Here as promised another story for you to enjoy.
None but the Brave Deserve the Fair.
By Lingren.
Category: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance.
Warnings: Maybe a tissue or two.
Pairings: Jack/Sam.
Season: 7
Spoilers: Divide & Conquer, 48 Hours, Grace, Chimera.
Summary: SG-1 learn that their newest off-world friends are in need of assistance. Jack and his team do their best to save the lives of the townsfolk and in particular, Jack risks everything to save a group of children.
Author's Notes: Gladys Aylward was a British Missionary who rescued over 100 Chinese children from behind the Japanese lines in China during the conflict in 1938. As loosely portrayed in the film…The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, starring Ingrid Bergman.
NONE BUT THE BRAVE DESERVES THE FAIR.
by Lingren.
'Give it up Jack, you don't have a snowball in hell's chance,' Jack told himself severely. 'She's already spoken for,' he sighed. 'She has Pete now, so stop it! Concentrate on the de-briefing.'
Despite the self-censure, Colonel Jack O'Neill continued to study the bright blue eyes and animated features of Sam Carter across the briefing room table, completely oblivious to the words she was uttering.
"Well done SG-1. I'll expect your reports on my desk tomorrow by 1200hrs," General Hammond commented, recalling Jack to his senses when he asked him a question. "Colonel...anything to add?"
"Uh...No sir," Jack's focus snapped back to the meeting. "What can I say that Carter hasn't already covered General. We said 'Hi', they said 'Welcome'. After that we talked a lot, and now we're friends. I don't think you need me to expand on that. I have every confidence in the Major's ability to lay all the relevant facts before you General," he answered blithely, waving a languid hand around in Sam's direction whilst smiling broadly.
General Hammond tried hard not to smirk, and covered the slight twitch of his lips by turning to address Sam again.
"And that's everything they wanted?"
"Yes sir. They said they merely wished for a few medicines in exchange for the privilege to mine in the hills. General, the Abbarrians are good people. We've never met such kind and generous hosts before. We were all overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness towards us. They wished only to please," she enthused. "They literally welcomed us with open arms sir."
Jack was lost again. Her voice had a way of reaching into his very soul. He could listen to that cadence all day long and never grow tired of it...with the exception that he didn't understand half of what she spouted, but that was neither here nor there. To hear her dulcet tones was enough for him, and it was all he was ever likely to get from her too from now on.
She'd been dating Pete for a while, appearing to be quite fond of him and so that should be the end of the story as far as his chances went. Obviously she had cast aside her unspoken feelings of affection for him in favour of the younger man. The implication had stung; she'd denied it of course, but there it was. The hard reality of the age difference and his unavailability, hitting him full force like a well aimed punch, and it had floored him. He brushed off the unwelcome thoughts that nagged at his insides, saying that she was too young for him anyway, so he went back to his more pleasant dreams. Even if nothing could ever come of them.
The General's next words snapped him to attention again.
"Colonel? You okay?"
Jack blinked a few times, then scrubbed his hands across his face, trying to gather his thoughts together. He found the General's worried grey eyes pinning him to his seat. He blushed a little under their steady gaze.
"Sorry sir. Just tired I guess," he apologised, pushing himself back upright in his chair after finding he'd slipped down into a slouch. Had he actually fallen asleep? Judging by the wide grins and laughing eyes from the other side of the table he reckoned he must have really lost it for a moment or two.
"In that case SG-1, take the rest of the day off to get some well earned rest. Dismissed."
Jack and Sam both stood out of respect as the General retreated to his office. Daniel gathered up his papers and shot out of the door, obviously having something on his mind, and Teal'c being the ever tactful soul that he was, discreetly left the others to talk in private. Sam glanced across at Jack as he gathered up his notes into a neat pile, still flushed a little at having been caught napping?...well day-dreaming really. He felt her presence remaining near him and he looked up to meet with her laughing blue eyes across the table.
"What?" he asked a little tersely, finding her amusement at his expense a little misplaced. He really was tired, his irritability showing that he was certainly not at his best right now. Add to the fact that he'd been caught 'dozing' during the de-briefing and by the General no less, just confounded his temper. It had been a long three weeks of negotiations and hard work, albeit pleasurable. The fact that the People of Abbarria were warm and friendly had gone a long way to help him through the ordeal of playing the diplomat, which was certainly not his strongest point; but right now he needed a decent night's sleep. Abbarrian nights were incredibly short and the days long, and it had played havoc with his sleep cycle. If he was still back on Abbarria at this minute he'd be asleep, but right now he felt like he'd been on a long haul flight and was suffering from a severe case of jet-lag.
Sam did her best to ignore the harsh tone of his words as she explained herself.
"I've never known you to be so tired that you've actually nodded off before sir, even when listening to Daniel prattle on," she grinned.
