Correct version now uploaded - I swear my computer has a mind of its own!
Major General Jack O'Neill.
As that round-headed kid from the Peanuts strip would say: "Good grief."
I just wish Dad could've been here to see this - he would've had kittens at the notion. I sniggered softly, picturing the interaction between the two Major Generals, then sighed. I missed him so much.
"Hey, Carter!"
That was my former CO's dulcet tones. I turned to see Jack striding over to me, accompanied by ... Oh, Good Lord ... President Henry Hayes and a contingent of Secret Service men. I got up hastily and saluted, glad that I'd chosen not to go civilian today, although I'd been given that option. "Mister President," I said properly, standing to attention.
Jack gave me a wicked grin. "At ease, Carter, before ya break something," he advised. He turned to the older man. "Mister President; allow me to present Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, currently based in R&D at Area 51."
President Hayes took my hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you properly, Colonel," he said. "I've heard a lot about you from Jack here."
I gave Jack a wary look. "Yes, sir?" I asked cautiously.
The President smiled broadly. "All very good, Colonel; I assure you," he said easily. "Well, I'd better keep moving - Michael and the boys get nervous if I stay in one place too long."
"Yes, sir," I said, still standing crisply to attention.
The President offered Jack his hand. "And as for you; do a good job or George and I will kick your butt!" he said.
Jack broke into a helpless grin - it was evident he liked our Commander in Chief a lot. "Yes, sir," he said.
The President walked off, humming something. "Was that ...?" I queried.
"Yep," Jack said, still grinning. "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General. Gilbert and Sullivan." He turned to face me. "You gotta like his style," he offered.
I chuckled. "Yes, sir," I said, mindful of the fact that we were surrounded by brass.
Jack didn't seem to care, though. "Lookin' good, Carter," he said casually.
"Thanks, sir; you too," I said, reflecting that he looked more than 'good'. In those Class A's with a matching cap and dark glasses shielding his eyes from the bright sun, he looked lean, powerful and sexy as hell. I shivered slightly - damn, I could hardly wait for tonight!
I could just see the headlines: 'Horny Blonde Colonel Jumps Major General's Bones At Pinning Ceremony'. It was pretty much what I wanted to do, but in a much more private location.
Now that the pomp and circumstance was out of the way, Daniel and Teal'c came to join us.
"Hi-ho; the gang's all here," Jack mumbled with a roll of his eyes, but he didn't fool me. I knew he was pleased they were here. It had only been a couple of weeks since he'd left the SGC, but we both knew that this could be the last time for a very long time that we were all together.
"Yeah; good to see you too, Jack," Daniel commented with a near-identical eye roll.
"It's good to see you again, O'Neill," Teal'c said, extending his hand to clasp Jack's forearm.
Jack grinned. "Back atcha, big guy. So ... how're things back home? And Ishta?"
Teal'c paused thoughtfully - he spoke little, so when he did it always came out sounding profound. "It is ... different," he decided. "But Ishta does not change."
Another argument to peel the paint off the walls, I surmised from that comment. The two Jaffa were both strong-willed and passionate - leading to some world-shaking clashes.
Jack smirked. "And you wouldn't have it any other way, T," he said.
Now Teal'c smiled. "I would not," he agreed. "I'm proud of what she's achieved in the face of so much opposition."
I excused myself and headed off to the restroom.
Nearly forty years old, and Daniel still couldn't drink worth a damn. "Night, Jack, Sam!" he slurred happily, giving me a big sloppy kiss on my forehead and nearly strangling Jack with a hug.
"Christ!" Jack grumbled, scowling but patting the linguist's back. "Easy there, big guy," he added.
Thankfully he had the ever-vigilant Teal'c to pour him into a cab. The man himself clasped Jack's forearm. "Tek matté, O'Neill," he said.
"Tek ma'tek," Jack returned, sounding relieved. I know he cared a lot about Daniel, but he was sometimes irritated by his exuberance. Teal'c's dignified departure was much more to his taste than big hugs.
For all he was so damn good at hugging, Jack was a very private man, and was not a social hugger. Neither was I, so I could sympathize. I didn't get the thing people had for hugging at the drop of a hat.
After that wonderful meal, we went over to Jack's settee, where Asha promptly draped herself around Jack's neck and went to sleep. "She's so weird," Jack mumbled, but stroked the small furry body nonetheless.
"And you wouldn't have her any other way," I teased. "You're just a big softy under that hard-ass General exterior."
"Hey, watch it," he said lazily. "I am a Major General now, and you are the lowly Lieutenant Colonel. Show some respect."
"Uh-huh." I snorted inelegantly and sipped the coffee he'd made to accompany the sweet rich Death By Chocolate cake he'd procured for dessert. I eyed the cake, debating. Oh, I just had to! I got the knife and cut myself a slice of the sinful confection, brought a forkful to my lips and swallowed.
