First Meeting
It was a year now, almost a year and a half since his life had turned to shit, since his boy had died and his wife left him. Or was it since he walked away. He didn't blame her for divorcing him, it was his fault, all his fault for everything. But he was beginning to pull his life together. At his darkest moment an amazing possibility arrived. It was supposed to be a death sentence instead it gave him back his will to live.
So now he had a renewed interest in the stars but no way to exercise it beside sitting at his telescope on his roof. That was until one day he was recalled and the game was on. The cover story was lame but for most non-military it worked. He brushed up on the basics of meteorology and most people were bored by intricacies of weather forecasting which he could bullshit with ease. When anyone heard he was now working for NORAD the only interest it sparked was tracking Santa across the night sky to make his deliveries.
He was not ready to date. It had been a damned long time since but he wasn't dead either. He was hungry and didn't feel like cooking or getting take out. He had a long day of being yelled at by his presumably new CO. So he stopped at a local place where there was good bar food and craft beer. And maybe, maybe, some company.
Sam Carter had been working in DC for years now on the most amazing project. Formerly she had set her sights on NASA but it paled in comparison, this was fantastic. The grunt work came first, mind boggling and at times mind numbing. Sam had programmed the dialing computers for the ancient device found in the desert sands of Egypt shortly after World War 1. She was so enthralled that once they got it to work she wanted to be one of the first to go through it to the stars, she wanted to enjoy the fruits of her labor - an adventure of a lifetime. But could she - no. It was deemed too dangerous, men's work. And they sent her back to DC telling her not to worry her pretty little head. She was steamed but it was the military and she did as ordered.
Over a year later, while she perfected her previous program, worked on the possibilities of time travel, alternate realities and multiverses, and devoured the heavily redacted mission report of the first and only trip through the Stargate, Sam received orders to report to Cheyenne Mountain to General George Hammond.
After some initial meetings with her dear godfather and soon to be boss Sam returned to DC to tie up loose ends and then move to Colorado Springs to perhaps have that adventure of a lifetime.
For the first month she ping-ponged between DC and Colorado Springs. While in the Springs there were initial meetings with fellow scientists and technicians, setting up dialing computers and the nexis of operations, networking the entire complex, calculating the staggering power usage and providing for it. That first trip was supposed to be a one and done, now they were planning for a future of exploration. Sam stayed at a local hotel with a local eatery adjacent to it. It was very handy for dinner of good food and craft beer, especially after long and strenuous days mostly hunched over a computer keyboard.
She never liked sitting by herself at the 'table for one'. So Sam opted for a seat at the bar, the only open seat next to a man seemingly by himself and a young couple on the other side.
"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Sam wondered if he was waiting for his date?
"No" he said absentmindedly until he got a look at her and smiled.
She looked at his plate and got a waft of the food and her stomach growled. "Look good."
"Hungry?"
"Starved."
Jack pushed his plate toward her, there was half a hamburger and a pile of fried, and signaled the bartender.
"Ma'am, how can I help you?" The bartender asked.
"I'll have this" and pointed at Jack's plate "and a glass of the house red."
It seemed simpler than looking at the menu and the fries she snagged were crisp and delicious.
They started to chat and found out they were both working for NORAD. Around prim bites of her dinner Sam astounded him with the technical details of radar telemetry, so much so he began to believe there actually was such a position at NORAD. When she finally came up for air and asked him what he did there, he replied "I keep everyone supplied with paper clips." And she laughed out loud.
After dinner he walked her back to her hotel and said goodbye in the lobby. Although he would have loved to have kissed her it was way too soon and anyway she was way too young for him.
The next day, somehow and totally by chance, he exited the mountain not two minutes after her while she was juggling her purse, a laptop and her car keys.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
She greeted him with an amazing smile and asked if he was going to dinner.
That's not exactly what he had planned but dinner with this lovely woman was definitely better, way better than a pizza and a beer on the couch.
Dinner was similar to the day before, same venue with a slightly different menu. When he left her in the hotel lobby she told him she was so glad to have made a friend in her new town.
They missed one another the next day. And the day after that she waited for him by his truck.
"I do it often but I hate eating alone."
"You want to go to…"
"I'm not monopolizing your evening, am I"
"How about Italian? I know a great place."
