THROUGH THE YEARS
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a/n: This chapter jumps a lot. Hope it isn't confusing!
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Chapter 8: Timing is Everything
February 1984: Florida
"O'Neill, Woods, Burke! You three are ordered to report to the general's office." Major Johnson, the general's aide barked at the three men who were sitting in the commissary.
"Shit. What'd we do now?" Burke asked, looking at Jack and Woods.
"Don't know. But, we'd better not keep the man waiting." Jack told them, standing up with his empty tray.
The other two followed Jack's lead. A couple twists and turns down a few corridors and the three men were at the general's office. Jack knocked on the door and heard the age-old command. "Enter!"
The three men walked into the office and stood at attention in front of the general and the other two men in the room.
"At ease, men." The general announced. "I called the three of you here to introduce you to our Special Forces Officers, Lt. Colonel Landry and Major Cromwell. For some odd reason, they are interested in the three of you joining Special Forces, Colonel?"
Colonel Landry stood up and took over for the general. "Lieutenants! Myself and Major Cromwell have been watching you boys for several weeks now. O'Neill, your flight and combat skills are very impressive. You would make an excellent addition to our team. Woods, Burke, I've seen great things from the two of you also. But, above that, I've seen very impressive teamwork between the three of you. Teamwork is what gets it done. I would like you three to consider Special Forces. Four more weeks of intense training. We're the first to go in to hostile situations. If you're good enough, and don't get yourself killed, promotions come quickly. Hazard pay. Think about it, boys."
Woods and Burke exchanged glances, looked at Jack and then simultaneously announced, "I'm in!"
All eyes turned to O'Neill. 'Shit!' O'Neill thought. 'What did I just get myself into?' Jack knew the danger involved in Special Forces. He knew of the impossible missions special forces made possible. He knew all the risks involved, but even knowing them, the thought of sending Burke and Woods into danger without him was not something he could live with.
"O'Neill, your decision doesn't have to be made today." Landry told the man.
"That's okay, sir. I'm in." Jack replied.
"That's my boy!" Burke exclaimed, forgetting for a second he was in the general's office.
"Okay, men. Training will start on Monday. I'll see you three then." Landry finished and after saluting the general, the two Special Forces Officers made their way out of the office.
"Well boys, good luck. Dismissed!" The general said, a small, proud smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you, sir!" Chimed the lieutenants as they saluted and left the office.
O'Neill walked back to his quarters beside Burke and Woods, lost in his own thoughts. Special Forces was not something he had planned on. He was more interested in flying. Something about being off the earth, in the air, always pumped up his adrenaline and made him feel alive. He knew he would still have the opportunity to fly, but it wouldn't be as much as he had originally expected.
As he approached the door to his quarters, he wondered how his family and Sam would take the news of his new career path.
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April 1984
Jack walked into the briefing room where Cromwell, Burke and Woods were already waiting. "O'Neill, have a seat, we'll get started." Cromwell ordered as soon as Jack had shut the door.
Jack sat in the seat next to Woods and gave Cromwell his full attention.
"Okay, men. Here is the mission detail for our next little romp in Cuba. We leave on May 11th and depending on how well the mission goes, will be gone for a good 2-4 weeks."
Jack opened the folder in front of him and let out a small groan, too low for the major to hear. 'Damnit! I'm going to be gone during Sam's graduation.' He mentally grumbled. His heart sinking at the lost opportunity to see Sam.
Once the briefing was over, Jack headed off to the commissary with Woods and Burke. "So, O'Neill, what was with the groan over this mission?" Woods, who was sitting close enough to hear Jack, asked.
"Sam's graduation is the third week of May. I was planning on going. Now, I'm going to miss it." Jack grumbled to his friends.
"Well, if we get in and out, we might get back in time for you to make it." Woods said, trying to lighten Jack's mood.
"Yeah." Jack sighed, not at all convinced.
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April 1984: Ohio
"Europe."
"What?" Sam asked in surprise, she had no idea what Liz was getting on about.
"Europe! Sean and I are going to Europe after graduation."
"What?" Sam asked, even more surprised.
"We've both decided it's what we want to do. We've got money saved, plus we should get quite a bit for graduation.."
"Liz, are you serious? What about college? How long are you going to stay?"
"Yes, very serious. We're going to stay until we want to come home. Neither of us are in a hurry to do more school work." Liz told her friend as they sat on Sam's front porch.
