a large dark extended cab truck pulling into O'Neill's driveway. Colonel O'Neill and the teenage girl quickly exited the vehicle and proceeded inside.
What was Pete hoping to see? Or rather, who was he hoping not to see? For the briefest of moments, he had wondered if Sam was truly at work or had been somewhere else, with someone else. He shook off his last thought and decided to return to Sam's house. After all he was going to have brunch with Sam tomorrow and he wanted to be well rested for whatever might occur.
Well, Sunday, like Saturday, was a complete waste of time for so many reasons. First Sam called early and told him to meet her for lunch instead of brunch, so he was left to amuse himself once again in her house. Second, Sam insisted on simply meeting him at a nearby café. She didn't even want to return to her house first. Pete felt very uncomfortable with Sam's actions. It was as if she was trying to not be alone with him. However, he decided to make the most of the remaining afternoon that he had with Sam, even if they couldn't being doing what he had wanted. Third, they spent the afternoon shopping in the nearby mall. Shopping at the mall wasn't exactly an activity that he enjoyed, and he definitely didn't like shopping two days in a row. But the longer they were together in the relaxed atmosphere, she was becoming more amiable and not nearly as closed off or defensive as yesterday. Yet, she still didn't seem to want to hold hands or have any type of overt public display of affection.
It wasn't the best day that he had ever spent with Sam, but it had started turning into a semi-pleasant afternoon. Or at least it was until around 5:00pm when she explained that she needed to go so that she could retrieve some of the girl's things from her house before heading over to the Colonel's house for dinner. Pete was surprised and more than peeved to think that she was blowing him off to go spend time with HIM – oh yeah, and the girl. But, he hid his dissatisfaction well, even though he had asked her about accompanying her to the Colonel's house. Sam seemed a bit surprised by his suggestion and quickly pointed out that it probably wasn't the best time for him to socialize with Cassie. Pete made a big show of agreeing with Sam that she needed to try and square things with this teenager without his intrusion.
Pete then informed Sam that he had left his overnight bag at her house. So, after following her home from the mall, he retrieved his things and proceeded to give her what he thought was a fairly heated good-bye kiss before leaving. Sam was hesitant and tentative as they stood in her entry way kissing. After dating Sam for three months, he knew what her kisses were like, and he could tell that these kisses were fairly passion free – almost distant and cordial - a complete opposite from the first kisses that they had shared in this same hallway months ago.
They finally parted and made plans for him to return next weekend so that he could get to know Cassie. Sam had promised him that she would try to get Cassie to open up and be more accepting of him and hopefully the three of them could have a better weekend.
Sam told Pete to have a safe drive back to Denver. But, Denver was not where Pete was headed. No, he was going back to a certain park in a certain Colorado Springs neighborhood to watch a certain house.
To Be Continued...
NOTE: If you liked it, or if you didn't like it, please let me know. Thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: All necessary information is listed prior to Part 1
NOTE: Ok – I'll let you in on a little secret. This part was a complete after thought. After rereading Part 8 and the original Part 9, it seemed to be lacking something. So, I went back to the drawing board and wrote this insertion piece. I got to wondering about a few things and decided that this would be an interesting direction to go. Let me know what you think.
"Waiting for the Dawn" - Part 9
Pete Shanahan had been less than ecstatic to find out that his girlfriend would not be returning home Saturday evening. His hopes for a romantic weekend were now looking like a complete bust. He was truly resenting her work. After hanging up the phone from their short conversation and pacing around her kitchen for a few minutes, he grabbed his cell phone and called a friend of his.
"Ferretty." The voice stated plainly.
"Hey Dan. It's Pete."
"Hey Hey 'ol Buddy what's up?"
"Listen, I know that it's Saturday and all but I really need a favor."
Dan was dreading this phone call already. "Pete, there's nothing else to look for on your Major I already..."
"No not that. It's related but different."
"Oh, Ok. What do you need?" Ferretty wasn't sure if he was up to this.
