Supporting Rumors – Part 82 - Written by Flatkatsi

"Well?" Jack raised a quizzical eyebrow and waited.

"Almost." Sam brushed yet another piece of what to Jack seemed like imaginary fluff from his shoulder and finally stood back, her gaze roaming over his body.

If only it wasn't clothed in blue fabric, he'd think she was actually interested in more than just fluff. Or maybe she was ... he recognized the gleam in her eyes and smiled smugly.

"You like what you see?" Instead of answering she just smiled back, so he spoke again, looking at himself in the mirror. "The tailor did a good job."

His uniform had needed extensive adjustments, something neither he nor Sam had even thought of until almost too late. He was lucky it was finished on time. To his surprise it hadn't needed taking in because of weight loss – he'd actually bulked up his upper body with all the exercise, especially his arms.

Time to get the dog and pony show on the road. The brief sleep he'd managed the night before hadn't refreshed him at all and by the time Sam woke he was already feeling the effects of being over-tired. Goodness knows what he'd feel like after a morning of meetings. Still – it had to be done. The fallout from the investigation Maybourne's information had started was just beginning to hit and the President and the Joint Chiefs needed to make sure all the i's were dotted and all the t's crossed. His debriefing was just the beginning.

He watched as Sam slipped his feet into his shiny dress shoes. At least she didn't have to wear her uniform – her attendance at the White House was unofficial, President Hayes having been kind enough to invite them both to lunch with himself and his wife after the debriefing. He had been worried about what she'd do to occupy herself until lunchtime, but when he had voiced his concerns she brushed them off, muttering something vague about having plenty to do.

"Ready?"

He gave her a nod. "As I'll ever be." Slipping his gloves on, he turned his chair and waited for Sam to open the hotel room door.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Sam waited until the door was shut behind her husband, brief butterflies of concern fluttering in her stomach for a moment. This was Jack's first day in uniform since the shooting, and although on the surface he appeared to be taking it all in his stride, she had seen his expression when the first curious stares started as soon as they reached the hotel lobby. It was one thing to be in a wheelchair – that wasn't such an unusual sight – but a two-star general in full uniform and dripping with ribbons in a wheelchair certainly was. Jack's face had hardened into granite the moment the whispers and pointing began. She was grateful the official car was already waiting for them directly outside the entrance and that their driver was obviously well prepared, assisting Jack into the rear seat with little fuss.

Jack's appointed aide, Major Bradley, was there to show them to the meeting room, and had barely stopped talking from the second they arrived, filling Jack in on any slight changes to the agenda that had been made since he last spoke to him before dinner the night before. The two men were so engrossed in their discussion that they barely acknowledged Sam's presence – until they reached the door of the meeting room. Then Jack had stopped and with nothing but a long, heated look, had told her without the need for words just how much he wished she could be in the room with him.

Then he was gone.

For a moment Sam stood staring at the richly varnished wood of the door, well aware of the watchful gaze of the two guards standing to either side of it, then she shook herself out of her reverie and turned, striding down the corridor.

She had plans.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"And we're walking."

They actually said that. Sam couldn't help the grin of total pleasure that grew as she obeyed the guide's instructions, and together with the rest of the small tour party, followed the woman up the hall towards the Map Room. Sam was fascinated by the guide's ability to walk backwards while talking and gesturing, appearing almost as good at it as Jack – except that her husband had the added skill of being able to shoot high powered weapons at the same time – hopefully a skill the tall middle-aged woman had no need to emulate.

Jack would kill himself laughing when he found out how she spent the morning, but with all her visits to Washington and even living there for a time, she had never had the opportunity to tour the White House. She had attended the occasional meeting and reception there, but never seen the main parts of the house. She had managed to book a last minute tour place by using some of her contacts – another fact that would amuse Jack greatly. Oh well, she thought with a smile, it was about time she had some fun.

