Chapter Thirteen

AN: I shall be taking a short break on this story for about four weeks because of school. Cos this is the most arduous term and everything counts I really need to keep focused. But never fear, I shall be back to put everything right again!

The song that everyone has been asking about is called "You don't see me" from the Soundtrack of Josie and the Pussycats and it's a wonderful song isn't it?

Just so you know, I don't condone Jack's actions, but it's the type of thing Jack would do so I put it in there; drinking alcohol to help you forget your problems is never the way.

Thank you so much everyone for all of the wonderful reviews and comments I have received during this story, for once I'm glad I've made some people cry!

A man entered the dark house. He shut the door and turned on the light in the hallway, illuminating his lined face, beaten down with sorrow and anguish and tiredness.

His tiredness took him to the living room where he sat on the couch.

The man just sat there. He didn't move, just sat there, all his strength had left him; he couldn't even lift himself up to get a drink from the fridge. He just sat in the dark living room. Alone.

Alone like he had been for the past ten years. Alone like he had been when his son had died.

And like he had done that time, he cried.

Jack O'Neill sat on the couch and cried.

There are many different reasons and kinds of crying. Crying from happiness and joy, crying for the death of a loved one, crying because of a firm passionate belief, some may even cry for other people's losses. But Jack O'Neill was only crying for himself. For what he had lost. Crying quietly but heavily, only stopping to take a few gasping breaths, finding his chest tightening as he sobbed into the nearby pillow, thinking of how unmanly it was. A sudden thought came to mind of 'Charlie' who came from the Reetou.

"Mother says the boys of your culture do not cry."

Jack thought of the 'official list of reasons' why it was a good thing.

No. 7 - When you're 'saying goodbye to a new or old friend'

No. 6 - 'Mum says she's leaving in a couple of days

No. 5 - 'Mum leaving immediately'

No. 4 – 'Mum already left'

No. 3 – Mum is really sick

No. 2 – Mum dies

No. 1 –The woman you love more than anything in the universe gets married to someone else.
Okay so maybe No. 1 and 2 could be combined. Both were pretty bad.

The aching pain in Jack's chest grew tighter and he stood up and walked to the fridge, finally giving into the 'devil drink' that would be able to harden him up… or make him even worse.

Jack flopped back onto the couch with three cans of beer in his hand. After placing the other two on the coffee table he opened the first can with a hiss. There was a look of disgust on his face as he saw himself on the mirror on the opposite wall. All he saw was a man who was ruined and about to drown himself with alcohol. He didn't like what he saw.

Was this the man he had become? A man utterly defeated by a woman?

Well Sam Carter wasn't just any woman. She was the best woman he knew.

Man how did Pete get to be so lucky! Jack had saved the world countless times, killed countless Gou'ald; Pete had only shot a couple of bad guys who were really no threat to the galaxy at all. And this was his reward!

He took a sip of his beer, letting the bitter liquid slide down his throat gratifyingly.

He had lasted that whole damn wedding without a single drop of alcohol; only bloody orange juice and coke. But he had done it; he had drunk, he hadn't made a fool out of himself or embarrassed Sam; it was the only thing he had success in.

Jack gave a heavy sigh and flicked on the T.V., hoping to find some solace in his favourite Simpson's episode; The Springfield Files.

HOMER: Don't worry, I have a plan. I saw this in a movie about a bus that had to speed around the city, keeping it's speed over fifty. And if it's speed dropped, it would explode. I think it was called "The Bus That Couldn't Slow Down". First, I hook this common VCR into the security camera system like so. Then I insert this old video tape of us working, on a continuous loop.

Jack sat and stared at the screen, not really seeing anything. Even his favourite line, the one that made him laugh the most, because it sounded like a smart Carter thing crossed with a sarcastic O'Neill thing and it was coming from Homer, didn't even cause a blink.

But it was the only thing besides the beer that could dull his mind a bit to the vivid mental images of Samantha Shanahan in her wedding dress and Sam Carter kissing him in the gate room, and replace it with the bright colours of yellow and blue of Marge Simpson.

This was the way Jack O'Neill ended up on the morning after Samantha's wedding; sprawled on the couch, only six empty beer cans scattered around his sleeping body and the Simpson's DVD menu playing over and over again.

OOOOO

That was the way Daniel Jackson found him that afternoon, nearly twenty-four hours after the wedding started; Daniel gave him a pitying look and turned the T.V. off, picked up the cans and put them in the bin and tapped Jack on the shoulder.

Jack gave a groan and stretched out on the couch. He blinked a bit and then opened his eyes seeing a blurry figure of Daniel.

'Wassup, Daniel?' He asked, yawing as he sat up.

Daniel took a seat next to him. 'I just came to see how you're doing. You took off like a rocket last night.' Daniel had agreed not to come back to Jack's house. He knew he wanted to be by himself so nobody could see him in his 'time of weakness.' He knew Jack would be all right and would not do anything completely silly. All things considered, Daniel was surprised he only drunk six cans.

'Yeah well…' Jack looked away grimly, the memories of last night, painfully rushing back to his already throbbing head.

'Er, what's the time?'

'It's four o-clock.'

Jack's face turned sombre. 'Then that means it's already been nearly twenty-four hours since Carter said 'I do'…. Woah, twenty-fours already. I am so glad I slept through most of them.'

Daniel just stared at him.

'What are you looking at! Have I mutated into an Unas or something!

End of Chapter Thirteen

AN: And that is where the thread stopped. No inspiration to right anymore for this chapter. I'm actually surprised I wrote as much on this bit as I did. I'm very pleased and I hope you are too. (Hint: Review)

So, who wants to find out what Jack gave Sam as her wedding present!

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