They sat in relative silence during the drive home, neither of them knowing what to say or, more precisely, where to start. It was only when Sam noticed that they had reached Jack's house that she broke the silence.
"Sir, I, you could just drop me off at home. I mean I don't want to interrupt your evening…"
Jack cursed under his breath as he realised that she thought that Kerry might be waiting for him inside.
"Carter, really, I didn't have any plans." He hesitated before continuing, "Urm, Kerry's not… I mean, well, she broke up with me today." As he turned to face Sam he noticed that she'd adopted a horrified look.
Oh crap, I bet she thinks that she's got something to do with it! He thought to himself, ignoring the fact that in a way it was true.
"She, uh, said I had "issues"." He sneaked another glance at his passenger and breathed a small sigh of relief that her expression had softened a little. "Anyway, I don't know about you but I don't feel like freezing my butt off again." He said with a smile as he pulled into his drive and switched off the engine. Then he quickly exited the truck and ran around to Sam's side. He opened the door before pulling his jacket over his head and hers. "OK, on my mark." Sam gave him a sidelong glance.
"Sir, I'm soaked. I don't think that a few mor-"
"Ah! On my mark! 3, 2, 1, MARK!" and with that they shot off at lightening speed towards the front door. Once inside Jack comically shook the water from his ears and disgustedly threw his dripping leather jacket onto the coat rack. Meanwhile Carter stood contemplating the furniture and then her soggy clothes. Jack noticed and disappeared briefly only to reappear with a large bath sheet which he threw at her and she caught obligingly.
"Here you go, Carter. Bathroom's down the hall to the right." Yeah, buddy, coz she's never been in your house before! "I've set out some dry clothes in the bedroom so feel free." Carter took a step towards the bathroom before turning and speaking.
"Thank you, Sir."
"Ah, no problem, Carter." He smiled at her. "That's what friends are for, right?"
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After a long, steaming shower Sam quickly dressed and padded down the hallway rubbing her hair dry with her towel. She was greeted by the strong smell of coffee and the coffee table contained a plateful of warm toast and muffins. Jack placed two cups of steaming coffee onto the table and sat down on a chair opposite the sofa. Sam looked at him awkwardly.
"Sir, I should call-" Jack's face fell for an instant.
"Of course, Carter." He passed her his cordless phone. "I thought you were supposed to be choosing… cake today?" Carter had a look of mild confusion before it all clicked.
"Oh, no Sir, I need to call Daniel. I was supposed to check in hours ago." She paused. "I… I couldn't do it, Sir."
Now it was Jack's turn to look confused.
"You couldn't choose a cake?"
Sam smiled awkwardly.
"No, Sir! Well, yes, Sir but not that." This was it. It was now or never. "I, I broke it off. The wedding, I mean."
Jack's eyebrows shot through the roof and the question left his mouth before he could stop it.
"Why?" Then he looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Carter, I have no right-"
"Sir, when I went to the caterer's this afternoon I sat and watched Pete choosing cake and it felt… odd. Wrong, even. Then I realised that there was only one person that it felt right… choosing cake with." Her eyes never left his as she desperately hoped that he understood what she was trying to tell him. His expression went from confusion to shock to disbelief and finally to comprehension. A slow, lazy grin crept across his face as he realised what she was hinting at. He stared down at his hands for a few moments as if contemplating something and then he cleared his throat before speaking.
"Kerry came to see me this afternoon and pointed out something to me that I thought couldn't possibly… she said that I have one issue in particular that she couldn't compete with. And she was right." As he spoke the last few words he turned his face away from her and winced. "She said I should retire."
Sam nearly choked on her coffee.
"Sir! I don't-"
"Ah! I said 'should', not 'going to'. Turns out that I don't need to, anyway. I received a phone call from Hammond this morning. He's retiring and he wants me to take his old job. I said I'd think about it."
Sam was speechless.