She hadn't mentioned last night to him when she'd finally woken, but it was obvious he hadn't had a good night's sleep. She knew if she asked him he would put it down to worry about today, but despite his efforts to hide it, the whole evening had upset him. So many simple things, but put them all together and they had built into a mass of hurt for him. She wished there was something she could do, but she realized she couldn't shield him from that type of behavior – it was something they unfortunately would both have to learn to live with.

"And we're walking."

Smiling again, Sam followed the pack.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"I think that's all, gentlemen." President Hayes glanced at General Maynard and received a nod of agreement. "Thank you for your time. We've done a lot of work this morning, but unfortunately we still have much to do. Please keep yourself available for follow-up discussions at a later date." He stood and the others around the table swiftly followed – with one notable exception. Hayes couldn't help the concerned look he shot at Jack O'Neill. The man was looking worn out.

The room began to empty and O'Neill sat in his wheelchair, waiting for his turn to exit.

"General O'Neill, if you would stay." Henry saw Generals Jumper and Maynard pause and addressed them. "There is no need for you to wait."

Once the room was clear Hayes walked back to the table, taking a seat and putting himself on the same level as O'Neill as the general spun his chair to follow him.

"How are you, Jack – really? And I don't want the usual clap-trap you give when you're asked that."

"Fine, Mister President, thank you."

Sighing, Henry rubbed a hand over his jaw, the passing thought that he needed a shave crossing his mind before being replaced by mild exasperation. He should have known better than to expect Jack O'Neill to answer that question honestly. He debated pursuing the point but decided against it, instead opting for a more subtle approach.

"Your information was invaluable, Jack, in fact without it these people would still be getting away with what is essentially a betrayal of their planet. I've got no idea who your sources are ..." He held up a hand to stop the general's obvious protest in its tracks. "and I'm not going to ask, but I wish there was some way I could reward them for their courage in coming forward."

"There's no need. They're not the sort of people who want or expect rewards."

Henry was sure he saw a small smile of amusement cross O'Neill's face as he spoke, but it was soon concealed, replaced by something he couldn't quite place. The general's fingers were tapping lightly on his chair arms.

"Something on your mind, Jack?"

"May I speak frankly, sir?"

Allowing Jack O'Neill to speak frankly might not be the smartest move he'd ever made, Henry thought, but he hadn't been elected President because he was a coward. He nodded. "Of course."

It was as if his words had set free O'Neill's fidgeting hands. They rose and he began gesturing. Henry was sure that if the general had been able to walk he would have been pacing across the carpet. "What exactly do you want from me, Mister President? You've blocked my medical retirement, but I can't see the head of Homeworld Security rolling around the corridors of the Pentagon in his wheelchair."

"Why not?"

O'Neill's hands stilled, the right one raised, and the man frowned, his puzzlement plain to see. "You mean as a civilian?"

"No, I mean as a general in the United States Air Force."

"But ..." O'Neill's hands began moving again, both of them held out at his sides, indicating the chair. "I can't ..."

"Are you saying that a person in a wheelchair is incapable of holding a high ranking position, a position of trust?" Hayes didn't allow his delight at the direction the conversation had taken to show, frowning as if in displeasure. "Someone should have told the thirty-second President. FDR was elected to four terms, all of which he served while paralyzed from the waist down." He waited for the implication to sink in. "Don't think a little thing like being in a wheelchair is going to get you out of your duty to your country. You're far too valuable to take off the hook and throw back in the pond, General O'Neill."

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Jack knew Sam was worried by the way she was constantly glancing over at him throughout lunch, but he couldn't keep his attention on the meal – he had way too much on his mind after his talk with Hayes. He had, of course, responded politely to the First Lady's queries about how he felt being back in Washington and had laughed when Sam had to admit to them all how she had spent the morning. Mrs Hayes had told them she had hardly ever been in many of the rooms featured on the tour herself and they had spent a very amusing few minutes imagining what would happen if she tagged along with a group.

