Equilibrium

Guys, here we are. The final chapter of this story. I had so much fun writing it, reading your comments and input. Thank you for staying with me. And since every end is a beginning, I'm thinking about a new story that follows Sam & Jack through what comes next.

Jack stops abruptly when he notices where his feet have dragged him. Carter's lab. Just that it's not Carter's lab anymore. Major Cassidy, SG-2's new scientist, handpicked and highly recommended by Carter, is staring at Jack with wide-eyes, hastily ordering the few items on her desk.

"General O'Neill, Sir," Cassidy almost snaps into attention before remembering what Jack has told her in previous encounters, so the almost salute ends in a comedic head scratch. The young woman looks as pained as Jack feels. It's the fourth time he sleepwalked here, and judging by the wary look on the Major's face, he must have left a rather predatory impression.

God, he swears and then offers the first excuse that comes to mind. "Major. How are you settling in? Do you have all the, uhhh, thingies you need to, uhh, do… science?"

Good one, Jack.

He pushes his hands into his pockets and rocks back and forth on his heels, trying to make it look less awkward than it feels. It's not working. By the suspicious look the Major throws him, Jack realizes that he has used this excuse before.

"Yes, thank you, Sir," she answers sharply.

"Good, good," he says and looks around for anything that could be an actual reason for coming here. Just none of the doohickies mean anything to him, so the silence becomes longer, stranger and Major Cassidy more nervous.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then, Major. Looking forward to your report on...,"

Oh please, Jack thinks and then spins around and darts for the elevators. Access to Level 23 should really be deleted from his keycard.

As the elevator doors close, Jack lets out a long sigh. Six weeks since Carter left for Nevada. Six long, long weeks since they last saw each other. Sure, they've been separated for much longer, but that was before. Now they are in this exciting but also extremely confusing new place. It doesn't help that talking had never been their strong point, to begin with.

All they've had was one night in Colorado Springs, three days in Minnesota in separate bedrooms and with not much more than a quick kiss between fishing rods in the shed and then two more days without Daniel and Teal'c before she flew out to Nevada. A one-week-old relationship, overloaded with eight years worth of baggage and now 900 miles between them. He had never thought transitioning from Colonel and Sir to lovers would be easy, but not seeing her, not being able to read her little gestures and glances, is definitely not making things easier.

"Colonel Carter called, Sir," Walter says when he spots Jack climbing up the stairs to his office.

Sweet. Jack falls into his chairs; his mood already lifted. He reaches for the phone and hits the speed dial. Carter picks up on the first ring.

"Carter." Her voice is light.

"Hey, there," he says and feels like his body is straightening as if freed from a heavy load.

"Ah, the creepy General." The tease in her voice is coming through clearly despite thousands of miles of cable between them.

"Cassidy?" He slumps back into his chair. He didn't behave for years around Carter only to get dragged into a fraternity case because he accidentally stalks a Major who happens to work in Carter's office. That's going to be a hard one to explain to any JAG.

"Don't worry. I assured her you're harmless. Just really interested in the newest scientific findings, so she should make sure to be as elaborate as possible in her reports and briefings."

If Carter didn't sound so damn happy about her payback, he would consider putting on his I'm the man voice. "Great. Thanks, Carter. Ba'al could learn a thing from you."
"What?"

"It's double torture. Science, but not from my...," Jack quickly glances out of the window, making sure no one is about to burst in. "...favorite scientist."

She laughs, and Jack feels a smile sneak up onto his lips. Carter-laughs work wonder—in long meetings, Goa'Uld prisons cells and from miles away.

"Well, I just finished a report on the hyperdrive of the F-304," she says and starts to rattle down a few numbers. Jack leans back and closes his eyes. The sound of her voice carries back the memories of her face during briefings, of the slightly excited flush on her cheeks, the glimmer in her eyes, the insubordinate glance she threw him when he drifted off…

"Jack?"

Whoops.

"It's just not the same over the phone."

She falls quiet. Jack's not sure it's a good sign. They fall into old patterns sometimes. Affection often the trigger for silence. But then she says, "What are you doing next weekend?"

"Oh, you know, annoying Miss Jenkins with the smell of burnt meats," he says, hopeful for what that smart brain of hers has concocted.

"I bought plane tickets," she casually says as if spending an entire weekend together wouldn't be the biggest deal in the universe.

Okay, O'Neill, play it cool.

"Any place specific?"

"Perhaps."

If Daniel popped by now, he would see a stupidly excited grin plastered on Jack's face.

"Cool."

"Yup."

Who would have thought that their usual means of communication, aka speaking without many words, would work that well over the phone? Just then, when Jack thinks he's going to need at least ten minutes before this grin subsides and he can step out of his office again, the alarm goes off.

"Gotta go. See you Friday then?"

"Ya sure, you betcha."

