Please review and let me know what you think.
Three weeks later
"So what are you up to this weekend?" Jack asked as he walked into her lab.
Sam's face lit up as soon as she heard his voice.
"And don't say you're working on a new toy from PX-something-or-other."
"There are no new 'toys' from any 'PX-something-or-other' for me to work on this weekend, sir."
Jack's smile spread even wider, "Excellent, then you're coming out with us tonight to welcome Hailey to SG-1!"
Sam's face fell slightly, "I would love to, sir, but my brother Mark and his wife are in town for the weekend… We're supposed to go out to dinner tonight."
"Cancel on them," he suggested.
Sam chuckled, "Sir, he's my brother."
"Yeah yeah…" Jack conceded as he picked up an object from her lab bench and began to fidget with it.
She watched his hands carefully. When he started to rotate it, she snatched it from his hands. "How about a rain check?"
Jack looked up startled at his now empty hands, "When?"
"Next Saturday… To celebrate my last day under your command," she suggested hopefully.
"You don't have to sound that excited about it!"
"Why not?" she told him with a gleam in her eye.
He smiled at her as he thought of all the fun he'd have with his then former-second in command.
"Now I won't have to make an extra copy of my reports for you that you'll never read."
"Hey! I read them!" he defended himself.
"Really, sir?" She decided to challenge him, "What was my last report on?"
"Uh…" he quickly tried to think of anything scientific as a response. But nothing came to mind as he smiled and conceded defeat. He decided to change topics instead, "I hope that's not the only reason you're looking forward to next Saturday."
"It's not," she assured him. "There's also the fact that I won't have a commanding officer who'll prohibit me from giggling."
Jack grinned, "That's good… You've got a great giggle!"
"Thank you, sir."
He nodded his head triumphantly, "Yeah, well, we'll be at O'Malley's if you decide to join us."
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks…" She looked back at her computer, "I need to finish up this stuff before I leave, sir."
"Oh yeah!" he called out as he began backing out of her domain. "Well have fun with your 'stuff' and the family, Carter."
"You too, sir," she told him as he stepped out of her doorway. 'Yeah, definitely looking forward to next weekend!'
"That was my friend Pete on the phone. He's actually in town tonight as well… You ladies care to go out for a drink?"
Jamie looked at Sam through the rear-view mirror and both shrugged their shoulders, "Sure honey."
"Where's he at?" Sam asked as they waited at the intersection.
"Some place called O'Malley's, you know where it is? Cause if you don't…" he stopped though when he saw the smile on his sister's face. "I take it you know the place."
Sam chuckled, "Yeah… My team and I go there every once in awhile… They're actually there tonight, so you guys can meet them."
"That sounds nice!" Mark's wife Jamie replied.
"Sounds good!" Mark replied half-heartedly.
As they walked in the bar ten minutes later both Sam and Mark looked around for their respective friends. Mark spotted his buddy first who was standing by the bar watching the entrance.
"There's Pete," he quickly called out as he led his wife and sister over.
"Hey Pete!"
"Mark! How ya been?" they greeted each other as they shook hands.
"Good, good, yourself?"
"Can't complain. Let me introduce you to my wife, Jamie. And this is my sister Sam. This is an old buddy of mine, Pete Shanahan," he told them as he pushed his sister in front of him.
"Hi Pete, nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Pete replied in amazement, wondering if he had died and gone to heaven and met an angel.
"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Pete offered as he tried to take his eyes off Sam and not make his infatuation so obvious. "It's hard to get any service around here," he stated lightly.
Sam chuckled, "Not really." She then turned and leaned against the bar and leaned over and sought out the bartender, "Nick!"
The man in question looked up and smiled and indicated he would be there once he was done with that customer.
Pete looked over at her and smiled, "I take it you come here a lot?"
Sam smiled warmly at him, "Yeah, my team and I come down here to relax."
"Oh yeah?" he asked trying to sound interested. "What do you do?"
"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist for the Air Force."
His eyes bulged, "Wow! That's a mouthful!"
She shrugged her shoulders before turning to the bartender who now stood before her, "Hey Nick, how ya been?"
"Good! I didn't think I was going to see you tonight… The guys told me you were with your family."
"Yeah," she said as she turned around to introduce her family.
"Welcome to O'Malley's," he told them. "So what can I get you guys? The usual Major?'
Sam nodded her head as the others put in their orders.
"So where are they?" she asked as they accepted their drinks. She looked around the bar once more and wasn't able to spot them.
He pointed at the back corner, "They're in one of the booths back there by the pool table."
Sam smiled.
"Try not to con too many patrons tonight!" he warned as he walked off to serve another customer.
"What was that about?" Pete asked her as she led them to the aforementioned table.
"I like to play pool… for money," she innocently told him.
She then caught sight of Daniel and waved to him who grinned happily at her.
When they arrived at the table, Sam performed the introductions among the two parties.
An hour later her teammates were sitting at the table chatting with her family. And much to Sam's embarrassment, Mark was telling them stories from her childhood. Instead of listen to the stories, she had escaped to the pool tables.
Pete Shanahan decided to follow her. "Can I interest you in a game?" he asked her as he walked up behind her as she started to rack the balls.
Sam looked up and smiled, "Sure. I'll give you a little warning that I don't usually give my opponents, I'm good!"
Pete couldn't help but smile and rise to the occasion, "I'm pretty good myself… Best out of five?" he asked her.
Sam nodded her head as she lifted the triangle from the balls.
"Can I get you something more to drink before we start?"
She shook her head, "No thanks, I'm fine," she told him as she lined up her break.
It wasn't until early in the third game that Sam missed a shot and finally provided an opportunity for Pete to show his pool skills.
She leaned against one of the bars watching his shots. She wasn't surprised when she felt her CO come stand next to her. She looked at him and smiled when he held out a drink for her. "Here you go!"
"Thank you, sir." She told him as she gladly accepted his offered drink and brought it to her lips.
Pete happened to look up at the exchange and was miffed at seeing Sam accept a drink from her CO, when he had just asked her twenty minutes earlier.
What he didn't know was that Jack had given her a diet coke knowing that she had been the one to drive to the bar and therefore wouldn't drink anymore than the lone beer she had already consumed.
"No problem Carter," he replied with a wide grin.
Sam leaned over to speak to him quietly, "Do you think you'll be able to call me anything other than Carter or Colonel next weekend?"
"Well… I can think of a lot of things I'd like to call you!"
Sam looked at him shocked by his boldness.
"Will you be able to call me anything other than Colonel or sir?"
"I've been calling you other things in my mind for a long time… sir," she whispered.
Jack couldn't help but laugh at the playful comment and respectful 'sir' she had thrown in at the end.
Pete continued to watch the pair as he prepared his next shot. He was starting to wonder if there was something there between the two.
Jack momentarily looked away from Sam and saw Pete staring at them. He seriously turned to his 2IC, "You do realize that he's taken to you?"
Sam looked over at Pete and sent him a small smile, "Yes sir… I have a feeling my brother set this up… But don't worry," she reassured him.
Jack looked at her and stared into her eyes. "I know… Besides… he looks kind of goofy!"
TBC
So I'm throwing in Pete just to add a little tension and scare some of you just a little. The idea came to me from a review I read by GateSeeker2, so thanks!