Note: thanks for all the feedback, folks. It's been a blessing to me to know that you're enjoying reading this story.
TITLE: The Key
AUTHOR: Matt, March 2005
CHAPTER THREE
The meeting had been exhausting. By the time it was over and he'd found Sam's office, she'd already left for the day. With a weary sigh, Jack headed out of the Pentagon and into the parking lot in which he was fairly certain he'd left his rental car. He hated bureaucracy with a passion; it was definitely the biggest downside to the promotion he'd received.
After a fling of his cap into the passenger seat, a loosening of the tie and top button, and a quick glance at the map he'd convinced Walter to print out with no questions asked, he headed out of the lot and eased into the Beltway traffic. Rush hour around Washington was always a nightmare; a nose to tail mix of government and diplomatic cars trying to bully their way into various lanes as exits came and went.
It was dark by the time Jack made it to the house that Sam was renting during her assignment. Her car was parked out front, and a low light was glowing from one of the first floor windows. It looked cosy and inviting, and Jack was halfway up the path before he stopped to think.
This was her house, her domain, and whatever happened here tonight would be up to her. He was here, but he didn't know why. Hell, he wasn't even sure what he'd say to her when she opened the door. 'Hello Carter' just sounded too lame.
Silence greeted both the first knock and then the second. It appeared that she wasn't home. But she'd sent him the key, so Jack rationalised that it had to be okay to let himself in. A moment later, the door was open and he was stepping over the threshold, only to be greeted by a faint beeping sound.
His first instinct was to think 'bomb' but he quickly realised that it was just the sound of the security system. Jack had memorised the sequence and he punched the numbers in, followed by a jab to the rectangular Entry button. Satisfied that he'd managed to deactivate the alarm, he closed the door. He had arrived.
Sleep came fast, and Jack woke at the sound of a car door slamming followed by the sound of people approaching the building. In the few hours he'd been at the house, he'd managed to make himself fairly comfortable. He'd found his favourite brand of beer in the refrigerator, enough food to make a sandwich and, most importantly, the remote control for the television. Now, he levered himself off the couch in the living room and hastened over to the window in order to get a look outside.
He smiled as he recognised Sam, but the smile faded when he saw who she was with. What the hell was Davis doing with her and in civvies as well? This wasn't looking good at all. Still, she seemed happy to be with him and… oh shit!
Jack's world crumbled in that instant. It had been a couple of months now since Jacob's visit. Jack had tried to find an excuse to visit to Washington, or even just to get some downtime, but it hadn't happened. The pressures of running the SGC and dealing with an inter-planetary diplomatic meeting gone awry had left him no time to enact any of his plans. And now it seemed it was too late. Sam had met someone, or rather re-met someone, and gone on with her life. Even if she'd just offered her former commanding officer a place to bunk whenever he was in town, there was no way he could be there while she was with someone else.
Jack made a dash for the back door.
TBC