"That would be perfect
"Follow me or you want to jump in?"
"I'll ride along with you. I can look around and get a feel for the town."
"Not much time to drive around?"
"Not yet, too busy. How was your day?"
"Brutal, I think I got a paper cut."
She laughed out loud.
They had Caesar salads and lasagna and a good chianti. On the way back to her car she told him she had a flight back to DC in the morning and thanked him for his friendship and company.
He walked her to her rental car and she said that her boss in DC had made waves and now seemed unwilling to agree to her transfer. If things worked out she'd be back in a week but if not it was a pleasure meeting him. She saw his expression drop. Obviously he enjoyed her company as well. She kissed his cheek, hopped in her car and drove off. He stood there looking after her, even long after she was gone.
The next week for Jack was a busy one. Paperwork from the week before bled into this one. He had to straighten out the return to active duty from retirement. Among other things he had to see Sara. She had been receiving half his monthly retirement allotment which would no longer be available. He should have called ahead but hemmed and hawed so much that press for time he just drove to the house. Mike, his former father-in-law, was there but Sara was away on vacation. Mike let him know Sara was employed at a job she loved and since in the settlement the mortgage was paid off she didn't need the money. In fact she had wanted to talk to Jack about Charlie's college fund. Jack suggested she cash it out and keep it. Mike thought that was fair and wished Jack good luck. He could see his former son-in-law still suffered from the loss of his family.
Jack had to get the rest of his uniforms out of mothballs and spend some time at the shooting range. There were recruits to find and screen.
Sam's week in DC was busy as well. For the first few days she wasn't sure her transfer would go through. Nonetheless Sam did her best to tie up loose ends with the various projects she had in the works, some she planned to take with her, some she would give over to fellow scientists and others would languish. She did have a journal chuck filled with ideas that she would not part with. By the end of the week her CO finally relented, he had no choice. He told her pointedly not to poach his team of scientists for her new assignment.
At home She assessed her meager possessions. Sam divvied up what would go with her and what either friends or Sally's would get. Sam had to contact her landlord and see about breaking her lease or subletting. There were not enough hours in the day.
Going through some photographs she saw Jonas Hanson's face. Those she tossed in the trash. That part of her life was over and, if possible, forgotten. It made her think too of the man she met in Colorado Springs. It seemed silly, she had only had dinner with him a few times but she really liked him. He was funny, interesting and good looking and not at all pushy. She didn't see a wedding ring although that didn't mean anything. She wasn't even sure he was military, she had assumed so. Maybe he'd just be a friend or maybe… No, she had a new and fascinating position and that had to be first.
Sam was back after a hectic week in DC. She flew into Peterson and was surprised to see Jack there. He was about to get in a jeep that was a transport to Cheyenne Mountain. There was room for her and she sat beside him. He smelled of the fresh autumn air and cordite, she smelled of fading floral scent and jet fuel. They chatted the way back. She wondered why he was at the range and he said it was the utter frustration of keeping the copiers in paper and toner that had him blasting targets. She laughed out loud.
When they exited the jeep the driver called him sir, so that settled whether or not he was in the military, maybe.
Jack suggested dinner tomorrow night at his house, he could grill. When she hesitated he backed off immediately.
"No, no that's not it. I need to look for a place to live and I'm so busy during the day." Sam said reluctantly.
"House, apartment or condo?" Jack asked.
"I probably won't have much time to do yard work with a new job and I'm not sure I could even afford a house. So an apartment for now."
"You want to move twice?"
"I have almost nothing to move." then realizing she was at the Cheyenne Mountain parking lot she said "And I don't know what I'm doing here. I have to rent a car."
"Tell you what, let's get dinner at a local diner. They always have the latest real estate books and you could thumb through them and see what's available for what you can afford. At least it will give you an idea what's out there."
"Sounds like a plan. Could we go to the car rental first?"
"Yes ma'am."
And off they went.
The rest of the week was similar. They usually had dinner together, visited a few vacant apartments, one of which was perfect and they both spent long hours working.
After that week Sam traveled back to DC for her last week there. She packed all her belongings and arranged for them to be shipped to her new and freshly painted apartment. And she spent way too much time thinking of the man that had taken her to the airport and kissed her cheek goodbye.
