When All Else Fails

Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer: See chapter One...two...three...four...etc.

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It wasn't until almost noon when Cassie called back with the details of the meeting that would be taking place that night. Their dinner was set for 1900 hours, at a bar and grille called The Chop House, at first Cassie had suggested O'Mally's and she hadn't understood when Sam told her that there was no way that could happen, but she didn't press her on the subject. Cassie also told them to dress nicely; they were going dancing after dinner. Sam left that detail out when she explained to Jack what they were doing, but instead told him to dress nice because it was a special occasion. Jack seemed to buy it, but Sam was completely sure.

Since it wasn't even 1200 when Cassie called they had to decide what they were going to do for the four or so hours they had free before getting ready. Sam suggested taking the Wrangler down to the lake that was about fifteen minutes away from Jack's house, maybe taking a picnic with them. Jack agreed when she informed him that the lake was stocked with bass every two months, or at least it always used to be. They got everything ready and took off from Jack's at 15 after twelve, arriving at the lake at 1230.

There were only four other people there when they arrived. Two of them were fly-fishing on the shore of the lake and the other two was a younger couple, Sam guessed around mid twenties. They weren't that far off from where Sam and Jack laid down their blanket and picnic basket, and Sam clearly noticed the sun catch on a diamond ring that was on the girls left hand. She was jealous; the woman had to be at least ten years her junior at she was already engaged, maybe even married.

It was a beautiful day, 75 degrees at the most, barely any clouds in the sky, and a breeze coming off of the water. They sat down on the blanket that they had brought and looked out over the water, Sam had already started counting. By the time she reached four minutes Jack turned to her suddenly and smiled.

"You ever been fishing?" He asked glancing back at the lake.

She shrugged, "Once or twice with Mark when we were teenagers. Didn't much care for it, I wasn't very good."

"I'll teach you," he offered. "I brought two poles."

"I'd noticed," she mumbled, looking over her shoulder at his large, black truck. "Sure ... why not?"

He grinned and headed off towards the truck while she fished a diet coke out of the small cooler that he had packed. She was surprised that there were actually sodas, she figured he would have only brought beer. "Do you want something to drink?" She called out when she saw him walking back to her.

"Beer," he replied, walking past her and towards the lake, fishing poles in hand.

She sighed, grabbed the beer from the cooler, pulled herself up from the ground and followed him to the shoreline of the man-made lake. When she reached the sand she slid off her shoes and walked barefooted to where he was hooking the lines, "So, where exactly are we going to be sitting?" she asked, pulling off her over shirt and tossing it haphazardly in the sand. "Not on the sand, right?"

"What's wrong with sitting on the sand?" He asked looking over at her, frowning at the tank top.

"Nothing, it was just a question." Noticing his look she questioned him about it, "What's wrong with my shirt?"

"Trust me, there's nothing wrong with it ... which is the problem."

"Ok," she sighed. "I'm going to need a better answer, that's not cuttin' it."

He sighed as well, "You see those two men fly-fishing over there," he pointed vaguely in their direction. "They've got to be at least 50 yards away and I could still see their eyes popping out of their heads," smiling he looked over at her. "Tease."

She swatted him playfully on the arm; "I am not. That didn't happen."

"I swear it," he said holding up his hands, "they had to have gone at least a foot."

Laughing she grabbed one of the poles from his hands, "Alright, now how do I do this?" Gripping the pole tightly she brought it behind her shoulder and then flung it back forward. The line didn't move, but the pole slipped from her hands and flew into the water, thankfully only a few feet out. "Oops?" she said looking over her shoulder at Jack. "Guess that wasn't the right way, huh?"

A chuckle escaped his lips and he smiled at her, shaking his head with laughter. "No ... Sam. That wasn't the right way."

She shrugged and went after the pole, that had already sunk to the bottom of the lake, though since it hadn't gone out that far the bottom was only a foot or so down. Cringing as her feet squished in the clay like substance that the bottom of the lake consisted of she fumbled around in the water until her hands grasped the pole. "Ha," she said in triumph, pulling the pole out of its murky grave, "found you." The reddish clay clung to the pole and she had to wash it off before bringing it back to Jack, who then fixed the string and rebated the hook before handing it back to her with the intention of showing her the proper way to cast the line.

"Alright," he said putting the pole into her hands. "First of all you can't just fling the pole and expect the line to go flying, it'll do that on it's own. You've got to hold it down, so it doesn't go everywhere." He placed her hands on the base of the pole and took her right pointer finger and pressed it down over the line. "That's going to keep the line from going anywhere before you want it to." He stood behind her, his arms around hers and his hands placed on her hands. Bringing the pole back slowly he continued with the instructions, "Now you don't want to rush into anything, you've already seen what happens if you do, so just ease into it. When you've got the pole far enough back bring it over your shoulder again--make sure you've got a good hold on the pole first--and as you do so let go of the line." He mimicked his directions and she let go of the line, the line went flying over the lake and landed only about fifteen feet out, the bright orange bobber showing exactly where it had gone. "You see, that wasn't so hard, right?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, "I guess not. How do you bring it back in?"

"Just turn the handle until it's back and then start again," he explained, demonstrating for her. "If you get a bite you have to go fast and hold on because bass put up one hell of a fight. You want to try it on your own now?"

