Irrevocable Decision Part 8

When he eventually heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the cabin, he sighed long and heavily. Then again, there were some inconveniences which shouldn't have to be put up with.

His eye caught a distant star and he strained to keep it in his vision, wondering if...

"Nice of you to wait up for me, Jack."

There was no way in hell he could concentrate now, and he pulled away from his beloved 'scope regretting that he'd failed to take any bearings on that last sighting. Maybe if he... he put his right eye to it once more and...

"You have what I'd call a good eye for a woman."

'What the hell--!' Jack stiffened, turning to glare Jacob full in the eye.

The Tokra continued as if he hadn't noticed the shocked expression on his host's face.

"Olivia's a good looking woman."

"Olivia?"Jack was incapable of hiding his astonishment.

"Who'd you think I was talking about?" Jacob questioned smugly, his voice slightly mocking as he continued, "She's an attractive woman – no denying it. She certainly seemed to be pretty much at home when she was here."

Jack's eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Is this leading to something I ought to be interested in?"

Jacob shrugged and changing the topic entirely, drawled, "Are you going to ask me what Sam and I talked about?"

"No."

Trying hard to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that Jacob was toying with him, he closed the shutters of his scope, brushing past Sam's father to return to the kitchen. He felt chilled to the bone and suppressed a shudder which he knew the older man, who had followed him back inside, would be sure to pick on. He was in no mood for a Jacob Carter lecture on the state of his health. Which was, he decided, a little ironic anyway when, on the other hand, he had been warned of the possibility that Sam could be detrimental to his existence. What the hell! Jack found his hand reaching for the whisky and he hesitated long enoughtobegiven one of those Carter stares that he decided must run in the family.

"Changed your mind?"

Jack scowled; the Tokra was like a dog with a bone.

"Probably for the best considering," Jacob advised knowingly.

Jack waited pointedly but Jacob was playing with the egg timer and either hadn't realized Jack was waiting or, more likely, was making Jack wriggle on the end of the fishing line.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, (Daniel, he decided, would have been proud of him if he'd not been so pissed) Jack sighed heavily and growled, "Probably for the best considering what?"

Jacob raised his head and looked at him as if he were stupid. Jack was beginning to feel he just might be.

"Have you forgotten the barn dance?"

It wasn't exactly on a level with the sun rising, the sun setting and the sun giving light and heat now, was it? So, yes, Jack admitted to himself that he had forgotten, but the nasty feeling he was beginning to get in his gut was informing him that he shouldn't have.

"Jacob?" The warning growl was much more obvious, probably because there was a certain hint of panic thrown in for good measure.

"Sam was going to leave tomorrow but I persuaded her to stay and come to the Barn Dance. I told her you wanted to talk to her, explain--."

"You wha-at?" Jack's face had twisted into a livid scowl.

"Did I do something wrong, Jack?" Jacob's wide eyes watched him carefully. "Don't you think you owe her an explanation?"

The battle to contain his rising anger was being hopelessly lost as the ex-colonel yelled, "The hell I don't!"

"The hell you do!" Jacob's tone had dropped menacingly as his gaze pierced Jack painfully.

"I thought you said Carter could fight her own battles" Jack accused.

"I'm her fa---"

"Enough!" Selmac's voice interrupted Jacob in a tone brooking no argument. "He does not deserve you to remind him of what he never forgets."

Accepting the rebuke grudgingly, Jacob stabbed a finger at Jack. "Eight o'clock tomorrow, Jack." And seeing the look behind the guarded brown eyes, Jacob's voice hardened further. "Be there!" he barked in his best general's command voice, "or I'll come down hard and kick your ass big time!"

And with that parting shot he walked out leaving Jack alone.

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(Go to Part 9)