A/N - Thanks once again to all who have reviewed. The feedback is great. To The Abbott of Beregost – this is a longer chapter just for you and to Kate, yes it's "Cry" by Faith Hill. And to everyone who has told me that this is sad, yes you're right. The whole situation really is sad.
It was close to 9 o'clock when Sam once again checked her watch and looked around the bar. Daniel could easily see she was looking for someone although he could tell that she was trying to be as surreptitious as possible. He could guess who it was that she was trying to find and he once again cursed Jack for his selfishness. He couldn't believe that Jack would put his feelings before Sam's. He was supposed to be her friend. Daniel looked at the group Sam was talking to, a group of cops from Denver he presumed as he didn't recognize any of them. She was smiling at them although he could see it was an act. He saw her glance towards the door and as if a switch had been flipped, her eyes lit up. Daniel turned to see where she was looking and there stood Jack, just inside the door, staring at Sam.
He was out of uniform dressed simply in jeans and a dark sweater that set off his deep brown eyes and made him look younger than a General should. He was obviously taking in Sam's appearance. She looked stunning in a little black dress that fell just above the knee. It had a demur neckline that showed just enough to give any man food for thought. Jack noted for the millionth time what a truly beautiful woman Sam was. He sighed remembering that she was once and for all off limits to him. Daniel noticed Jack's sigh and the sadness on his face and went to him with a beer in his hand.
Over the next twenty minutes Jack acted as the perfect C.O. doing the rounds of the room, careful to say hello to all of the SGC personnel in attendance. He did a great job of avoiding Sam and Pete until he literally bumped into then while walking backwards trying to escape from Dr. Felger. Jack turned and unwittingly found himself staring into Sam's eyes. They locked and the intensity of what Sam saw made her catch her breath. She quickly looked away as Pete reached out and shook Jack's hand with a smug grin. Jack in return congratulated the smaller man on his engagement. Sam noticed that he didn't congratulate her. The thought occurred to her once again that he no longer cared about her or her happiness and she turned away so that he couldn't see the look of hurt on her face. Pete and Jack made small talk for a few more minutes, a feat in itself for Jack considering his fundamental dislike of the man. Congratulating Pete once again, Jack turned and walked purposefully towards the bar.
He ordered a whiskey with a beer chaser from Joe, the barman whom he had known for many years. Joe knew Jack well and would have been an idiot not to know his feelings for Sam. He had been appalled to discover that his boss had agreed to hold the party there but he was told that they weren't going to turn down a big money earner simply because it might hurt one regular's feelings. Joe put Jack's order on the bar with an encouraging smile and Jack grinned sheepishly back knowing the man meant well. It wasn't his fault that Sam had chosen to marry someone else. As Jack turned away from the bar, with his whiskey in his hand, he noticed that people had started to gather in pairs on the dance floor.
The music was slow and he searched the floor trying to convince himself that he wasn't looking for anyone in particular. As it happened he found Daniel dancing close to a very pretty nurse with titian hair. They were laughing together and the petite woman was smiling like a teenager up at the archaeologist. She reminded Jack a little of Janet and in that moment he wished that the "Napoleonic power mongerer" was still with them. He was sure that she would have talked Sam out of marrying Pete, persuading her that he wasn't the man for her. 'Who the hell does a background check on his own girlfriend?' Jack thought. He took another slug of the liquor and tried to push the thoughts away reminding himself that Sam had made her choice and she had chosen Pete. She definitely had not chosen him.
On the dance floor he noted many SGC couples, both military and civilian, and he envied them. He envied the fact that they were able to show their affection in public and no one cared. When he looked closer he saw that some of the couples who were dancing were in each others direct chain of command such as Hailey dancing with her C.O., Major Higgins, but instead of worrying about the frat regs, he envied them. Envied that they were comfortable enough to dance together in front of half of the SGC as C.O. and subordinate. He and Carter had never managed to find that comfortable balance, maybe because they thought that if they did, they would get so comfortable that they would cross the line. He watched as Hailey looked up at Higgins and laughed. There was no passion there, just a friendship born from fighting beside each other day after day.
That was the difference. Up until recently if Carter and he had danced together and looked up at each other, a blind man would have seen the unspoken words of love and devotion.
But not anymore!