"What about money? Just a plane ticket is a fortune. You'll both be broke before you know it!"
"What do you think, Sam? We haven't thought this through? We know what we're doing. We'll get jobs to make money. We're going to start in the UK and work our way down to Italy. Sean took two years of German and I dated that French foreign-exchange student, so we should be able to figure our way around. It's going to be great!" Liz exclaimed, obviously excited over her great new plan.
Sam gave her friend an 'I think your nuts!' expression. "Liz, didn't you say you didn't understand a word that boy said and that's why you liked him so much?"
"Well, yeah. But, after awhile I started understanding quite a bit of what he said, that's why I broke it off. All those lovely poetic words I thought were words of love, were really just him asking for more salt for his food."
Sam laughed, her friend was quite a character. "What did your parents say?"
"Oh well, they think we've lost our minds. But, you know how they are, they said we have to make our own paths in life."
"Well, then, I'll miss you." Sam said, looking at her best friend with sad eyes.
"I'll miss you, too. But, I promise to send postcards and letters and photographs. Oh, it's going to be great, Sam!"
Sam could see her friend's excitement and knew she was looking forward to this new adventure. Liz was so ecstatic, Sam was half-tempted to take off to Europe with her!
The next day, Sam headed over to the O'Neill house. She knew Mrs. O'Neill was the only one home. Mr. O'Neill was still at work. Liz and Sean were off together, the two of them had become extremely close the last few months. And, Kelly had started tutoring a couple of sixth graders in math.
Sam had been spending a lot of time with Mrs. O'Neill. She had, in many ways, become like a second mother for Sam. Always listening to her problems, always willing to offer advice when needed. Always showing Sam unconditional love. For some reason, this year of her life without her mother had been the worst yet. With graduation, her life taking off in new and unknown directions, Sam really missed her mom. But, Mrs. O'Neill had been there to help Sam whenever she needed it. And, Sam, without realizing it, had clung to Mrs. O'Neill like the woman was her life preserver.
Sam knocked on the front door.
"Come in, Samantha!" Maggie yelled from the front room.
Sam walked in and sat down on the couch across from Mrs. O'Neill and smiled at her.
Mrs. O'Neill was working on a patchwork quilt. Something she pulled out and worked on from time to time, using old fabric from her children's clothes, blankets, coats, everything. "So, I take it you heard about Liz and Sean's trip?"
"Yeah. I can't believe their just going to pack up and head to Europe for God knows how long?" Sam sighed.
"Yes, I must say, it wasn't what I expected. But, then again, with those two, you never really know what to expect.
Sam laughed. She knew exactly what Mrs. O'Neill was saying.
"Have you written your valedictorian speech yet?"
"No." Sam said, letting out a loud sigh. "I just don't know what to write. I've hardly even been at the high school this year. Maybe you should get someone else to do it?"
"Nonsense, child! You are the valedictorian. You've worked hard to get where you are. You deserve the honor and right to give that speech."
"But, what if I really don't want to?" Sam asked, showing her puppy-dog eyes to Maggie, knowing she was the one who could get Sam out of the speech.
"Too bad." Maggie told her, smirking. "Just relax, Sam. Your speech will be great. Just like you."
Sam smiled at the woman, giving up on getting out of the speech. "Maybe I can get Liz and Sean to help me. Maybe some other seniors, too." Sam's mind started whirling into action. With only having three classes this year, Sam was only at the high school in the morning. She would stay and have lunch each day with Liz and Sean and a few of their friends, then head off to Wright University until about 6:00 at night. She wasn't kidding when she said she hardly spent any time at the high school. But, maybe with some help and personal recollections from some of the other seniors, she could pull this speech off after all!
Sam and Mrs. O'Neill talked for quite a while until the phone shrieked from its position on the endtable and interrupted their conversation.
"Hello." Mrs. O'Neill said as she put the phone to her ear.
"Mom! Hey, how are you?" Jack's voice came across the line.
"Oh Jack! It's so good to hear from you, son." Mrs. O'Neill exclaimed.
Sam sat up a little more on the couch, listening intently to Mrs. O'Neill's end of the conversation.
"It's great to hear you, too, mom. Uh, I have some bad news, though. I'm not going to make it to the graduation. I just got stuck with another mission."