"Wow! That's…"
"One heck of a responsibility, I know. I'd be Head of the SGC, Nellis, Groom Lake and the Pentagon. If I accepted my promotion would be effective as of three weeks today."
"Excuse me, Sir, but I don't understand how …"
"I've heard that you requested a temporary transfer to R&D at Groom Lake. You ship out next week, so I hear." He stopped to gather his strength, not quite believing what he was going to say next. "You'll no longer be under my command, Colonel. I'm sorry to bother you with this but-"
Sam's smile could've powered the Stargate.
"Yes, Sir."
"Excuse me?" Jack did a double take.
"I SAID, YES, Sir." Suddenly her eyes narrowed. "Sir, did you happen to mention any of this to… Dad." Damn! Why did her voice insist on breaking when she said that?
O'Neill's expression suddenly turned to one of concern and sorrow. And, in turn, confusion.
"Yes, Carter, I did. Why?" She did something then that surprised him greatly. She laughed. Not a quiet, conservative laugh but a real, genuine, from the heart laugh.
"Did I miss something?" Carter took pity on him.
"Oh, just something Dad said before he…"
"Oh? Do I want to know, Colonel?"
"He said, and I quote, "Don't let rules stand in your way. You can still have everything you want.""
"I've always said that Dad was smart, haven't I?"
Sam chuckled.
"He, uh, wouldn't let Pete call him that, you know. Dad. Said he had to actually marry me first."
Jack's eyebrows rose a couple of inches.
"He really didn't like Pete. He never said as much but I could tell." Sam smiled. "I think he wanted a son-in-law that appreciated his humour."
"Really?"
"Yeah, at least you've never referred to Selmac as 'that thing in his head'."
Jack let out a low whistle.
"Carter, I just need to, … I'll be right back!" He said as he dashed off down the hall. "Don't go anywhere!" He shouted from another room as Sam heard lots of banging and several curses. A few minutes later he reappeared with a look of triumph. Plonking himself down on the sofa next to her he stuck a hand into his back pocket and withdrew a small box. As she reached out to take it, his hand closed over hers. "Just so you know… you don't have to take it. You can walk away, no harm done, and we can forget I ever mentioned it. And you don't have to give me an answer right away either. Let's just say it's a promise."
Sam slowly opened the box to reveal a platinum diamond and topaz ring. She gasped and her bottom lip began to shake.
"I know you've been through a lot this week, Sam, and I don't want you to say anything you might regret later-"
"I believe I already answered that question before, Sir." And then off his confused look, "It starts with a Y and ends with an S." A smile bigger than the Cheshire Cat's spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders for the second time that evening. It was too soon for him to do anything else, not to mention that they'd both had a really long day and if he had, well, he would've felt like he wasn't … the man she deserved. He heard a few suspicious sniffles coming from his T-shirt and he looked down to see Sam's eyes glistening with tears.
"I'm sorry, Sir…"
"Hey, hey, hey! None of that!" his own eyes began to fill up. "I know how it feels to lose someone you love. Heck, Jacob was like a second father to me so don't EVER apologise to me, ok?" They both sat there for a few more moments before Sam stood up and stretched. "Carter, I have a spare bedroom and you're too tired to drive home" Not to mention the fact that she doesn't have a car here, "Why don't you crash here? Call Daniel and tell him whatever you need to and then why don't you head off to bed?" As if to emphasise his point he yawned which caused her to yawn also. "If you need me I'm only down the hall. Ok?"
Sam smiled. It was true, she was exhausted.
"Thank you, Sir."
"Any time, Carter. Good night." And with that he left her to find her own way to her room. Sam stood contemplating the silence for few moments before picking up the phone and dialling Daniel.
"Jack?" A tired sounding voice on the other end answered. Sam's brow creased.
"Ah, no, Daniel. It's me, Sam." There was a pause.
"Why are you calling me at… 23.30… from Jack's house?"
Sam sighed into the telephone.
"It's a long story, Daniel…"
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