The phone rang, waking him from his deep slumber the next morning. He hadn't even bothered to get out of his clothes. "What?" He asked, sleepily.
"Sorry to bother you, Jack, but there's something I think you'll want to see."
"And what would that be?
"Turn on your TV.
He reached for the remote and turned on the television. On nearly every station, there was a press conference with Alec Colson, head of Colson Industries
"Thank you all for coming. As you all know, about five months ago our planet suffered a horrible tragedy. Over two thousand American servicemen and women were killed when a meteor shower disrupted global communications and hit a United States naval carrier group on maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean. I'm here today to challenge the facts of that incident as they've been conveyed to the general public. On the day in question, none of our satellites detected a meteor shower."
Jack closed his eyes in weariness. "Crap.
Then, just a few seconds after he turned off the TV and hung up the phone, Jack left. The old receipt, with his feelings for Sam written on the back of it was left on the couch
--
A few days later, they had successfully averted the crisis that had become inevitable with Alec Colson's threat to reveal everything that he knew about the Stargate Program. Of course, that had been due in no small part to Thor and Carter.
Jack sat at his desk in his office, typing the report that would inevitably go past General Hammond's desk at the Pentagon. Suddenly, a sharp rapping at the door made him look up. "Daniel?"
"Jack. We were wondering if we're still on for that team night tonight at your house."
"Yeah…I'll probably be leaving around seven-fifteen."
"Great. Oh, and…Sam's going to be able to come. Apparently Pete left for Denver last night."
He just nodded, his eyes returning to his report. "Great. I've got beer. You guys gonna bring something?"
"Don't we always?" Daniel asked, studying Jack with a bit of an amused smile. However, the amusement was to cover the sadness that he felt for both of his friends. He could tell that Sam was settling for what she could have because Jack as unavailable…and Jack was letting her settle because legally, he couldn't tell her not to do it.
"Yeah…just don't let Teal'c bring that eel sandwich thing he brought last time…"
Daniel grimaced. "You didn't even have to mention that…in fact, I wish you hadn't."
Jack shrugged. "Well, you didn't have to try it…"
"I was being polite…unlike the rest of you."
"Daniel, we were being pragmatic."
"Big word for you, isn't it, Jack?"
He ignored the smart-alecked comment. "Anyway, though it's hard for me to say this…I have to finish this report. General Hammond's expecting it."
"Sorry…have fun!"
"Thanks." He said, with all of the excitement of a child going to the dentist's to get some teeth pulled.
--
Sam arrived at the house at 1930 hours. She knocked on the door. "Sir? It's me! Carter!"
She opened the door, cautiously. Maybe he hadn't heard her. "General? I brought cake!"
Still there was no answer. She hesitated for a moment before walking into the house and placing the cake on the table. She walked into the living room and studied the pictures on the walls. There was a family photo: Jack, Sara and Charlie. She could see that Charlie would have grown up to be the spitting image of his father, had he been given the opportunity.
I wonder if our children would ever… She thought. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Commanding officer alert! Commanding officer alert!
She panicked at the train that her thought had taken, and she looked around for something…anything to distract her. She saw the engagement ring on her finger. She took a deep breath. Louder than commanding officer alert, she should have heard 'ENGAGED PERSON!' alerts. For herself…rather than him.
She sat on the leather couch and noticed a slip of paper sticking to her leg. She pulled it out from underneath her leg and read it. It was a receipt for beer (how had she known? ESP?). She went to place it on the coffee table when she realized that there was writing on the back of it. It was so little that she had to really strain to read it, but the effort made her experience all the more real.
We're
still right here-
In same command.
I always thought you'd let
me leave.
You made it clear, when last we spoke,
You couldn't
live a life
That disregarded rules.
When
every ship has turned away,
And every world is visited,
When
every team's come back to base,
Then, I'll be bringing you
back home
To stay.
