Note: Thanks again for all the reviews guys. Here is the next chapter. Still hraps more to come. Hope you like it...
Jack stood on the balcony and looked around for Carter, he stepped down the three small steps from the hall into the garden, and for the first time realised how chilly it was, he looked up, a beautiful night with not a cloud in the sky. Jack began walking towards an area that had been set up with a dance floor and where a small four-piece band was playing. Maybe carter is dancing or something… He kept walking, however a familiar voice coming from behind him stopped him in his tracks.
"Looking for me Sir"
Jack turned slowly, and dropped his head as he turned. His eyes widened when he notices that the woman standing in front of him was wearing strappy silver shoes with diamantes across the front, he slowly moved his eyes upwards taking in her beautiful dress, and not to mention her beautiful figure.
Samantha Carter stood before him in an elegant, almost floor length black gown. The back gown, with shoestring straps that crossed elegantly at her back and fell flowingly to her ankles, left Jack speechless.
To top it off, she was wearing a stunning diamond necklace, that matched her earrings, her hair was out, however she had done something different with it, it was more flicked out he thought, and her eyes, whatever she had done with her makeup to make her eyes……
"Sir?" Carter interrupted his train of though. "Was that for me?" she asked, looking at the Champayne glasses he still held, though he can't imagine how he managed to do that, he had completely forgotten he was holding them.
"Ah, yeah Carter…. Here" he said passing her the glass, still in a state of shock at her appearance, she was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "And you are only realising this now you moron" He scolded himself..
"Are you having a good evening Sir, I know how much you hate these big formal events?"
"Well you know me Carter, I love dressing up." Sam smiled, one of her million dollar smiles that he missed so much.
"Well I think you look great Sir gone for what you know best I can see"
"You scrubbed up nicely yourself Carter, I'm glad to see at least one of us decided to ditch the old dress blues for something a little more…… flattering" He struggled with his words.
"Thank you Sir, I will take that as a compliment"
It was Carter it was.. You look….. you look really nice"
"Thank you Sir"
They stood for a minute just looking at each other, this use to happen all the time, they would stare at each other until it became uncomfortable, and one of them would have to look away. Tonight, it was Sam..
Sam turned away quickly, becoming aware that she was staring at her co and having rather inappropriate thoughts. But she couldn't help it. The man in front of her was everything she had ever wanted in life, he was strong, caring, protective and fair, and his eyes, his eyes told her something that she hadn't quite worked out yet. There was a longing in them, every time she started at him there was something about his eyes that drew her to him. One day, she though, one day I will be able to look into those eyes and not have to hide how I feel.
"So Carter, care to talk a walk with an old General"
"Sure Sir, I'd like that"
Jack gestured towards the path and allowed Sam to set the pace as they walked slowly through the gardens, leaving behind the majority of the guests they walked in silence, a comfortable silence though, something that they were use to, and something that they both missed terribly, though neither of them would care to admit it.
They continued walking until they came to a small wooden bridge that spanned a small creek that ran through the garden. Sam stopped, leaning her arms on the wooden railing, being careful not to spill her barely touched champagne, and she stared out into the darkness distance, the only light being the tiny fairy lights that outlines the path in front and behind them.
Jack stood back, leaning on the back of the bridge against the railing, taking in the sight of the woman in front of him as she gazed off into the distance. She was incredible he thought, he had nothing but complete adoration for this woman. She was a fantastic air force officer, and amazing leader, not to mention brilliant scientist, Hell, she had saved his butt more times than he would care to admit, but underneath it all, underneath the air force greens that she wore each day, there was this woman, this woman who was loving and gentle, kind and completely and utterly selfless, not to mention absolutely beautiful. He cared about her so much, hell he would even go so far as to say he loved her.
He took a step towards her, and with every ounce of strength he had stopped himself from wrapping his arms around her from behind. Instead, he settled on leaning on the railing next to her, and gazing out into the distance.
"So Carter, what you looking at"
"Nothing Sir, just thinking.." She broke her gaze ahead and looked at him. He was standing so close to her she realised, one step, half a step even, she could easily reach out and touch him or kiss him or….
"What you thinking about"
"My dad, I really miss him on days like today" He noticed that she neglected to add a "Sir" or "General" on the end of it, but he chose to ignore it, knowing that he was now speaking to Sam, a friend, not his former 2IC
"He was a good man, I'm sure he would be extremely proud of you" He added, not looking at her, but continuing to stare out into the distance.
"I'm not so sure Sir" Back to the Sir again he noticed.
"Now why on earth would you think that" He reacted then, looking at her and hoping that she would look back at him and meet his gaze. She did, but it didn't last long, she turned to face him, but glanced at her feet.
"It's just…….. just that…." She sighed and dared not look at him, otherwise he would have seen the tears behind her eyes. She was a solider, she wasn't suppose to cry, this wasn't who she was, and especially not in front of this man.
"Carter, whatever it is you can tell me" He grabbed her shoulders lightly urging her to look at him. She did, and he could see the tears begin to well in her eyes.
"Its just, I lied to him, the day he died, he asked me something and I lied to him, and now I don't have the chance to take it back or change it, I knew exactly what he meant but I chose to ignore it and now he's gone and he will never know" Her tears at this point were flowing freely, she quickly turned and looked away from him taking up her previous position at staring into the darkness.
Jack just stood there, he didn't know what to say, he didn't know what she was talking about, but he didn know that whatever it was, was big. Samantha Carter never cried openly, not even at her fathers funeral, he remembered because Daniel and Teal'c were both worried about her lack of emotion and how she was bottling it all up, the all agreed that one day it would just hit her and she would explode, Was this that time…. He thought.
"Carter.. He started cautiously, noting that she was furiously rubbing the tears away from her cheeks. "I don't know what you told him, and I don't know what he told you, but Jacob was a good man and he knows that you cared about him a hell of a lot, he would never ever be disappointed in you"
At that moment Sam looked up at him, her blue eyes catching his brown ones and the tears started flowing freely once more. Not because she was still convinced that her dad was disappointed in her,but because of how much this man standing next to her could make her feel so safe and so cared for no matter what the situation.
"Come ere" He said in almost a whisper, and in that moment he pulled her quickly to him, his arms going to her back and her neck and hers snaking around his chest. He rocked them ever so slightly as his lowered his head to her shoulder and turned his face towards her neck. He could feel her shuddering and knew that she was finally crying, finally letting go.
Although she did not tell him what it was that she lied to Jacob about, he knew she would open up eventually, and that no matter what he would be there when that time came.