Title: Not What You'd Expect

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack or anything else Stargate. It all belongs to folks with far more money than me.

Pairing: Jack/Other, Jack/Sam implied

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Nothing specific but this is set in season eight

Summary: Life never turns out how you'd expect.

Notes: This hasn't been beta checked for errors, I did send it off but never heard back. I did have someone check it over and they told me it was fine but I need to fix a few things, specifically the timings. I'm going to apologise in advance if this jumps all over the place. This is finished but I'm going to edit it myself and then upload the rest. Any constructive criticism would be appreciated. Any offers of beta reading would be welcomed as well.

I know a lot people like to pretend women like me don't exist. Sometimes I like to pretend that I don't exist. I have to admit this wasn't the life I had planned out for myself at eighteen. Eighteen seems so long ago, and I was so sure that I could be anything. I was on top of the world. This wasn't the life I planned for myself, but then life rarely turns out the way you would expect.

In my line of work I've been fairly lucky, I only see a few exclusive clients through the agency. I decide how far I take things. I am not required to sleep with them, the fact that I do for a fee is neither here nor there. There is a need for the service that I provide. Some people don't find comfort and companionship anywhere in their daily lives. The people they look to for comfort or companionship seek theirs elsewhere, little realising that in doing so they are hurting someone.

Take one of my clients; I suppose strictly speaking he isn't exactly a client. He does pay me, but it wasn't an official thing. Not that you can be really official about these things. I met him in the frozen meals section of Wal-mart of all places. He was buying those awful meals for one; I was taking a shortcut through to the bakery section. Of course I ended up cooking him dinner among other things. I liked him he was a charming guy. The most gorgeous smile and brown eyes that I could drown in.

I didn't actually mean for him to become a client, he found out somewhere around our second date. One of my former clients approached me; he'd always given me the creeps. Which is why it never went any further than a few dinner dates. I managed to get rid of him but not before Jack found out a heck of a lot more than I wanted him to know. Jack seemed to take it pretty well. He just paused and asked what my fee was. I was so shocked that I told him. The following week, I received a cheque for that amount times two.

I did try to return it but he wouldn't hear of it. Perhaps I should have tried harder, he didn't need to pay me to spend time with him. I liked him he was a nice guy. They are all nice guys for the most part; it's a shame that those around them don't appreciate that. Of course if they were appreciated then I would be out of a job.

I would see him once or twice a week, at a prearranged date and time. Sometimes we went out, sometimes I cooked, and sometimes he cooked. Sometimes he would just fall asleep as I held him. We talked, about everything and nothing. I knew very little about him, he knew everything about me. In a way he was something of a father figure to me, I would tell him my problems and he would tell me no lies. He would have made a wonderful father. I hoped I made him feel wanted, but I was never sure. However as he always came back I think maybe I succeeded. Whoever she was, she was a fool. He didn't talk about her, not that he ever talked about much but I knew she was there as surely as I knew day followed night.

One day – a Tuesday he phoned asking if we could meet. There was something in his voice, the very lack of emotion there. It made me want to rush over to wherever he was and hold him. I agreed of course. I'd broken the cardinal rule in my profession. I had begun to care more for a client than I should.