"Oh no! Oh, the kids are going to be crushed. That's too bad, son. We were so looking forward to seeing you!" Mrs. O'Neill announced over the phone line.
"I know, mom. I was looking forward to it, too. But, I really don't have a choice. I'm going to mail out the graduation presents I bought for Liz, Sean and Sam. Can you make sure they get them?" Jack asked.
"Of course, dear. Sam is here right now. Would you like to talk to her for a few minutes?" Maggie asked, raising her eyes to look at Sam.
"Uh, yeah. I would." Jack told his mom, his blood pumping quicker through his body at the mention of Sam's presence.
"Okay, dear, hold on." Maggie took the phone away from her ear and motioned for Sam to take her seat in her chair. "Here you go, sweetie. I'm going to go put this old quilt back up and start a pot of coffee for Mr. O'Neill, I'll be back in shortly." Maggie told Sam, handing her the phone.
Sam sat down in the chair and tentatively put the phone to her ear. "Hello." She said, in almost a whisper, excitement and nerves getting in the way of her voice.
"Sam! Hey, it's good to hear your voice." Jack said, his body warming up considerably.
"You, too. I've missed you, Jack." Sam said softly.
"I've missed you, too, Sam. I'm sorry, I can't make it to your graduation. I have a mission. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Jack." Sam told him. "I know how it is, remember?"
Jack laughed. "Yes, of course. How could I forget? You're an Air Force brat. I'm still sorry I can't make it……uh, I've been thinking of you a lot, Sam. Especially, recently, with these missions we've been going on. They're pretty intense."
Sam's heart stopped at the thought of Jack being in mortal danger. "What are you doing, Jack?"
"Uh, well, I was recruited into Special Ops about two months ago. This will be my third mission. Well, really my second. The first one was more of a practice mission."
"Special Ops?" Sam croaked, fear taking hold of her.
"Yeah. I know, it's not what I expected either, Sam. But, I'm good at it and Burke and Woods really wanted to do it and I couldn't leave them…." Jack rambled on, trying to explain himself to Sam.
"It's dangerous." Sam whispered.
"I know, Sam." Jack softly replied. "I'm careful. I'm always careful. I'm not going to die, Sam. Not yet."
"How do you know?"
"I just do. Trust me. You and I have a lot more ahead of us still." He whispered.
"Jack? You know I care a lot about you, don't you?" Sam asked in a whisper.
"Yes, Sam. I know. I care a lot about you, too. Don't ever forget that."
"Okay." Sam croaked out, just as Maggie came back into the front room. "Your mom's back, Jack, be careful, please." Sam pleaded in a broken voice.
"I promise, Sam." Jack told her before Sam handed the phone back to his mom.
Sam excused herself and used the bathroom while Mrs. O'Neill finished her conversation with Jack. Sam needed some time alone. She needed to calm herself down and of course, to blow her nose! She had been looking forward to seeing Jack, so disappointment did take a good hold of her. But, she was even more worried about Jack being in danger. Thoughts of him being shot or captured and tortured on a mission entered her mind and tormented her. And, of course, the confession that he cared a lot about her, made her want to cry in joy!
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Florida
Jack finished the phone call with his mom and hung up the phone. Anger filled his body as he thought about the stupid mission he was ordered to go on instead of seeing Sam. Jack took his arm and viciously swiped it across the table, throwing everything on it across the room. "DAMN IT!" He screamed. "DAMN IT!"
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May 1984: Cuba
Jack sat on the helicopter that was taking them back to 'friendly territory'. They had come in, taken care of business, and with only Burke getting a flesh wound across his shoulder, completed their mission, successfully. Thanks, in a great part, to Jack, who had his own mission in his head to complete! Jack had completed the current mission, more efficient and competent than any other man Landry had ever worked with. Landry knew Jack was going to be one hell of an outstanding officer. With that said, he also realized that once Jack completed his duty, his mind had wandered elsewhere.
Jack checked his watch for the tenth time since getting on the copter. Twelve hours until the graduation ceremony started in Ohio. He was now in Cuba. Could he make it?
