Beta's Note: I would like to apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. It is completely my fault irishchick sent it to me a while back and it took me until tonight to post it. So it's totally because of me that it took so long.-melpomene-museoftragedy
Jack O'Neill was greeted by Walter as he exited the elevator doors. They made polite exchanges of 'Hello' and Walter got the impression that small talk was the last thing O'Neill wanted to get into.
"General Landry's waiting in his office Sir."
"Thank you Walter."
As O'Neill walked away towards Landry's office Walter realized that maybe life at the top wasn't all it was made out to be. Jack looked tired, but there was something else there too. A look in his eye that screamed for help, more time, solutions to the problem and maybe even forgiveness.
Jack entered the room to find Landry missing from his desk. He looked through the glass that divided the office and the briefing room to see Landry talking to Reynolds, leader of SG-3. As Jack entered the briefing room it feel silent as Reynolds stopped in mid-conversation.
"Don't let me disturb you. Please continue."
"Ah Reynolds was just filling me in on some details of the last mission." Landry was obviously not comfortable in the situation. "Thank you Colonel. Dismissed"
Reynolds threw the two remaining men a salute and headed down the stairs into the control room.
"Wanna tell me what that was about Hank?"
"I left something out of our last conversation Jack."
"Like?"
"Let's talk in my office."
The two men moved the short distance back into Landry's office and as Jack stepped inside Landry closed the door behind him.
"Why do I feel like I'm not gonna like this?"
"Because you're not"
"Right. Well out with it then."
"We've received word from Thor. He's a bit tied up right now. He can't make it to help with the search. However, he did give us some information about the whereabouts of SG-1."
"But…"
"But the information only tells of three people traveling in the group."
And here it was. What he knew was inevitable. Of course they couldn't just get home and be safe. No, one of them had to get injured or killed and screw up that plan. He'd lost one of them. Each would leave a hole in his heart. He'd even grown to like Mitchell as impossible as that may seem. And so now here he stood in his old office and he knew exactly what his next question was going to be. Maybe his silence was longer than he thought because before he could get the words out he heard…
"I'm sorry Jack. It's a group of three men. There's no mention of Col Carter."
And there it was. Landry had plunged a knife through his heart. He had two choices. He could be a man and show the emotions that where threatening to spill out at any moment and shake a fist at the injustice of Carter being taken now, or he could be the General and do all he could to get the three men home before he officially had to give up. Option one was never actually in play.
"Okay well let's say that Intel is right. That means we have a place to pick up the search right."
"I already have SG-3, 5 and 7 standing by."
"They have a go."
Landry left his office and headed down to the control room where he knew Reynolds would be waiting for the green light.
Jack let himself fall into the chair behind him. Holding it together might be harder than he thought. He rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and just took some deep breaths.
"You were right you know Sam"
"Aren't I always?" She called back playfully from Jack's kitchen
"Funny. I mean about Mitchell he's okay."
"Cams just a little bit of a renegade but he's learning to rein it in. Besides there's only so many times you can take Teal'c's death stare before you get the message."
Sam sat herself next to him on the sofa and handed him a beer. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Jack had been trying to find the right words all weekend and now she was leaving in the morning and he was running out of time.
"What's up?"
"Now why would there be anything up?"
"Because I just know you Jack."
"I wanted to talk to you about this mission"
"There's nothing to discuss. We already had the briefing, or were you not paying attention again?"
"Sam"
"Jack don't really there's no need."
"Please, just let me say it"
"You don't need to say anything. Someone has to go through and deliver the device and the best people for the job are SG-1."
"I know that. It's just…"
"What?"
"What if you don't come back?"
"I don't know what's going to happen when we get there, but I will do all I can to get us home. I promise."
Jack stood up and walked out of Landry's office and over to the window that overlooked the Gate room. He watched the SG teams move through the gate, knowing that if they didn't return with the remaining members of SG-1 he would have to call off the search. Maybe, just maybe Carter was out there somewhere with every intension of keep her promise.