Sam brushed up on her hand to hand and practiced her marksmanship. She missed some of the orientation at the newly named SGC but kept up to speed by the reports sent to her by General Hammond. These too were redacted but mostly she could fill in the blanks.
Her recommendations of scientists were vetted and they were busily transferring to Colorado. There at the mountain they were designing and equipping their labs. It would be a small contingent since there was only one planet to explore but there was that one amazing device to investigate.
Also she thought about that man. Did he work for the quartermaster or was he the quartermaster? If so she was sure by now he knew by now that she wasn't being transferred to NORAD. Somehow she couldn't imagine him in charge of paperclips. And she couldn't ask him what he did. If she did, he could ask her what she did. Then it was either lie to him which she didn't want to do or say it's classified. Not a great way to start a relationship.
During this week Jack was busy with the new members of the SGC as they were now calling it. First they were given a primer on the Stargate itself, the people of Abydos, the Goa'uld and the warriors of the Goa'uld, the Jaffa. From the looks on some of their faces he wasn't sure they all believed him. Then, when all others were restricted, they had a course on the shooting range with the weapons of the Jaffa. Jack could see their skepticism begin to fade with each blast of a staff weapon.
Sam, due to time constraints, had to fly commercial and Jack picked her up at the airport in Denver. He gave her a hug. She gave him a kiss.
He brought her to his house and grilled steaks with a green salad for dinner. She said the moving truck as well as her car were arriving the next day and she didn't arrange a place to stay. She said she could sleep in her new place. He offered his bed and would take the couch. She took his hand and said she was more than willing to share. Jack surprised himself and said maybe it was too soon. She looked embarrassed thinking she had gotten things all wrong.
"I'm not saying I don't want to." Jack said.
Sam glanced away and her eyes fell on the picture of Sara and Charlie. "You're married?"
"No, not any more. I fucked it up and I don't want to ever do that again. And certainly not to you."
If she had her own vehicle she might have fled instead she went off to bed alone. He was a divorced man with a kid. She really liked him but maybe it was too soon and too much baggage.
The next morning he made breakfast for her and drove her to her new apartment. Sam noticed he looked as though he hadn't slept. He offered to help with her things but she gave him a kiss and sent him off to work.
"Come by tonight and I'll make dinner."
"Sweet." was his reply.
That night they enjoyed a simple but delicious meal. He brought flowers and a bottle of wine and best yet pie and ice cream. The apartment looked settled, she had spent most of the day unpacking clothing, moving furniture, waiting for the cable guy, shopping for food and getting the kitchen in shape so she could cook. Sam was exhausted and hoped she hadn't bitten off more that she could chew by inviting Jack for dinner. He surprised her by insisting on doing the dishes, she cooked, the least he could do was wash up.
As they sat on the couch enjoying a last glass of wine Sam confessed she might just sleep on the couch since she hadn't made her bed yet.
"Come on." he said. And he helped her put on the sheets and comforter. Then one thing led to another and they used that freshly made bed and then slept soundly.
The next four days ended much the same, in each other's arms.
Jack left early on Monday morning, he had an important meeting to attend, in fact Sam did as well.
She saw him through the glass partition two seconds before she walked in. She did catch O'Neill completely unaware, witnessed by the deer-in -the -headlights look that he quickly recovered from. He went with the anti scientist rant to cover. She gave as good as she got and both managed not to either laugh or get caught or admit anything personal, except the fact that Jack liked women but she was already well aware of that.
O'Neill knocked on Hammond's door shortly after the meeting. As he entered Hammond said "Before you start Colonel, Captain Carter is probably the most valuable asset to this command."
"Yes,Sir. And that's why as our chief scientist, most knowledgeable about the Stargate, it's all the more reason to keep her off a front line team."
"I'll do the assignment on my base. She will be needed to assess what technology and what minerals are valuable."
"Yes Sir. However Sir, I know Captain Carter."
"And you were unaware she was assigned to this command."
"She said she was transferred to NORAD. She knows a hell of a lot about radar telemetry."
Hammond actually laughed. Then he stopped suddenly, narrowed his eyes and asked "How well do you know her, Colonel?"
"Very well, sir, very, very well." Jack couldn't have looked guiltier if he tried.
"End it or be discrete. And don't ever let me hear of this again. Dismissed."
Dinner tonight was going to be very interesting.