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12.5 Hours Later: Ohio
Mrs. O'Neill was at the podium finishing her speech to the graduating class and introducing the Valedictorian. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce our Valedictorian this year. This young woman has become like a daughter to me. She has persevered through personal loss and tragedy to stand before you today with the highest academic achievement in this school's history. She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average not only the entire time she has attended this school, but also has maintained a 4.0 GPA at Wright University where she has been taking classes for the past two years. She has been a valuable member of the track team and Honor Society. She has volunteered her time in helping other students, including my own daughter. Samantha will be leaving in two months to attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she will study Astrophysics and someday work for NASA, with plans to become an astronaut. So, ladies and gentlemen and the class of 1984, let me introduce to you, our valedictorian, Samantha Jean Carter!"
Sam stood up and walked up the stage to the podium. Her face was slightly flushed after hearing Mrs. O'Neill's speech. Notes clutched in her hand, Sam looked out at the large crowd of graduates and even larger crowd of spectators. Coughing to clear her throat, Sam started on her speech.
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Jack pulled up into the closest parking spot he could find. He had managed to get a flight on an Air Force jet back to Florida and another one straight to Wright-Patterson where he bribed an Airman to let him borrow one of the base jeeps. Speeding to the school where the ceremony was being held, Jack was incredibly nervous that he was going to just miss the graduation.
Getting out of the jeep, Jack ran across the parking lot, through the school property and towards the back field where the ceremony had been set up. He could see the large crowd of people, but, what had his mind whirling was the sound of Sam's voice pouring out of the loudspeakers. Jack ran between the bleachers that were packed with people and stopped when he saw her standing on the makeshift stage at the front of the crowd.
"Dayton has been the first place that I could truly say was home for me…..uhh….." Sam stopped, mid-speech when her eyes fell on Jack rushing between the bleachers. Everyone turned from Sam to the man who had captured her attention. Sam's cheeks had flushed bright red as everyone's attention turned to Jack.
Mr. O'Neill suddenly appeared next to Jack and led him over towards the stage to a seat with the rest of the O'Neill's. After Jack was led away, as if on cue, everyone's attention turned back to the blushing girl at the podium.
Sam swallowed the lump in her throat and hurriedly finished her speech. Accidentally skipping over a few parts without even realizing it. Luckily, no one else seemed to realize it, either, and when Sam's speech came to an end, everyone stood up and applauded.
Mrs. O'Neill came back to the podium and Sam walked off the stage and straight into Jack's arms. He had jumped up and gone right to the bottom of the stage when Sam finished her speech. As soon as they were close enough, they were in each other's arms. The graduating class, who had all heard the countless rumors about Sam and the O'Neill boys, specifically the oldest one, erupted in applause and shouts at the emotional reunion of Jack and Sam.
Mrs. O'Neill spoke back into the microphone. "Ladies and Gentleman, once again, our Valedictorian, Samantha Carter….and….with her, my oldest son, Lt. Jonathon O'Neill of the US Air Force. As you can see, they're quite close….. Samantha may become my daughter someday, after all." Mrs. O'Neill smiled as she finished to an explosion of applause and laughter by the entire audience.
Jack, after hearing his mom's words, pulled out of the tight embrace with Sam to look her in the face. "Did you hear what my mom just said?" He whispered.
Sam looked at him, nothing but love written on her face. "Yes." She whispered back.
"Good." Was all he said as he kissed her and the crowd, once again, exploded in applause.
Liz wiped the tears out of her eyes and Sean just smiled in pride. Kelly nudged Rob, sitting next to her on the bleachers. "I know, I know, Kelly, they're meant to be. Why do you think we broke up?" Rob hissed at his little sister.
Mr. O'Neill crossed his arms, sat up a little straighter and nodded to his wife on stage.
Mark looked over at his father. "Who the hell is that making out with Sammie!"
And, Col. Jacob Carter watched, unsurprised, as his baby girl was kissed, very passionately and in front of hundreds of people, by Lt. Jack O'Neill!
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a/n: This is my least favorite chapter so far….well, everything but the end. Hopefully, the end makes up for the rest of the chapter! Anyways, everyone who is still reviewing: You people are my favorite! And those who aren't, well, I don't blame you all that much, sometimes it's hard to think of something to write, especially when the chapter's not that great! But, a simple 'keep going!' or 'I'm still reading' would really keep me writing quickly! Just something to let me know you're still interested! So, yeah, anyways, I think the next chapter is going to be complete and utter fluff. Not that the other chapters haven't been fluff, it's just now, Sam's 18, so a whole new window has opened! So, until then……