"I need a background check on someone else – an Air Force Colonel – Jack O'Neill. Just like before. Top down, global agency search, the works – but even more detailed! I want to know him better than he knows himself." Pete was sounding a bit on edge.
Dan was getting a little leery. "Pete what's this really about? Why are you so interested in Air Force officers all of a sudden?"
"I told you before. I'm just working a case and this...well... is a new wrinkle in a very long and important case." Pete tried to keep it sounding official.
There was silence on the other end of the cell phone.
"Dan? You still there man?" Pete asked.
"Yeah, I'm here," he sighed heavily. "Just tell me Pete...why do I even try to help you?" You could hear the slight humor in his voice.
"Because I'm the only friend you've got," Pete's voice was teasing, "and because you owe me - big time! Remember?" Pete said with more than a suggestion.
"Alright. Alright. But listen it's Saturday afternoon. I can't run anything until Monday morning...." Dan was abruptly cut off.
"No! Listen Dan. I need that info pronto – got it?! It's crucial." Pete tried hard to stay calm. He wanted to find out as much as he could about O'Neill before he met with Sam tomorrow morning for brunch.
"Fine. I'll drop by the office now. Give me a couple of hours and I'll try to get back to you." Dan resigned.
"Great! You're a true friend Dan. Thanks." Pete hung up and thought about what he needed to do now.
He saw the phone book in the nearby bookcase and decided to see if O'Neill was listed. Placing the open phone book on the kitchen counter, he turned to the "O" section. Sure enough he found him or rather he found a couple of Jack O'Neills. However, there was no one with a title listed. Since he didn't know which listing, if any for that matter, was his, he made a quick call to the Department of Motor Vehicles and using his connections there was quickly able to find out the appropriate address for a Colonel Jonathan O'Neill. He copied the address and phone number down and realized that it didn't match any of the phone book listings. Then he headed out the door which he made sure to lock according to Sam's urging earlier. Even though he didn't have a key, he wouldn't have a problem getting in again. He was after all a resourceful cop.
Within twenty minutes he arrived cautiously at O'Neill's house. He pulled up to the curb a few houses away from the house. The house looked empty, no lights were on, but there was a small hatch back vehicle in the driveway. Pete remembered seeing this vehicle in Sam's driveway last night, so it must belong to the girl. He sat there for a few minutes observing the house, but, since it was a Saturday afternoon, there were way too many people out on the street. Many were engrossed in their lawn maintenance, several other people were busy assisting a resident who appeared to be moving in a few houses down from O'Neill's, and there were a few kids that started to ride back and forth past his SUV several times on their bicycles. Since he didn't want to draw attention to himself, he decided to drive off to the convenience store that he had seen earlier around the corner.
Once he arrived at the store, he prayed that there was an old fashioned pay phone. He didn't want his cell phone number to appear on a possible caller ID. He went in to the store and purchased an extra large fountain soda, some chips and cookies, and a really nasty frozen burrito stuffed with who knows what. After heating the burrito in the microwave, he paid his bill and asked the clerk nonchalantly about a pay phone. Pete was told to look around the corner. Back by the edge of the store near the gas pumps was a phone. Pete took out the number and dialed the Colonel's phone.
The machine picked up, and Pete heard a voice plainly say, "O'Neill. Leave a message." Yep, this was definitely the right house. He remembered that voice from his brief encounter with him that day in the SGC infirmary after he had been injured. Pete remembered that the Colonel didn't seem to be very happy to meet him. And, at the time Pete thought it odd that this guy was trying to act all big and tough. It wasn't that Pete was afraid of this Colonel, but he felt unsure of him. Pete knew then that he would have to find out more about him - later. However, as Pete started spending more time with Sam, she had started to reveal more about herself and her unusual working relationship with her team, and Pete had felt more at ease knowing some more details about her private life. So, he hadn't really given the Colonel another thought. But, now something in the tone and abruptness of the message made Pete wonder if perhaps this Colonel didn't have lots to hide. It was definitely "later" now.