I
know about that girl you saw
When you were trapped onboard
Prometheus.
Each day you solve another mystery.
Look how far
your dreaming's gone.
When
every tool looks just the same,
When every choice gets hard to
make,
When every gun is put away,
Then, I'll be bringing you
back home
To stay.
I
think I know why you always turned away!
Does it have to be that
way?
When
every ship has turned away,
And every world is visited,
When
every team is back to base,
Then, I'll be bringing you back
home
To stay.
Reach
out to me,
Call out my name,
And I will take you in my
arms
Today.
She gasped as tears spontaneously ran down her cheeks. "Oh my…"
"Carter!"
She whirled around to find her commanding officer on the stairs. "Sir!" She said, her hands rigidly at her side as she tried to hide the receipt that she had found.
"You're early." He said, walking up to the kitchen.
"Yeah. I thought I'd bring the cake in…I let myself in…hope you didn't mind."
"No, you're fine. Just remembered that I'd drunk the rest of the Guiness a day or so ago…thought I'd stop by the store and pick some up." He noticed her nervous appearance as he looked over at her again. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." She said, plastering a smile onto her face. He loved her…she had rejected him, but…he loved her…Pete didn't write her songs…Jack…Jack wrote songs about her…to her…about her…Jack was so perfect. Funny, witty, charming…she wanted…Jack…
"You sure? You seem a little…distracted."
She nodded. "It's just been a long weekend. That's all."
"Okay…want a beer?"
"A beer would be great." She said, honestly, sitting back down on the couch and placing the receipt in her pocket as she did so.
"Great. 'Cuz we're going to tell Daniel that we drank it all and he can have juice…he's so…"
"Drunk?" She inserted.
"After the first one…yeah."
His unruly gray hair was cute, his goofy grin addicting, and his eyes…they were intoxicating. Meanwhile, his sense of humor was charming, his loyalty endearing, and his strength…it was enlivening.
"Earth to Carter!" He said, waving a beer in front of her face.
"Sorry, sir…"
"You wanna do this later? I mean, I can tell Daniel that this wasn't really a good night. I mean, you had to do a lot of work to cover up this whole Colson thing…"
"NO!" She said, with more strength than she thought she had the courage to do. "No, thanks. I'll just…I'll probably have to leave a little early. It was draining, but…I want to be here. I really do."
"Okay." He said, somewhat skeptically.
There was a knock on the door. "Hel-loo…" Daniel said, opening the door and entering.
"In here." Jack said, walking over to the door.
"Oh, are we interrupting something?" Daniel asked, seeing Sam and Jack standing in the living room.
"No, Danny…what'd you bring?"
"Chips and dip."
"And you, T?"
"I have brought fruit and vegetable trays."
"Nice. And you, Carter?"
"Cake."
"Sorry, guys…Carter's my favorite!" Jack said, a teasing grin on his face.
She blushed as Daniel retorted. "Always knew that, Jack. I'd be worried if she wasn't."
There was an awkward silence that ensued as Jack took the chips and dip from Daniel, placed it on Teal'c's veggie and fruit trays and walked up to the kitchen.
"Well, anyone bring a movie?"
"Star Wars." Teal'c answered affirmatively.
"Anyone ELSE bring a movie?"
"I brought E.T." Sam said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I have not yet seen this classis science fiction motion picture." Teal'c said, bowing to Sam's choice.
"Sci Fi, Carter?"
"Sorry, sir…I don't watch a lot of movies…I'm too busy doing it."
"Right."
"I brought The Mummy." Daniel offered.
Jack looked at Daniel and then at Sam. "E.T. it is."
--
By the end of the movie, they were in their usual positions, with Jack and Sam on the couch and Daniel and Teal'c on the floor. However, this time, unconsciously, Sam and Jack had cuddled close with Sam's arms around Jack's waist and Jack's hand playing with Sam's hair. None of them could necessarily remember how they'd gotten to their respective positions, but as soon as Jack realized his and Sam's proximity, he untangled his fingers from her strands of blond hair, forcing her to let go of him. "What?" She asked, almost sleepily.
