Author's Note:
Thank you so much for all the reviews and kind words!
As for my identity…one of you guessed right in your review as to my former identity, but I am not say anything just yet.
XXX
"Why do I feel that somehow this have something to do with Jack?" Daniel murmured under his breath with a strange glimmer in his eyes, before proceeding to follow Sam out of the lab.
XXX
THE DATING GAME – CHAPTER 3
Saturday, 14H00 – The telephone calls begun (a day and a half after the dinner invitation)
"General O'Neill's office."
"Good afternoon, this is Colonel Samantha Carter speaking. Is it possible for me to speak to the General?"
"I am sorry Colonel, but the General is currently not available."
"Oh? Do you know when he is going to be available again?"
"I am sorry Colonel, but I'm not allowed to divulge that information. Can I maybe take a message and I promise that I will make sure that he gets it as soon as possible."
"Uh…You are his secretary, Mrs Coper-Cooperman?"
"Cooper. Yes, that is correct. How did you know?"
"Well Mrs Cooper, I am phoning from the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The General and I used to work together here. In fact he used to be my commanding officer for quite a few years. We are therefore old colleagues…you may even say friends, so I am sure that General won't mind you giving me this information. In fact, I am quite sure that he would insist on it."
"Um, you said you are Colonel Carter?"
"Yes?"
"In that case…Colonel, the General took the weekend off. He stated that he was going to go to his fishing cabin to catch fish of –to my personal opinion- an unnatural size and won't be back until Monday morning, therefore-…Colonel, are you still there?"
"Yes…yes. Thank you for the information. In that case I will definitely phone on Monday again."
"Are you sure I can't take a message?"
"No, thank you. It is kind of private. I would rather prefer to speak to the General directly."
"Can I mention to the General that you phone?"
"No! Yes. I mean I don't know. You know what…whatever you decide. I think I must go…in fact someone is on the other line. Goodbye for now, we will speak again on Monday."
The sound of a disconnected phone was heard.
"Goodbye Colonel Carter. Colonel?"
A soft inaudible mumble followed, before the line went completely dead.
XXX
Monday, 08H00
"General O'Neill's office."
"Hi, this is Colonel Carter. Can I please speak to General O'Neill?"
"Uh…Colonel Carter?"
"Yes?"
"I mentioned to the General this morning that you phoned on Saturday and he left a message for you."
"Oh…okay? Can I maybe speak to the General first? It is kinda urgent."
"I am sorry Colonel, but the General insisted that I give you the message first and besides he is going to be in meetings for the whole day anyway."
"Fine, I guess. Can I then maybe have the message?"
"No problem. Just give me a few seconds…"
The sound of papers rustling was heard for some time.
"Mrs Cooper? Mrs Cooper I don't have all day. It will be appreciated if I can have that message within this same millennia."
"Got it! Colonel, I apologized that you had to wait. I accidentally tucked it underneath a couple of reports the General gave me this morning. By the way you won't believe the type of information he sometimes ask me to type out, the one day I even had to type out a fan letter to that company that is making the Simpsons-"
"Ah…that is very interesting, but can I please have that message now?"
A few moments of silence followed.
"Mrs Cooper?"
"Uh…yes. The General wrote it out himself and handed it to me this morning. He told me to read it to you exactly as is."
A few more moments of silence followed.
"Well!"
"Colonel, please realize that I am only doing as what was instructed to me by the General."
"Of course, now can I PLEASE have that message?"
A cough was heard, followed by a couple more.
"On this piece of paper – if you can call it paper, looks more like a serviette from a local pizza place – anyway…as I said before he told me to read it to you exactly as he as wrote it..."
Another cough was heard.
"Okay, here goes. To Carter: No. No way. No how. No. No and oh another thing…no. I am not canceling, you owe me and I intend to collect on Friday."
A long, long period of absolute heavy silence followed.
"Colonel Carter?"
A few additional seconds passed.
"Colonel Carter, are you still with me?"
A very soft, "Yes," was the only answer.
"Do you still wish to speak to the General? I can take a message if you so require?"
"Yes…uh no…uh I don't think so…I think I need to go…in fact someone is standing in my doorway, looking for me…(Daniel just give me a moment, I'm on the phone)…I…it was nice speaking to you Mrs Cooper."
The sound of a disconnected phone was heard.
"Goodbye Colonel Carter. Colonel?"
A soft, "This woman can really do with some classes in manners", followed before the line went completely dead.
