For disclaimers and other info, please see part 1
CHAPTER TWO
"I don't think so, Jack." Jacob shook his head as he pulled the newer key off the chain. "It's not like I have much time these days to head over to Washington, even for my daughter."
Jack pushed his hands deeper into his pockets. "Yeah, look, I'm really sorry about…"
Jacob smiled. "Don't be. There was nothing you could do. Hell, sometimes those guys just don't have a clue." He held out the key to the younger man. "I don't think this is meant for me."
"Then who else?" Jack asked, reluctantly taking the item. "I mean, she'd have sent it to Daniel if it was meant for him, and since she gave me the other key to give to you…"
Jacob walked to the door to Jack's office and closed it. Whatever he had to say, he didn't want it being overheard. "Did you ever think it might be for you?"
Jack sat down in his chair. "What?"
"Jack, no matter what you might think of me, I'm not blind. I've watched the two of you grow closer, yet still maintain that professional distance, and I've seen the toll it's taken on you. I also happen to know Air Force regs fairly well, even if I have been out of uniform for a few years. You're not her supervisor any more, Jack. The regulations don't apply any longer. I think Sam's given you an opening, and if you don't take it…" The Tok'ra shrugged. "I may just have to kill you myself."
Jack stayed in his office with the doors closed a long time after Jacob went back through the Stargate. It had been two weeks since he'd received the key in the mail, and he'd eventually come to the conclusion that it was also meant for her father. After all, she had given Jack the key to her home in Colorado Springs to pass on.
He couldn't believe that Jacob had thought otherwise. In fact, he couldn't believe that Jacob had pretty much given his blessing to his daughter forming a relationship with him. The whole thing thoroughly bewildered Jack. In retrospect, he realised that Jacob probably had seen through his "it's platonic" act some time ago, but then again, he'd cared about the woman for a long time. It was something that hadn't disappeared with time or distance.
Yet, he couldn't be sure that Sam actually did think of him as more than a friend or commanding officer. There had been no other contact between them other than the package she had sent; and he'd not wanted to look a fool by calling or emailing her to ask what the key was for. As Jack had said to Jacob earlier, if the key was meant for someone else, such as Daniel, she wouldn't have mailed it to him.
So, if she'd not sent the key for her father, why had she sent it to Jack? Was it a 'feel free to use my place whenever you're in Washington, Sir' or was it a 'I miss you, Jack, and there are no more regulations' deal?
He thought about contacting her to ask the reason, but dismissed it. He thought about writing, but he'd never been good at choosing the right words when expressing emotions – especially on paper – and there was no way he could have such a conversation over the phone. Besides, the mere fact that she'd not sent anything other than the key and the security alarm sequence probably meant she thought no explanation was required.
There really was only one way to find out; and that would involve a trip to Washington as soon as he could swing it.
TBC
