Sam and the team returned early from their mission. The debriefing was painless for once as the Colonel kept his wisecracks down to a minimum. After which, General Hammond bid them all a good weekend. The guys were talking about a barbecue and suggesting they meet at the Colonel's house in an hour. Colonel O'Neill told Sam to bring Dad…as usual.
The Colonel finally had a drinking partner. Daniel couldn't hold his liquor and Teal'c never consumed any kind of alcohol. Sam didn't like to drink that much. But Dad, because of Selmak, could match the Colonel drink for drink and never feel the after effects of a hangover! And ever since Dad and Selmak arrived on Earth to make it their home, the team had been getting together every Friday evening.
It took a few days for Sam to get used to Dad being home on a permanent basis. Although, it almost didn't work out that way when Dad and Selmak first arrived after leaving the Tok'ra. Dad hadn't explained much to Sam and Selmak was as tight lipped about it too. In fact Dad's only words about why they came to Earth were that the Tok'ra High Council told him and Selmak to either shape up or ship out. Sam never thought of her father as being a radical. Apparently, amongst the Tok'ra his ideas were dangerous and Sam had heard a rumor that Dad wasn't a good influence on Selmak.
Regardless, Dad and Selmak chose the latter. But while they fled one form of oppression they were confronted with another. The IOA and the Joint Chiefs were drooling over the fact that they had a symbiote under their control. They wanted Selmak's vast knowledge and skilled abilities to be put to good use at Nellis Air Force Base. 'When pigs fly!' were Dad's exact words when he shouted into the red phone in General Hammond's office and slammed it down so hard the phone blew apart into a dozen pieces. Sam hadn't realized just how protective Dad was of Selmak until that moment. He was ready to leave Earth, leave his family and friends so that Selmak wouldn't be used as a lab rat.
Thank the Lord for General Hammond! He had begged Dad to give him twenty-four hours before fleeing the planet and had flown to DC and had a long talk with President Hayes. To this day, Sam and the others have no idea what was said. They only knew that Hammond and Hayes were friends from way back and Hayes must have owed General Hammond a favor. A big favor. He returned with not only the blessing from the President but also a signed affidavit by the President, the Joint Chiefs and the IOA giving Dad and Selmak permission to live their lives as they saw fit.
Of course, Dad was never one to relax. Even when he was on vacation he was always doing something to keep busy. He had convinced General Hammond into giving him and Selmak their own SG team with the condition that he and Selmak promised to make available their collective knowledge to the SGC and only the SGC. General Hammond wasn't too keen on the idea of giving Dad his own team from what Sam remembered. She could honestly say that it was the first time she ever saw General Hammond had looked…frightened, like having Dad and Colonel O'Neill out gallivanting about the galaxy was going to cause some cosmic catastrophe worse than a black hole or a dark star!
Whatever! Sam liked having her Dad around more! Pulling up into her drive way she smiled at seeing his 1967 Shelby GT Air Force blue with the white racing stripes from front to back. When Sam was a little girl there were many occasions when she helped Dad by handing whatever tool he needed while working on the engine for the car. He had basically built the engine from scratch and worked on the body of the car himself. He had finished it while Sam was away at the Academy but waited until she came home for its first test drive. No matter how many times they had fought while she was growing, his Mustang was neutral territory where they could actually enjoy each other's company.
"Dad!" Sam called after she walked through the front door.
"In here, Sam," she heard him shout from his room.
Sam headed down the hallway to the open door to see Dad standing in front of a mirror putting a dark blue tie on. He was wearing a dark charcoal gray suit. His dress shoes looked so shiny that one could see their reflection in them and…
"Are you wearing cologne?" Sam asked, taking in a whiff of the air.
"Yeah…why?" he replied worriedly, turning towards her. "Too much?"
"No…I…I just can't remember the last time you wore cologne. I got so used to your after-shave," she smiled. "What's the occasion?"
"I…I have a date," he replied, clearing this throat.
"Oh."
Ok, Sam was a little…shocked. The idea of Dad going out on a date was…well the idea never crossed Sam's mind!
"You ok with this, Sam?"
"Sure!" she answered quickly, trying to hide her unease.
Dad let out a sigh.
"Listen, kid…I haven't been out on a real date in a long time. This lady…well she's very beautiful. So I thought I'd do what gentlemen do…I asked her to dinner and she said yes. Now, I'm not saying anything's going to happen. It's just dinner. And it has been a long time. The last date being with your mother. So, give the old man a break…please."
Sam chuckled softly to herself.
"Sure Dad," she smiled. "Do I know this lady?"
Dad suddenly blushed. Great! It was someone Sam actually knew!
"Uh…I can't tell you," he answered rather reluctantly and nervously. "Not yet anyway."
Sam raised an eyebrow at him.
"Let's see if I survive this evening first," he answered, his face actually turning a slightly darker shade of red.
"What about Selmak? Is he helping any?"
"Selmak, hasn't been on a date in over a century!" Dad scoffed. "He's as nervous as I am!"
Sam laughed, shaking her head.
"Really, Sam are you ok with this?" Dad asked, evidently seeking her approval.
"I'm fine," she smiled, although she wasn't really sure how she felt about it at the moment.
"Thanks, kid!" he cheerfully said, then kissed her cheek. "I have to go. I need to hit the flower shop before they close!"
And poof! Just like that, he was out the front door.