Obviously Pete didn't leave a message. He hung up the phone, gathered his food and drink and headed back to his vehicle. He decided that it wouldn't be prudent to just sit outside of O'Neill's house in broad daylight, so Pete drove around the neighborhood taking in the lay of the land while eating his junk food. There was no alley way with which to access his backyard. Trees and shrubs were surrounding his property but not so that they would obstruct someone's view of the doors and windows for safety purposes. It looked like there was a type of roof top deck towards the back of the house with a railing that could barely be seen from the far right side of the house. There was a ladder also visible on the right side of the house that obviously stretched up to the deck. There was a nearby running trail that evidently snaked its way through a nearby park about a half a block or so away from the end of his street. The parking lot of the park gave a clear view of the Colonel's driveway. Pete was planning on coming back later this evening once it was dark and sit unnoticed while using his binoculars to keep watch on his house.
It had been about an hour and a half since Pete had talked to his FBI friend. Pete figured he would give him another hour before he called him to see if he had made any progress. Pete decided that he would go to the mall and do some shopping, maybe even pick up something nice for Sam like some lotion or perfume as a token gesture to make up from their earlier heated argument. Besides he had an afternoon to kill until it was dark.
An hour later he was strolling through a bath shop at the mall when his cell phone started ringing.
"Shanahan." He said as he smelled the tester bottle of lotion before wincing at the odor and setting it down.
"Man. What have you gotten yourself into?" Dan's voice was sounding rushed.
"What? What did you find out?" Pete walked to the store's entrance and then proceeded to the center walkway of the two story mall in order to continue the call.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing!" Dan was emphatic.
"That can't be right..."
"Listen, I checked every system I could. Apart from his address, phone, DMV info, social security number, his last recent tax returns, and working at NORAD with your Major, there's nothing on this guy."
"Come on Dan. There's something on everyone. Besides he's a Colonel, he's got to have been around for awhile." Pete was a bit surprised that his friend's search had turned up empty.
"OK – yeah – the basics – Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill – Colonel in the Air Force - married – divorced and oh yeah his kid killed himself accidentally with a hand gun a few years back – but that's it."
"So he's been scrubbed too?"
"Not only scrubbed my man, but it's like he's been erased – completely." Dan was amazed.
"O...K...," Pete started slowly trying to wrap his mind around these developments. He turned to the railing and leaned over it bracing his left forearm and right elbow. He looked down at the first floor of the mall from the second story perch. "...so he's black ops too probably? And the government only wants us to see the highlights of..." Pete was cut off.
"No, you don't get it. There are NO highlights. Nothing! Not since the Kennedy files has something been locked away so tight. The government doesn't want you to see ANYTHING about him. I'd watch him carefully. Better yet, stay away unless you really have to." Dan cautioned his friend.
"Oh come on Dan! You're exaggerating! He was more than visible last year when he was suspected of shooting that Senator what's his name - Kinsey. He was even on the TV shaking his hand! If they really wanted to keep him a secret, THAT wouldn't have happened." Pete had remembered watching that special newscast. He was interested in and agreed with some of the Senator's views and thought he might make a good President. But he hadn't put the connection together that it was the same Colonel until just now.
"See there! There wasn't even a mention about him and the Senator. Pete, he certainly has a BURIED past and his present doesn't seem to be seeing daylight either if you know what I mean."
Straightening up Pete asked, "Yeah, well...thanks anyway...hey...keep on it will you – just in case."
"Sure, but I don't really see any reason. Plus, I'm not sure that my tracks were covered very well during this search." He was apprehensive.
"What are you saying? Were you flagged or something?" He knew that Dan was a great computer operator and could get around most computer system security measures. That was one reason why Pete often used him as a contact.
"No, no, I think I went undetected," he tried to reassure his cop friend, "but there was this one file that briefly popped up with the letters NID before quickly being halted. I'm not familiar with that designation, but I have a bad feeling Pete."
