A/n: I'm sorry if this isn't precisely how the promotion happened; I haven't seen the episodes yet. Major Season 8 and maybe 9 spoilers. Some reference to "100 Days," "Solitudes," and "Lost City part 2." (Disclaimer: I don't own stargate or anything related…).
It was dark when SG-1 embarked for the stargate.
"Sir, I meant everything I said earlier, I mean I wasn't infected by the 'contagion,' but I still meant it."
"Carter, I know you did. I meant it too."
And so that was the end of it. They couldn't go any further. A sad revelation, but vital to everything else's existence. Daniel reached the gate first and dialed in. Once the wormhole was established and IDC was recognized, they walked through.
On the walk to the stargate, Teal'c and Daniel had kept their distance between themselves and Sam and Jack. They may have unresolved issues to deal with, but nothing happened, just an exchange of understanding. There were always quick glances here and there, and brushing of arms and blushing, but that was the extent of 'resolving issues.' The hug in the cabin would tide them over for a while, but something was going to happen that could change all relationships. Before they went through the gate from P3X-561, Jack spoke: "Guys, this never happened. It wasn't a mission so there won't be a report. Nothing, nada, zip, zilch, understood?" They all nodded. "Wait, what about Walter?"
"He'll do as he's told; he won't say a word. Like you said, they love me too much."
"I never said anything of that sort, I said respect, not love. There is a difference."
They stepped through the gate and vanished.
A FEW WEEKS LATER…the red phone rang in General O'Neill's office. "Yes, Mr. President?"
"Yes, General O'Neill, how are you?"
"I'm fine sir, how are you? And what can I do to help you?"
"Oh, well, I'm fine. I'd like to promote you, sort of."
"Oh, sir, what do you mean?"
"Well, General Hammond was in charge of Homeworld Security as you know, and he retired recently, and I need a replacement; who better to do the job than you."
"Oh, sir, but who will run SGC?"
"Well, I'll give you a week to put things in order and assign your replacement. How about it son?"
"Well, sir, I don't believe I have any say in this matter"
"No sir you don't." They both chuckled slightly.
"That's what I thought. Thank you sir, I look forward to seeing you soon."
"Good bye and good luck."
"Goodbye." It clicked and then the dial tone rang into Jack's ear. He couldn't put the phone down and he couldn't believe what just happened. Jack was shocked, happy, angry, and sad at the same time. First of all, because he had no say in it whatsoever and it was just sprang on him; second of all, he hated the bureaucracy and being anywhere involved in politics; third of all, he would lose any chance of getting some action off world, being near the magnificent event horizon, and most importantly near Sam.
"Damn George. Why did you have to retire now! For crying out loud. Who's gonna replace me? How is the base going to react? How am I supposed to react? Happy and sad cause I'm leaving? Crap!" Thankfully, the door to his office was shut so no one could hear the screaming. He didn't know what to do, but he had to face the music some time, which in this case, meant his team. How are they going to handle this; are they going to hate me or congratulate me? How will Sam feel? I hope she doesn't think I've abandoned her or worse. Maybe at least from Washington, and not in direct chain of command...this could finally be our break. He thought while walking to Daniel's lab. When he got there, Teal'c and Sam were there as well, working on some translations on a doohickey. They finally noticed him after a few seconds.
"Oh hey sir." Sam said. "We were just helping Daniel with some translations, what do you need?"
"Um, for this, you all might want to sit down or something." No one really moved; they just found a place to steady themselves. Jack's hands were fidgeting in their respective pockets, which was a sure sign of nervousness. "I don't know how to break this to you, but General Hammond resigned."
"That's great Jack." Daniel said cheerily. "What's so bad about that?"
"Well, he was in charge of Homeworld Security and now he's retired…the President wants me to take his place." Jack surveyed his friends' reactions.
"Congratulations O'Neill; this is good news." Teal'c said with a slight smile. There was obvious hesitancy from each person. Daniel was next to speak up, "Well, that's great news Jack. Congrats, how do you feel?"
"Um, well, surprised. 'Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get,' surprised. Many mixed emotions. Coconut, cherry filled, nuts? Oh hell, I don't know how I'm suppose to feel." Jack spewed one of his random insane cracks that no one knew how to respond to, but Sam broke the silence. "That's great that you're getting promoted; when do you leave?"
"In a week." He said sullenly.
"Wow, that's short notice. Don't take this the wrong way, but who's going to replace you? Shouldn't the President know we need you more than ever now?" She said getting a little emotional, and started fidgeting around with her fingers looking seemingly very interested in the artifact she was holding. She had to keep herself from asking a million questions at once. She would do that later without the suspicious glares of her friends.