All in all it had been a very pleasant meal, with Jack finding himself far more relaxed in the company of the President and his wife than he would have imagined possible. But now, as they finished their coffee and prepared to leave, he couldn't help his attention wandering again. He needed to talk to Sam, but it would have to wait until they got back to their hotel.

At least the journey back across town wouldn't take anywhere near the time it had this morning. President Hayes had offered them both a lift, saying he was going their way anyway, heading for some visit to a community project. He brushed aside Jack's objections and had, with a short phone call, organized the slight diversion from his route.

They left the White House by the private entrance, and Jack found the presidential limousine had even more room than the car they had arrived in. The President's Secret Service agents had given them both some rather searching looks, but nothing more, and Jack had the feeling the whole thing may have been planned well in advance. He wouldn't put it past Hayes to do that – in fact after today he wouldn't put it past Hayes to do anything!

As he expected, the trip was short, all other traffic pulling over well before they approached making for a straight run through the city. Hell – even the traffic lights were green all the way – pretty cool.

Jack had to admit he thoroughly enjoyed the car ride. He was use to riding in limos, but this was special, proving that even a cynical hard-assed old soldier could still be impressed, and he was far more relaxed by the time they arrived at the hotel than when they had set out, already anticipating the planned visit to George Hammond's house that evening.

The retired general had called to arrange it straight after the President ordered Jack to Washington. No way could Jack be convinced Hammond was sitting back and sniffing the daisies – he had his finger as firmly on the pulse of anything to do with Homeworld Security and the SGC as he did when he ran them. Jack smiled to himself – George had been their rock in all this, ready to drop everything and come running whenever the many crises hit. SG-1 being posted MIA was a case in point. Jack knew those hadn't been some of his better moments and he cringed as he thought about how close to the surface his emotions had been. Sam's disappearance had almost tipped him into the pit of despair he had been hovering on the edge of since the shooting. But George had been there, quietly supportive, but knowing when to back off, ready to pull him back from the brink. Jack owed him more than he could possibly repay.

A twinge from his bum knee brought Jack out of his reverie. Rubbing it, he looked out the heavily tinted glass, Sam's conversation with Hayes coming to a halt as the hotel came into view.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

"Thank you." Sam nodded to the large man in the black suit who held the car door open for her. She stepped to one side and waited as Jack's wheelchair was unloaded and he transferred himself into it. They seemed to be attracting quite a crowd of interested on-lookers, understandable given the President of the United States was now at the hotel entrance with them, shaking Jack's hand.

Her husband looked mighty fine in his uniform, his chest covered with ribbons and the stars shining on each shoulder. She knew most people were watching President Hayes, but she only had eyes for him. No one could outshine Jack O'Neill in her view, not even the President.

The President got back in the limo and the barricade of Secret Service agents that had surrounded them faded away, leaving them both watching the departing cavalcade of vehicles.

"I don't know about you, but I could do with getting out of these clothes."

Jack's words pulled her attention back to him and she grinned, already planning exactly how she would help him achieve his goal of getting out of the uniform. Yes ... very, very slowly, and with a lot of 'assistance' ... She tried to hide her slight blush as her imagination ran riot.

They turned towards the entrance.

And there, right in the doorway, stood the couple from the previous night. The woman's face was a picture – her mouth was open and she was gulping like a fish out of water. Sam narrowed her eyes as she saw exactly where the woman was looking – straight at Jack. She could almost see the drool.

She straightened and put her hand on Jack's shoulder. "We must remember to make a note in our diary, dear. The First Lady is planning another intimate luncheon a week from Thursday." She ignored Jack's confused look, giving his shoulder a squeeze to warn him to go along with her.

It was petty she knew, but she was going to milk this opportunity for all it was worth. She started walking towards the doors, stopping as she came level with the couple. "Oh, hello again. Beautiful day isn't it?"

And she knew Jack was her perfect match when he added. "Come along, darling – I've warned you before about talking to unfortunates."

xoxoxoxoxoxo

TBC