XXX
Tuesday, 10H00
"General O'Neill's office."
"Hi, is General O'Neill available?"
"Yes, who may I say is phoning?"
"Colonel Samantha Carter."
"I am sorry Colonel, but the General stated that if you were to phone again I am to tell you that he is not available until Friday night."
"But…you just told me he is available?"
"I am sorry Colonel, but I got strict instructions that I am not to transfer you to his office under any circumstances. Oh…he also left a message that you must please wear something nice on Friday."
"So, what you are trying to tell me is that the General doesn't want to speak to me at all, therefore you won't transfer me to his office no matter what?"
"I am sorry Colonel, but I have my orders."
"Fine. Just fine!"
The sound of a disconnected phone was heard.
"Colonel Carter are you still there? Colonel? Colonel? Colonel?"
A soft, "Why I never!" followed before the line went completely dead.
XXX
Wednesday, 18H00
"General O'Neill's office."
"Yes…hi…is it possible that I can speak to the General O'Neill?"
"Not a problem, who may I say is phoning?"
"Uh…Co-Sarah O'Neill."
"Sorry…you said your name's Sarah O'Neill?"
"Yes, I am his…ex-wife. Now can you please transfer me to the General? I don't have all day."
"I am sorry, but I won't be able to transfer you."
"Why not? Is there a problem?"
"Well…according to the voice recognition software that the General had installed on my phone over the weekend you have just been identified as Colonel Samantha Carter and…hello?"
The sound of a disconnected phone was heard.
"Give me strength!" the secretary exclaimed before slamming the phone down on her side.
XXX
Thursday, 08H00
"General O'Neill's office."
"Good morning, this is Colonel Carter-"
"Colonel, I am sorry but-"
"I know, I know. You can't transfer me etc. etc. etc."
"In that case…if you don't mind me asking…why are you phoning?"
A sigh was heard.
"First of all I just want to apologize for yesterday. It is not like me to be deceitful like that, but I was desperate."
"Desperate? Desperate to speak to the General?"
"Yes. I really really REALLY need to speak to General O'Neill. Is there no way that you can help me?"
"I am sorry Colonel, I have my orders."
Please…I am willing to take all blame on me. I promise you won't get into trouble for this."
"I am sorry Colonel…I wish I can help you, but I have my orders."
A deep, frustrated sound was heard.
"Maybe you and I can come to some sort of an understanding? You know…one hand washes another?"
"Colonel, are you trying to bribe me?"
"What! No...NO…definitely not!"
"Then what was that just about?"
"I…I just really need to speak to the General. I need to cancel something before I make the biggest mistake of my life."
"Maybe if you tell me what it is all about I can help you?"
"I can't…it is personal, between him and me."
"I see... Colonel, you know that there is laws to protect women against sexual harassment in the workplace and-"
"What? What are you talking about?"
The secretary's voice suddenly went into conspiracy mode.
"Colonel, you don't need to carry this burden any longer. From your many, and may I say desperate, telephone calls it is clear what is going on and as one woman to another can I say you are not the first woman that had to carry this kind of horrific, totally unnecessary, burden-"
"What! Just a moment…it is not what you think it is and-"
"Don't worry about it Colonel Carter. I promise I won't talk about this to anyone, neither will I take this further unless you want to. I just want to say that I sympathize with what you are going through and to offer my support and maybe even a shoulder to cry on."
The sound of a disconnected phone was heard.
"Colonel Carter are you still there. Colonel? Colonel? Colonel?"
"What a strange, unmannered woman! Why's General O'Neill is even bothering to harass such a woman I will never know. Now a woman like me should be more to his taste…" the secretary murmured before putting the handset down on her side.
XXX
Friday morning, 2am
She woke up with a sudden start. For a few moments she laid quiet in her bed, unsure as to what it was that had awakened her and caused her heart to beat at a furious beat.
And then it hit her…
Pushing herself upright in her bed, she clutched a hand over her chest and murmured, "Oh god! I am going on a date tonight; I am going on a date with Jack O'Neill!"
Switching on her bedside lamp, she nearly fell out of bed in her haste to get to the closet where she normally stored all her 'best' clothes.
She stared at it for a few moments, her eyes growing bigger and bigger, before exclaiming in horror and frustration, "I have absolutely nothing to wear for tonight!" Looking down at her bare legs she added quickly, "And my legs need some serious waxing too!"