A FEW HOURS LATER…Sam sat in the commissary to eat some blue jell-o, which always soothed her soul. Even though blue was the color that helped people lose their appetites, it also meant loyalty. Come to think of it, there were many layers to the color blue. The loyalty the blue represented of Sam towards her jell-o, the Air Force, her team, and the world she fought for. It also reminded Sam of how hot Jack looked in his dress blues, and the sky that would never be the same to them again. She slowly and silently ate her blue jell-o, pondering these things. Jack walked over calmly and sat down across from her. This was their custom, which now may be one of their last chances to do so.
"Carter." He started.
"Sir." Sam replied. Even though it was the military way of things, there was a sentimental value to how they each said it to each other. During those last few days, those words were not taken for granted. "I just wanted to say that I truly am happy for you, even though I know you hate that kind of stuff. After all, it's still a promotion. I also wanted to say that I'm going to miss you a lot. It might be a little too sentimental, but it's the truth. I'm going to miss the late nights off world, the nights when you nearly have to drag me out of the base, and when you come by to mess around my lab and annoy me to no end; I'm really going to miss you." Sam said with a sad smile.
"You don't think I'm abandoning you guys or hate me for leaving?"
"No, absolutely not. You had no choice. Besides, I think you'll do great things in Washington. You can keep the stargate program running and keep morons like Kinsey from interfering. That's the most important thing. I realize I would be selfish to want you to stay, but just know that you'll always have a place in my heart, no matter what."
"Sam, that just really helped me know you're going to be ok. I mean, I know you're as reluctant as I am about this, but that was reassuring. I'll think of you everyday and maybe if I'm lucky, since we won't be in the same chain of command anymore, maybe we could try out a relationship for size." Jack said shyly.
"That would be great, sir." They ate in comfortable silence for a while.
On the last day before Jack officially had to leave, a ceremony was held at 0800 with a tiny party to celebrate afterwards. It was a sad goodbye for all, but joyful for appearances. Sam knew it would be a difficult change, and she would lock herself in her lab for a while; that was just her process. At least it wasn't like the other times when she faced not knowing where he was stranded on some planet or frozen by ancient technology. This would be different, but knowing he was always going to be safe was good enough for her. Unless, being the O'Neil way, to have survived alien attacks, but got careless and didn't look both ways before crossing, got run over by some car. (Knock on wood). The possibility of finally pursuing a relationship was also pending and remembering the times when they've shared 'moments' kept her going when she felt like she was about to die inside. Daniel and Teal'c, of course tried to help, but knew that they couldn't possibly imagine the same heartache of a woman's soul. They all shared a loss in one way or another, but Sam's was just so much more personal. But one thing, the boys surely didn't know was the message Sam had sent to Jack before he left. In haste, he didn't read it, but he would receive it hours later in his new office. He had just been given the tour and already had massive paper work to deal with. When he opened his email, there was the message from Sam:
Dear Jack, (He could almost hear her speaking).
I know this won't be our last goodbye, but it's still hard to face. I haven't had the courage to say this, but I love you, always have and forever will. I wanted to hug you one last time, but couldn't bring myself to do it, cause if I did, I would never want to let go. I just wanted to say that and I hope you will be happy in Washington. We'll miss you. Daniel and Teal'c are already trying to cheer me up with blue jell-o. I started eating vanilla cake, kind of silly but in memory of your wacky yet brilliant ways. I can't find the words to finish this so I'll send you a song. Click on the URL; I hope you like it.
Jack clicked it and a song started to play. He listened carefully to the words:
Take the wave now, and know that you're freeTurn your back on the land; face the sea
Face the wind now so wild and so strong
When you think of me, wave to me, and send me a song
Don't look back when you reach the new shore
Don't forget what you're leaving me for
Don't forget when you're missing me so
Love must never hold, never hold tight, but let go
Oh, the nights will be long, when I'm not in your arms
But I'll be in this song that you sing to me across the sea
Somehow, someday
You will be far away, so far from me
And maybe one day, I will follow you in all you do
Till then, send me a song
When the sun sets the water on fire
When the wind swells, the sails will go higher
Let the call of the bird on the wind
Calm your sadness and loneliness and then start to sing to me
I will sing to you, if you promise to send me a song
I walk by the shore and I hear
Hear your song come so faint and so clear
And I catch it, a breath on the wind, and I smile and I sing you a song
I will send you a song…
I will sing you a sing, I will sing to you,
If you promise to send me a song…
Goodbye for now Jack. Don't be a stranger; send me a song.
Love,
Your Carter.
A/n: Well, this is the end my friends. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm sorry it's a sad ending, but that's the reality of it. I must also say that I do not mean to undermine Walter Harriman, the chevron guy, he's very important, but when all is said and done, he follows orders…so sorry if it offended anyone. And one last thing, the song is called "Send Me A Song." It's very hard to find the actual lyrics to this song, so sorry if I had something wrong. You can find it on the Celtic Woman CD sung by Lisa Kelly. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day. Ps…if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, send me a message, lol. Laterz!