"I'm…gonna go and…get some more cake."
He turned, and she watched him go for a little while. What was she supposed to do? She was engaged to another man, but…she loved this one, and she knew he loved her.
Reach
out to me,
Call out my name
And I will take you in my arms…
"Jack."
He froze and turned, slowly. "Carter."
Daniel and Teal'c looked at one another, silently signaling to one another that it was time to go. "This was fun, but we're gonna have to go…it's late."
There was no answer from either Sam or Jack as they studied one another.
"Right then…we'll see you guys tomorrow." Daniel said, as the door closed.
"What'd you say?"
"Jack…I made a mistake."
"I believe that's 'sir' to you."
"No…it's not. Not after this." She said, pulling the receipt out of her pocket.
He grimaced, but still met her gaze.
"Why didn't you stop me?" She asked, unconsciously fidgeting with her engagement ring.
"Because you deserve the chance to be happy."
"And if I'm not?"
"You wouldn't do anything if it didn't make you happy. Not like this."
She blinked back tears of guilt. "I'm…I thought I was. Honestly, but…marriage…that's…that's a big step."
"Yes, it is."
"And…I guess I realized that if I had to wait two weeks…he's not exactly the one that I want or need to be around for the rest of my life."
Jack didn't verbally respond, but let his eyebrow raise in interest.
"And I couldn't say yes until I had my questions about you answered."
"Questions?"
"Whether or not your feelings have changed."
"And…"
"I thought they had."
She won another eyebrow raise.
"When I asked about you, I…I took a risk. Hoping that you would tell me how you felt, but…instead you said that you 'wouldn't be here'…what the hell was I supposed to think about that?"
"We were on the base, and under regulations." He responded to her somewhat sharp tone.
She looked down. "And we'll always be under regulations until we decide not to be."
"What about Pete?"
"He's not the one. And for me to continue this charade is not fair to him or to me."
"I see."
"Jack, if I've hurt you too badly…"
"Sam…what do you expect me to do? Retire…again?"
She shook her head. "Area 51 has been begging me to go and head up R&D for quite a while. As commander of the SGC, you wouldn't be my immediate superior, and therefore, regulations could be…bent."
"And if people start talking?"
"Dammit, Jack. Do you or don't you want to try to make this work?"
"I'm not the one who's been dragging her feet about the whole damn thing. I didn't want to leave any of our feelings in the friggin' isolation room after the za'tarc detector!"
"Then why the hell did you tell me that it was okay?"
"Those words never escaped my mouth…I asked if we were okay with this."
"And I WAS."
"Which is exactly why I didn't say anything!"
"Because you thought I didn't want you to?"
"Yes."
"Well, you were wrong."
"What?" He asked, confused.
"Every single time I gave a suggestion like that, it was so that you knew I would be okay with it. Not because that was what I wanted."
"How the hell was I supposed to know that?"
"I thought you and I knew each other well enough to do that."
"One thing: even after ten years of marriage to Sara, I still couldn't read her hints. So, just come right out and tell me what you want. Cuz I'm gonna assume that's what you do anyway."
"Well, we all know about assumptions…"
Jack walked angrily across the room and grabbed her shoulders. "You think I didn't want to take you in my arms? You think I didn't want to screw the regulations?"
"Why didn't you?" She whispered, her face only centimeters away from his, their breathing now ragged with passionate rage.
"Because I love and respect you too much." He replied, his voice husky and low.
She reached up and touched her lips to his. For a moment, they stayed there, allowing their inhibitions to control their actions. But soon afterward, restrained passion took over, and they reached for one another, as if they weren't able to live without the other. Suddenly, they were blind the regulations, and for a few hours, they lay in one another's arms with only the promise of tomorrow lingering in the air.