THROUGH THE YEARS
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a/n: Wow! Thanks so much for all the great reviews on the last two chapters! And, to show my appreciation, here is a small teaser. It's just sort of a small, let's call it, prologue for the next chapter. It's not much, but I'll get started on the next chapter, hopefully, tomorrow.
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Chapter 10 Life Goes On
October 1985 Colorado
Sam had only been back at the Air Force Academy for her second year a month when she received a package from Africa. Sam was walking to class as she opened the package. She smiled when she saw the photographs of Liz and Sean with different groups of children. Sam flipped through the picturesque photos, the smile never leaving her face. Her friends had completed their trip through Europe and had recently traveled on to Africa. For over a year now, Sam had received mail at least once a month from Liz.
Somehow, the two had recently managed to get jobs with the International Red Cross and were trained to administer medicine and shots to less-fortunate people in third-world countries. Sam absolutely loved getting her regular updates from the twins.
Over the summer, Sam had visited her dad for a week and then flown to Ohio to spend some time with the O'Neill's before starting her summer internship program at Cal-Tech. As much as she enjoyed her time in California, she was happy to be back among the military minds at the Academy.
Sam had not seen Jack since she graduated high school. However, she received a letter from him once with no return address, about 8 months ago. It was short, merely stating that he loved her and still thought of her constantly and he would find a way to be with her soon. Even the O'Neill's had only heard from Jack a few times in the last year and a half. Whenever they did, they quickly passed on any information to Sam.
Sam quickly scanned over the letter in her hands from Liz before putting it away as she entered the lecture hall. Pulling her book and notepad out of her backpack, Sam sat down in her chair and waited for the class to begin.
"Hey, Carter? A bunch of us are going out for a night on the town. You in?" one of the men in her class asked.
"Sure," Sam replied. "What time?"
"2000. Let Sullivan know, kay?"
"Okay, we'll be there," Sam agreed. Her roommate, Tina Sullivan, always went out with Sam, so it really wasn't likely she would turn down the invitation.
Just as Sam assumed, Tina was ready and willing to go out for some fun. The two girls piled on the make-up, tweaked up their short hair, slid on their 'clubbing clothes' and headed out to meet the rest of the group. At only 19 ½, Sam still wasn't old enough to legally drink. Of course, most of the cadets they went out with weren't either. However, the club they frequented was incredibly lax at actually checking anyone's ID, so they never had a problem when they ordered their drinks.
Most of the male cadets were ga-ga over Sam and Tina, who was quite attractive, also. So, they were constantly dragged onto the dance floor most of the night. Sam, always having Jack at the back of her mind, never got into a serious relationship with any of the men. A few dates here and there. Once in awhile, a night of meaningless sex to release any built-up tension and stress. Nothing like what she had shared with Jack.
Tonight wasn't any different. As soon as Sam sat down and ordered a beer, Gallagher swooped in and asked her to dance. Sam, not wanting to hurt his feelings, stood up and told the other cadets at the table to watch her drink when it came.
After a few songs, Sam excused herself and headed over to the table to drink her now-warm beer. Sitting down, Sam's eyes fell on an older group of men in the corner. Sam could tell right away from the way they stood and acted, they were military. She leaned over to Mike Harris and nodded towards the group of men. "Who are they?"
Cadet Harris had an unnatural knack of knowing things no one else did. Most of the people in their group nicknamed him Radar O'Reilly. "Black Ops. They're assigned at Peterson," he answered Sam.
"Really? I didn't know Peterson had black ops," Sam said in surprise.
"Well, of course you didn't. According to our dearly loved president, black ops doesn't exist," he snickered at Sam.
Sam smiled and sat back in her seat for a few minutes before being asked to dance again.
Sam was on the dance floor for a couple songs when one of the 'black ops' officers approached her and asked her to dance. A slow song had just started, so Sam sent an apologetic look to the friend she was dancing with and agreed to dance with the older man.
"So, are you a cadet?" the man asked, once Sam was dancing with him.
"Yes. And you are?" Sam prompted.
"Lt. Colonel Frank Cromwell, " he told her.
"Cromwell? I've heard that name," Sam told him, racking her brain to figure out how.
"Really? I didn't think I was that popular. What was your name?"
"Oh, uh, Cadet Samantha Carter," she told him, still trying to place him.
"Wow! Your name sounds eerily familiar, too. I wonder if we've met before?"
"I don't think so, sir. I rarely forget a face," Sam told him. Then, all of a sudden, it hit her. "Colonel, you wouldn't happen to know a Lt. Jack O'Neill, would you?"
"O'Neill! Hell yeah! Trained him myself. Damn fine officer!" Cromwell stared at Sam for a few seconds as if the puzzle pieces were connecting in his head. "You're Jack's Sam!" he exclaimed, proud of himself for figuring it out.