He shrugged with nonchalance.
"I need a break Carter. I need to get out of..." he waved a hand around the room. "... here for a while! And I am tired. You folks are a lot younger than I am and it's times like this that's its beginning to notice," he replied testily, feeling every one of his 50 odd years.
"That's rubbish sir and you know it. You're fitter than Daniel considering your age..." her voice trailed off with embarrassment when she realised what she had said. "I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean it like that," she blustered.
"Gee...thank you Carter. That just made me feel a whole load better. Maybe I should retire now before it's too late," he countered caustically, unable to drag himself from the depths of his foul mood, even for her.
"No sir. As I said. You're fitter than anyone I know, and a darn sight stronger than a lot of the other troops around here too. Your age has nothing to do with it!"
"No?" Jack looked round the room, making sure that they were alone before he added somewhat snidely. "Pete's younger. Give you a good ride for your money does he?"
The minute he'd uttered the words he regretted them. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole, but it didn't. He hadn't meant to voice the unbidden thoughts that suddenly popped into his head. 'God,' he thought, 'I must be really tired if I actually thought that let alone said it out loud! What the hell was I thinking of?'
Sam's face was as black as thunder. She glared daggers at him and he thanked god that the table was between them and that she wasn't armed, because it was quite possible that he'd be dead by now. He waved his arms defensively in front of him to ward off her anger.
"Oh god...I'm sorry Carter. I never meant to say that. Forget it. Please!" he begged, knowing she had every right to be furious with him. "I am so damn tired, I'm just not thinking straight," he pleaded as his excuse. "I'm really sorry! I was way out of line there!"
Sam's temper simmered just below the boiling point, fighting the impulse within herself to stop her hand from reaching across the gulf to slap his face. Instead she silently spun round on her heel and headed for the door before he could witness her break down in tears. 'Was it only minutes ago he was eyeing me with something deeper than mere friendship smouldering in those dark eyes?' she wondered. 'How had their conversation gotten so way out of hand, and so damn quickly? I thought we were still friends.'
Just as she reached for the door handle, Jack's own hand was on it, preventing her from leaving. 'He must have moved like greased lightning to reach it first,' she thought, and couldn't help a tiny inward smile at the irony of it, considering the way the topic under discussion had turned to his age.
His other hand snagged her arm desperately trying to stop her from turning towards the control room stairs and escaping from him that way.
"Sam, please! It was very rude of me, and totally uncalled for. God! I ought to be flogged for saying that. Don't let my stupid ass comment come between us, I didn't mean it, honestly Sam!" he pleaded, trying to apologise.
When she didn't acknowledge his words he continued after a deep breath, dropping his hands from her arm and the door to spread them wide in exasperation. "Okay! Go ahead, hit me if you want; I damn well deserve it and I won't report it if you want to retaliate. You're well within your rights if that's what you want. You can tell Hammond if you wish; take it further, I'm ready to face any actions you see fit to impose on me." His head arched back as he gazed up at the ceiling with a sigh of frustration and anger with himself. "Look Sam, I really am sorry." 'God! I am such a bastard!' he groaned softly.
A sniffle escaped before Sam could stop it and he quickly dropped his eyes to her downcast face. He lifted her chin to look into her tearstained face so full of misery and he knew he'd hurt her deeply. Her desperate need to weep too strong to hold back now and she pulled away from his touch, hanging her head again, half afraid it would disgust him and he would think her weak. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.
Jack released her chin and sucked in another agonised deep sigh.
"Don't bother Carter. I'll tell him myself!" he snapped, beyond angry with himself.
He made to move away, towards the General's office, but then felt her fingers lightly touch his arm. He stopped where he was, but didn't look back, his eyes now glued to the floor.
"No! Sir...Jack...please! Don't. I'm sorry. I should never have said that to you in the first place," she pleaded. "I never meant to upset you. I mean...I never realised how sensitive you were about your...age."
"My age doesn't bother me Carter. It's...what it signifies to 'others' that does. According to some of the top brass, I should have been put out to pasture a long time ago. I'm on borrowed time here."
Sam didn't know what to say to that. In her logical brain, she knew this to be true. Many times now, those in higher authority had tried to get him to retire, using several different tactics, either by foul deeds, personal prejudices or from his own records of insubordination, but he'd adamantly refused to be brow-beaten into giving up this most worthwhile of jobs, and Hammond had fought tooth and nail to keep him exactly where he was.
Long moments dragged by in the ensuing silence.
Jack needed go home, desperately. He glanced across at the clock on the wall. Time was marching onwards toward 1700hrs. At this rate, he may as well have stayed in his office and gone home at the normal time. Another hour wouldn't have made that much difference to his aching weariness. He just wanted out of this conversation. If they didn't drop it soon, then someone was going to get really hurt; and not in the physical sense of the word either.
TBC