Chapter 17: uninvited
It was very strange for her to be in charge of the SGC. Yet, as the most qualified officer on an active SG team, along with Colonel Reynolds, she was one of General Landry's direct reports. Samantha sometimes tended to forget that. However, the idea of one day taking command of the SGC regularly crossed her mind. She was ambitious, she had risen through the ranks faster than any other woman in the Air Force before her. So, to one day lead the SGC…. Why not. Anything seemed possible now. She touched the ring that was hidden under her fatigues. In a few weeks, this gesture had become a reflex when she thought of Jack and the future. Jack. She hadn't seen him in over two weeks. She had come to Washington to see him when he returned from Atlantis. Furthermore, she had lied to the rest of the team about going to see Cassandra. Cassie had just passed her year at Air Force medical school with flying colors, a perfect excuse. Of course, she had taken the opportunity to see Cassie. But more importantly, she had spent the weekend with him. It was Lieutenant Oswald who had welcomed her to Bethesda. General O'Neill had been held up at a budget meeting in the Senate. The two soldiers had agreed that they would announce their relationship to SG1 and Cassandra only when they were sure that the President would not go back on the agreement that Jack had outlined with him. In the meantime, she had to keep the secret. Nevertheless, the smile that Julia Oswald had addressed to her while welcoming her at the military airport had made her understand that Jack's assistant had pierced them. Cassie had been curious and observant during the dinner they had shared to celebrate her exam success. Although they had tried to remain neutral, Samantha suspected the young woman was not entirely fooled. She would soon have to reveal this secret to the whole team. She smiled and returned to her files. The Ori threat was still there, but her heart was lighter now that she knew she wouldn't be facing it alone. That she and Jack had a future. The phone rang as she sat down on the other side of the desk to continue reviewing the files turned in during the morning by SG teams.
"Carter." She declared as she picked up the phone.
"I'm willing to bet you're not sitting in the General's chair." Mocked a voice with the recognizable tone between a thousand. She laughed softly and stood up to push, with the tip of her foot, the door to the corridor.
"Laugh it up." She replied as she sank into the guest chair. "I can't wait for SG3 to get back from the mission."
"To think that you're going to spend a few days at the Lake with Landry without a second thought... When it took me nearly ten years to convince you to come fishing with me." He commented, a smile in his voice. Samantha checked the number on the switchboard: private, secure line.
"I hope General Landry doesn't have the same idea in the back of his head as you do...when he talks about a weekend in Minnesota." Jack laughed, that frank burst of laughter he only had with her.
"You're killing me, Carter." He sighed. Which, coming from him, meant he missed her. She smiled and brushed the ring under his jacket.
"I miss you too. When are you coming to Colorado Springs?" She questioned. "Cassandra would like to come, see the whole team and get to know Vala. She thinks Daniel has a thing for her." She informed him.
"An interesting idea, I think I'm going to like this woman. I'll be around soon, things are winding down a bit here. I should be able to get away for a weekend and we could break the news to them." He added, questioningly. She smiled frankly.
"That would be an idea, yes." She heard noise in the background, Julia's voice came to her muffled.
"I'm sorry, Carter, I'll have to leave you." He replied, more formal, but still with that tender nuance in his voice. "Sit down in this chair, Colonel, you'll see, I chose it to ensure the comfort of my successors. And he hung up. She smiled more frankly. These successors, of which she would be one, he seemed to have no doubt.
MINNESOTA - BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK O'NEILL'S CABIN
It was strange to be in the Chalet without the owner of the place being there. Everything here represented Jack's personality. The unclassified SG1 photos were everywhere, Cassie and Charlie were also very prominent. She missed Jack, but she was happy to share with the team a moment of relaxation in this place that meant so much to her. This was where she had spent her first night of love with Jack. This was where she felt at home, where they felt at home. She smiled when Teal'c teased her that she wasn't very "game". The Jaffa was becoming more and more talkative lately. He and Vala were a funny pair, and even for the Jaffa, the alien's joie de vivre was hard to resist. When Vala shuffled the cards and spread the river, Samantha's reaction was half-amused and half-surprised when the thief said, amused.
"King of spades. Possible royal marriage or King Kong in the works."
If she only knew… Samantha smiled and refocused on the game, determined to win in light of Teal'c's little dig.