Sam beamed. Just the thought of Jack, warming her insides. "Yeah, I'm Jack's Sam."
"Well, no wonder you have him so whipped! If I had a woman as beautiful as you, I would do anything I could to get to you, too"
"Apparently not anything. I haven't seen Jack in over a year," she told him, sadly.
"Well, I haven't seen him in about the same amount of time. I was promoted and moved to Peterson almost a year ago. Last I heard, he was promoted to Captain. Saved his whole team over in Pakistan."
"I had no idea," Sam told him in amazement. "When was he promoted? I don't even think his parents know."
"Oh, a few months back now. The missions he's been on recently really don't allow for a lot of communication with loved ones. I suspect he'll be doing highly-classified work before much longer."
Sam was shocked. Here she was, for several months now, somewhat angry that he hadn't tried harder to find a way to see her, when he was out saving lives and risking his own on almost a daily basis.
Sam, no longer in a mood to party, decided to head home and write a letter to Mrs. O'Neill, she was Sam's closest link to Jack. So, after telling her friends good-bye, Sam headed back to her dorm room.
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October 1985 Cuba
"Captain, we have to go now, now, now!" shouted Colonel Johnson from his position at the top of the ridge.
Jack grabbed the little Cuban girl who had somehow appeared out of nowhere in the midst of battle. He tucked the small girl up under his arm and ran as fast as he could, the sound of enemy fire getting closer. They boarded the chopper on the other side of the ridge, Jack gently sat the girl down between Woods and himself while Burke started shooting at the enemies coming over the ridge.
"O'Neill! What the hell do you think you're doing?" his commanding officer yelled. "We're not a day care!"
"Sir, we couldn't just leave her there! We can drop her off in the nearest village. I'm sure someone will look after her," Jack insisted.
"O'Neill, what the hell am I going to do with you?" Col. Johnson chastised, knowing his subordinate never would have left the child behind.
The chopper dropped down in a near-by village and Jack spoke with the villagers, explaining the young girl's predicament. The villagers accepted the girl and Jack loaded back up in the chopper for their next mission.
Nine hours later, Johnson, O'Neill, Burke and Woods were trudging through the large undergrowth, stealthily approaching their target. Jack, seeing Johnson head off towards the right, made his way towards the left, he heard quick movement behind him. Before he could turn around, a gunshot rang out behind him, turning quickly and taking cover, Jack could just make out the still form of Woods lying on the ground. Burke, a short distance behind, holding a gun. "God damnit, Burke! What the hell happened?" he hissed into his radio as he retreated, their mission now a bust.
The three men, carrying the dead body of Woods, loaded back on the chopper. Once back in Florida, Burke was arrested until an investigation could begin. "O'Neill, come on, you know me, we're all friends! It was an accident!" Burke pleaded in cuffs.
"Burke, I didn't see what happened. There's nothing I can do for you," Jack told him, still reeling over his friend's death.
"Jack, please, call Hillary, tell her what's going on," Burke pleaded. He had only been married for two months. Could his marriage survive a possible court-martial?
"I will, Burke," Jack promised before watching his friend being dragged away by SF's.
After Woods' funeral, Jack was summoned to the general's office, under the assumption he was getting information on possible new teammates. Knocking on the general's door, the general ordered him in and to take a seat.
"O'Neill, this thing with Woods and Burke, it's not looking good," he started.
"No, sir," Jack agreed.
"Even if it was an accident, Burke is still looking at a discharge. The best I'm going to be able to do for him is get him a position with the CIA," the general confessed.
Jack had no idea what to say. He pretty much just lost his two best friends and now was alone in this whole special ops mess.
"There is nothing you can do for him, O'Neill. You need to move on from this. I've been ordered to ask you to consider black ops. You'll pretty much be doing what you are now, except the government will deny having ordered any of your missions, so it's imperative that you're never caught because if you are, you won't be getting rescued. What do you think?"
"Uh, honestly, I don't know, sir. I originally agreed to special ops because of Burke and Woods, the thought of going on without them…."
"Bullshit, O'Neill! You're meant to do this! Burke and Woods only got into Special Forces because of you. I told Landry the only way you would go was if Burke and Woods did! Yes, they were good, and they got even better. But, you, O'Neill, you're a natural!"
"Sir, " Jack started.
"O'Neill, I'll give you 24 hours to decide. If you agree, you'll be shipped out to Peterson with Cromwell."
"Peterson? In Colorado Springs, sir?" Jack asked.
"That's the one, O'Neill."
"I'm in, sir!"
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a/n: Okay, if the part about Burke sounds familiar, it's because I took it from the conversation Jack had with Burke in season 7's episode, Evolution 2. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I get it done!