What was going on? Pete knew all about the Stargate Program now – or at least the basics, so he understood about the secrecy around O'Neill's files. But the depth of the secrecy was surprising. He had hoped to gather a little bit of information. Pete didn't know exactly what he was hoping for, but he knew so very little about him. Sam rarely spoke about him, and when she did she would almost sound protective and prideful of him. There was definitely something about this Colonel that bothered Pete. Now that he found out that this was a man with an incredibly secret past, he was wondering what kind of man this Jack O'Neill was and whether or not it was good for Sam to be around him. To Pete, it smelled bad. "Don't worry Dan. Everything's going to be fine."
Pete was about to hang up when he thought of one last thing. "Dan, you said he had an ex-wife. What's her name and address?"
Detective Pete Shanahan had learned years ago on his very first case as a rookie detective to be thorough, even if the supposed lead turned up nothing. After jotting down Sara's name and address and asking Dan to run a check on her too – just in case. He hung up from Dan and continued his shopping to find a little something special for Sam.
After purchasing a nice over the top gift wrapped bath set complete with bubble bath, bath oils, bath salts, body splash, lotion, loofas and candles for Sam, he drove over to her house. He wanted to just leave it by her tub with a note to surprise her when she returned home from work. He jotted off a quick note: "Sam, you work too hard – so I thought you needed something to keep you soft. Love Pete. PS sorry for the argument in park, maybe this can help soothe things over."
Pete left Sam's house and proceeded to Mrs. O'Neill's house before heading back to Colonel O'Neill's neighborhood for the evening. He hadn't seen anything unusual at Mrs. O'Neill's house and he had been watching it for about thirty minutes. There was an old yellow Mustang in the drive way that had seen better days. But, the house appeared normal and no one seemed to be home although there were a few lights on in what he thought could be the living room. However, just as Pete was about to leave, he noticed a red sports car pull up in the driveway. A well dressed man in a black suit with dark black wavy hair got out and walked up to the door and knocked. Pete figured him for some sort of professional businessman. A few moments later, an attractive woman exited the house. Pete couldn't tell her age from where he was parked, but he noticed that she was tall and lanky with darker blonde hair. She definitely had a nice figure, and the dress she wore accentuated her body nicely; it flowed freely as she walked. Pete decided that she was obviously on a date and that the ex Mrs. O'Neill would need no further observation.
The sun had set about two hours ago; it was now 9:30pm, and so far Pete had yet to see O'Neill return to his house or any other activity occur around his residence. Pete's vehicle was situated in the park's parking lot somewhat behind several large Pine trees. He was sure that no one would notice him from his lookout position.
Being used to stakeouts and the endless nothingness that would often continue for hours, Pete attempted amuse himself by passing the time reviewing the reasons why this Colonel was bothering him. Well, for starters, he really hadn't spent any time around this Jack O'Neill – other than that day in the infirmary, so he was always a bit hesitant of people he didn't know – must be from his suspicious cop nature. Next, according to Sam, she had seen the Colonel almost every day for close to seven years while working side by side as his second-in-command, whereas Pete had only been seeing Sam for about three months and it was sporadic at best. He never considered himself the jealous type and didn't think that Sam was the cheating type, especially not with her commanding officer. She was too by the book to pursue something like that. Besides, Pete knew that he was an OK looking fairly cute guy, more so than O'Neill he thought, and could turn a few heads, and he knew that Sam appreciated his looks. Plus, he had this deep down feeling that although the Colonel saw Sam everyday that he had never seen as much of her as Pete had; he grinned brightly at that thought. However, there was still something nagging Pete about this Colonel.
Sometime later as Pete was lost in a slightly different thought, his mind replayed the encounter with that girl early this morning. That teenager was adamant that Sam could not possibly be happy in a relationship with Pete. The girl was both surprised and hurt. She clearly implied that she knew Sam was in love with someone else, but when he had confronted Sam on it, she had denied it emphatically. Perhaps she denied it a bit too much?