"Uhh ... maybe you should run though it with me one more time, just in case." She began to reel the line in, having difficulties doing so. Jack placed his hand over hers and showed her how and they continued that way until it had come back. They went through the process all over again, Jack talking her through the motions, and helping her carry them out. When they cast the line it went a little farther, but no more than twenty feet.

"It's a start," Jack told her, picking up his own pole. "Let me know if you need any more help."

"Thanks, but I think I've got it." She brought the pole behind her shoulder, holding onto the line, and then flung it back over, letting the thin piece of string go. Jack watched as the line went further, further, and further still, his mouth dropping.

"How did..." he mumbled as the line went as far as it was going to go and the bobber bobbed up and down in the lake, barely seeable. "You couldn't have..." looking over at her his looked changed from one of amazement to one of suspicion. "You're really sneaky, you know that."

"What?" She asked innocently, "Beginners luck."

His eyes narrowed on her. "Sure," he said incredulously, "luck."

A smile of defeat spread across her face, "Alright, so maybe I left out the fact that dad's a fishing freak and he would drag me and Mark along with him to the lake nearest our house at least once a months and I learned how to fish properly when I was 6 years old. But other than that everything I said was the truth."

"All you said was that you had been with Mark once or twice and you didn't like it much because you were no good."

"Ok," she said with a sigh, looking around guiltily as she chewed on her bottom lip. "That ... that was a lie."

Before she knew it he lunged at her and she was in his arms, so close that he was cutting off her air supply by at least a forth. She laughed and tried to pull back but he ended her attempts with his lips, taking away the rest of her air, though she didn't mind. He stopped suddenly and looked past her, waving slightly. "We've got an audience," he growled in her ear.

She craned her neck around and looked behind her, the two fly-fishers had taken a break from fishing and were watching them attentively. Turning back around a bubble of laughter escaped her lips and she buried her face in his chest to quell the giggles, biting down on her lip in a further attempt to do so. His arms wrapped around her lower back and he laughed with her, though not with as much enthusiasm. When she pulled away her face was red and a few tears had stained her cheeks. "It wasn't that funny you know," Jack said, pulling her with him back to the blanket.

"Oh, yes it was." She told him, "You didn't see the tall one wink and the short one give you thumbs up?"

"Wasn't really paying attention," he said with a shrug. "I was too busy being upset by the invasion of privacy."

"Well, we are in a public place, Jack. Privacy isn't really that much of an option."

"There are only four other people here! That's pretty private if you ask me."

It was her turn to shrug, "We'll eat and then we can go somewhere else or back to your place. Ok?"

He nodded, sitting down on the blanket, pulling her down on his lap. "Sounds good to me," he kissed her briefly and then allowed her to sit down on the blanket next to him. Fumbling through the cooler he pulled out a coke and turned to her, "You want something?"

"Diet," she replied, taking a ham sandwich out of the basket. They talked a little while they ate, what certain members of the SGC had been up to since she had ascended, media scandals she had missed, box office hits that had come and gone, CD's that had gone platinum, mediocre and unimportant things. Every now and then she would catch him glancing over at the fishermen, who had gone off to more important and interesting things, and every now and then she would catch herself watching the young couple, who by that time were just sitting together talking and laughing about things that were probably of no importance, she smiled at the similar actions of the younger couple and her and Jack.

"What'cha thinking 'bout?" He asked, catching her attention.

She glanced back over at him, the smile still playing on her lips. "You see that young couple over there?" She asked, nodding her head in their direction. "I was just thinking about how it took me nearly ten years and nearly dying, ascending, you nearly dying, then me descending, for us to finally be comfortable with being like them."

"Like them in what respect?" he asked, glancing over at the two who had begun to pack their things up.

"Well, in every respect, really. Mostly though that we were able to admit how we felt and act like a couple." She took a sip of her soda, "They've got to be at least ten years younger than I am and they've already figured out what took us a decade to."

"Maybe so," he said with a sigh. "But at least we still did, right?"

"I guess," she replied, glancing down at her watch. "We've only killed two hours, we've got at least two more until-Oh!"

"What?" Jack asked, confused by her sudden outburst.

"I need to find something to wear tonight," she explained. "I don't have anything for an occasion like this, or at least nothing that would still fit. I lost weight while I was ascended, I guess." She smiled, "We could go shopping."

Jack frowned, "Shopping?"

"Yes, shopping. And, while we're out, we'll get something for you, too. Because I'm sure you don't have very many dressy things unless it's a BDU." She stood up from the picnic blanket, grabbing the basket and trash. "Come on, we don't have that much time," she took off for his truck.

"You said we had two hours, at least!" He called after her, picking up the things that she had left.

"I know," she answered. "That's not nearly enough time to find a dress and shoes, not to mention something for you." She put everything in the cab of his truck and walked around to the passenger's side, climbing in.

"Shopping," he grumbled to himself. "Wonderful."

"Did you say something?" She asked, poking her head over the top of the truck.

"No," he lied, folding the blanket and putting it and the cooler in the cab next to where Sam had put the basket. "Where are we going?"

She shrugged, "We'll figure that out when we get into town." With a smile she buckled herself in, "I missed shopping."

"I'm sure you did," he mumbled, starting up the car. "Let's go, then."

It was going to be a long, long two hours.

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A/N: Alright then, review please! Sorry it took so long to update, it's been a hectic week and all. Anyway...tell me what'cha think. Be it good or bad (though, I prefer the former rather than the latter).