"Oh, God ...," I moaned, closing my eyes, "this is just too damn good." I opened my eyes and regarded Jack, who was staring at me with a peculiar intensity. "Don't try and kid me you made this!" I added.
"Nope," he admitted. "Baking's not my forte. That came from Janice."
"Janice?"
"A-ah, Carter! Is that jealousy in your tone?" he teased, tsking at me. "For shame." Then he relented. "Janice Myers - forty six years old, five nothing, plump, four kids, husband, and executive assistant to one ornery old Major General." He shrugged his shoulders. "She seems to think I need spoiling."
"Ah." I took another forkful of the cake and moaned once more. "God ... I think I'd marry this cake!"
"It's really that good?" He eyed me again with that peculiar intensity.
"Oh, yeah ...," I sighed and offered him a forkful.
He leaned over and captured my lips with his, nibbling at the crumbs on my lips, then stroking the rich dark chocolate off my tongue. My hands slid down to his chest and I sank into the embrace, my eyes closing.
After the kiss ended, Jack sat back and regarded me with a wicked twinkle in his eyes. "Yeah; pretty sweet, Sam," he said.
I ran my tongue over my now swollen lips. "Uh-huh," I agreed. Where are the multi-syllables now, Doctor Carter?
He got up and plucked Asha off his shoulder, settling her on the settee. She squeaked indignantly then curled up into a ball and went back to sleep. Jack linked his hand with mine and drew me to my feet.
Then he drew me into another sweet kiss. This one became much more intense and he suddenly dipped me, forcing me to wrap my arms around him to prevent falling on my ass. Our bodies clung together and I quickly became aware of his arousal. Our lips separated with an audible pop (that was some suction we'd had!) and he brought me back upright. "You wanna take this to the bedroom?" he asked.
I smiled. "Yeah, sure, ya betcha!" I said.
Hand in hand, we went to the large bedroom. The room was oddly sterile, as if Jack hadn't been there long enough to stamp his personality on it yet, but there were signs of him. The small figurine of Homer Simpson on the night stand, a picture of Charlie on the other one, a hockey stick on the wall.
"Sam ...," he said suddenly. "You have to know how gorgeous and sexy you are. I just ..." - he chewed on his bottom lip - "I'm a lot older than you. I don't want to disappoint you."
"You won't," I said confidently, surprised at the man's lack of self-esteem. Although a modest, self-effacing man, I would never have thought that it ran so deep. "That dip told me everything I needed to know - I don't think stamina's going to be a problem." I put my hand to his cheek and brushed a whisper soft kiss onto his lips. "Besides, this isn't just about getting laid. You mean much more to me than that."
"Cool," he said. "And you're more than a quick lay to me too, Sam," he replied.
Suddenly he swooped and scooped me up into his arms. I shrieked and laughed. "Jack! Your knee!"
"Don't care," he grunted, striding quickly over to the bed and dumping me unceremoniously on it.
Oh, he wanted to play, did he? I could do that. And it was good to see that he seemed to have left his nerves behind. I wasn't used to a nervous Jack O'Neill.
"God ...," I muttered, rolling off of him to collapse next to him, my chest heaving from our most recent exertions.
"You good?" he said huskily.
I didn't even have to look at him to see the huge shit-eating grin he likely wore right now. "You even have to ask?" I put my hand on his sweat-damp chest and kissed him. "And don't ever again feed me that crap about being older than me."
I looked blearily over at the clock, and was shocked to see that we'd been making love for over four hours. Talk about stamina! And the man had technique too. "God, Jack ... incredible!" I kissed the pulse beating strong and steady in his neck. "Where did you learn such ... fantastic things?"
He kissed my forehead. "That's what you get for only dating unimaginative young studs," he teased, then sobered suddenly. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Sam," he added. "I've been with a lot of women - and I really enjoy sex. But with you ... it's making love. And that's only happened twice in my life before you."
Making love ...
"Sam; I'm crap with words, but ya hafta know ... I do love you," he said.
"I know," I said.
He was nonplused at that. "You ... do?"
"Yes," I said, running a hand idly along one of his strong biceps. Not as big as Teal'c's, but hard and powerful. "When you were so sweet with me back in the Springs ... I knew it then." I sighed and screwed up my courage. "And I love you too, Jack."
He grinned boyishly. "Cool," he pronounced, then looked down with a puzzled air.
I looked down also. "Uh ... what's that about?" I asked.
"I have no idea," he said. "But let's enjoy it while it lasts, huh?" He scooped me tightly against his powerful frame and I lost myself in the sight, sounds, smell and passion of Jack O'Neill once more.
I can't write full-on sex scenes - they make me feel icky. So I'll just leave this to your imaginations. Maybe yours are more fertile than mine!
Also, I don't know anything about the Pentagon, so I likely didn't get Janice's job title right.