Pete continued his review of the facts. Ok, Sam rarely talked about Colonel O'Neill, but then again she didn't really talk much about any of the people with whom she worked – at least not specifics. The few times she had mentioned Jack O'Neill it was with an almost awe-like reverence that Pete didn't really seem to understand. For some reason, Pete knew that she had a great deal of respect for this man. But to Pete, Jack O'Neill had just seemed like a goofy dimwitted old guy who seemed unlikely to be a Colonel. Plus, Pete thought that he could probably easily take him down if necessary. However, Pete was getting more and more unsettled thinking about him and what sort of influence he had over Sam. He remembered how emotional Sam had been in the park earlier today when she had mentioned almost losing the Colonel. At the time, Pete had thought her just overly emotional from the stress of loosing her best friend and now having to care for her daughter. But, now he was wondering just how deeply she cared for this aging Air Force Colonel. What was the true nature of their relationship? Her words and actions definitely spoke more than mere superficial or familiar affiliation.
As stakeouts went, this was right up there with the top ten most boring. He had given up on analyzing his reasons for being suspicious of the Colonel some time ago and decided that nourishment was badly needed. Pete left his secluded area around 10:30pm for a brief pit-stop and a fast food burger and a large coffee.
Now it was almost 1:00am and Pete was having a hard time staying alert. However, as he had just decided to call off his stakeout and return to Sam's house, he noticed a large dark extended cab truck pulling into O'Neill's driveway. Colonel O'Neill and the teenage girl quickly exited the vehicle and proceeded inside.
What was Pete hoping to see? Or rather, who was he hoping not to see? For the briefest of moments, he had wondered if Sam was truly at work or had been somewhere else, with someone else. He shook off his last thought and decided to return to Sam's house. After all he was going to have brunch with Sam tomorrow and he wanted to be well rested for whatever might occur.
Well, Sunday, like Saturday, was a complete waste of time for so many reasons. First Sam called early and told him to meet her for lunch instead of brunch, so he was left to amuse himself once again in her house. Second, Sam insisted on simply meeting him at a nearby café. She didn't even want to return to her house first. Pete felt very uncomfortable with Sam's actions. It was as if she was trying to not be alone with him. However, he decided to make the most of the remaining afternoon that he had with Sam, even if they couldn't being doing what he had wanted. Third, they spent the afternoon shopping in the nearby mall. Shopping at the mall wasn't exactly an activity that he enjoyed, and he definitely didn't like shopping two days in a row. But the longer they were together in the relaxed atmosphere, she was becoming more amiable and not nearly as closed off or defensive as yesterday. Yet, she still didn't seem to want to hold hands or have any type of overt public display of affection.
It wasn't the best day that he had ever spent with Sam, but it had started turning into a semi-pleasant afternoon. Or at least it was until around 5:00pm when she explained that she needed to go so that she could retrieve some of the girl's things from her house before heading over to the Colonel's house for dinner. Pete was surprised and more than peeved to think that she was blowing him off to go spend time with HIM – oh yeah, and the girl. But, he hid his dissatisfaction well, even though he had asked her about accompanying her to the Colonel's house. Sam seemed a bit surprised by his suggestion and quickly pointed out that it probably wasn't the best time for him to socialize with Cassie. Pete made a big show of agreeing with Sam that she needed to try and square things with this teenager without his intrusion.
Pete then informed Sam that he had left his overnight bag at her house. So, after following her home from the mall, he retrieved his things and proceeded to give her what he thought was a fairly heated good-bye kiss before leaving. Sam was hesitant and tentative as they stood in her entry way kissing. After dating Sam for three months, he knew what her kisses were like, and he could tell that these kisses were fairly passion free – almost distant and cordial - a complete opposite from the first kisses that they had shared in this same hallway months ago.
They finally parted and made plans for him to return next weekend so that he could get to know Cassie. Sam had promised him that she would try to get Cassie to open up and be more accepting of him and hopefully the three of them could have a better weekend.
Sam told Pete to have a safe drive back to Denver. But, Denver was not where Pete was headed. No, he was going back to a certain park in a certain Colorado Springs neighborhood to watch a certain house.
To Be Continued...
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