It's a staredown over the last slice of pie that sits a bit lopsided on a tray in the commissary. Jack has his hands on it already, but Daniel is equally holding onto it with the pure force of his eyes, which sit in two dark holes, sleep-deprived and a bit bruised too. He's just come back from a mission with SG-9. Some archeology dream job that took a rather unfortunate turn when they encountered the locals. Let's say Unas are cute lapdogs in comparison. After a missed radio contact, Jack had sent SG-3 to Daniel's rescue, and now here he is, not a little bit defeated but challenging Jack to a duel over the last slice of pie. But you know what, Daniel? Take it. Cake is just an irrelevancy considering that tonight, after eight weeks, Carter is coming home. So Jack let's go off the cake and leaves a surprised Daniel with his new won pie. There's a much better dessert on a plane from Nevada right now, and Jack has to try quite hard to conceal the thrill of anticipation. Daniel sits down on the other side of the table, suspiciously glancing at Jack, who's trying to pretend that everything is just as always. After a few bites in silence, Daniel says, "You are in a surprisingly good mood recently."

It sounds all casual but has Jack's alarm bells ringing. Daniel is onto him. And that's dangerous because under no circumstances is he going to share even the tiniest nanosecond of his Carter-time with Daniel.

"I'm always a ray of sunshine," Jack says and takes a sip from his coffee to hide the traitorous smile that is sneaking back onto his lips.

"So," Jack says, ignoring Daniel's eye roll. "Are you going to talk Hammond's ear off about the upcoming trip to Atlantis?"

Of course, that gets Daniel going. It's so easy to distract him and lead him to much safer grounds, just that Jack has now to listen again to the monologue he has probably heard three times already. But it's less torture this time because little does Daniel know that Hammond has long approved his request to join the expedition, and the only reason Jack hasn't told him yet is that Hammond really deserves to suffer at least once through Daniel's endless elucidation.

Daniel suddenly stops talking, and Jack realizes that his lips are smiling again. How did that happen? Perhaps when he thought about Carter landing in an hour and how he would…

"You would tell me if Sam was coming, right?" Daniel says, boring his eyes into Jack.

"Of course," Jack says. "You would get a memo. Just like the one that told you, Hammond was coming on Monday."

"Jack!"

Nope, they're not officially admitting to it. Yet.

He knows things have changed, and yet, Jack can't help himself but be startled when he finds her sitting on his roof looking through his telescope. The moon shimmers in her hair, makes it almost silver, and reminds him of one of the few easy missions. When they sat under an alien night sky, silently, simply enjoying each other's company. He had always wanted to touch her moon silver hair, and now he finally can. But before he can step closer, she turns around and gives him a bright smile.

"Hey," Carter says, just a little bit shy and a little bit nervous. It's adoring, especially since he likes to believe that when she was flustered like this before, it might also have had something to do with him.

"Sorry I'm late," Jack answers and is suddenly all nervous himself. Eight weeks is a long time. And they hardly had time to get used to this new thing between them, so it's easier at first to fall back into old behavior. Nothing of the unleashed welcome he had imagined it would be. Just cute and shy and so not like him but then again, so much like them.

"No worries, I let myself in," Carter says with a wink.

"Those lock picking skills come in handy?"

"Actually, Miss Jenkins showed me where you hide your extra keys."

"Ahhh." Of course. Miss Jenkins must have sensed Carter the moment her feet hit the ground of Colorado Springs. She must be jazzed about finding Carter in front of his door, and Jack's just curious about the fuzzy excuse she's going to bring up next time she knocks, or worse stands right in his bedroom. He wouldn't be surprised.

"Are you sure she's not working for the NID?" Carter quips.

"I run a background check on her," Jack answers, and then they stand there, not knowing what to say next, let alone do next. It's ridiculous really, so he reaches out for her while she steps forward, and they bump into each other in an awkward hug. She huffs a peal of quiet laughter but then relaxes into his arm, and suddenly it feels much easier. Less thinking, more doing, that's always been his recipe for success. Jack digs his nose into her hair and pulls her closer. God, has he missed her. Carter shifts slightly in his arms and turns her head up to him, and then she's kissing him, and Jack can't imagine that he was ever able to exist without that—without her. He's kissing her back, increasing intensity, pulling her closer to his body, letting his hands wander down from the appropriate shoulder area to the much more exciting one of the soft skin under her shirt. Her hands are equally explorative and have slipped under his jacket, sliding up his sides. He's reacquainting himself with every inch of Carter-skin when she freezes and says, "Miss Jenkins is watching."

His body is humming loudly from joy, so he doesn't hear her first. Only when she pulls back slightly does he notice that somehow he has opened the buttons of her shirt, and her exposed skin glistens almost white in the moonshine. If they are upsetting (or exciting, he's not so sure about which one) his neighbor, it's really nothing he has any capacity to care about now.

"We'd better make it a show then," he whispers in her ear and feels a shiver wander through her body as a response.

"Inside, General. Now." Carter growls in a voice he's never heard before.

Oh yeah. Daniel has no idea just how much General out of Carter's mouth is working for him.

Jack's just glad that he was the first itch Carter needed to scratch when she arrived. Well, they scratched it more like four times, but hey, who counts? Now she's out on her Indian. Whizzing along some empty highway. A thought that makes Jack all itchy again. As he walks towards his back porch, balancing a plate with meat and two bottles of beer (he's got to make good on annoying Miss Jenkins with some extra well meat smell), it knocks.

"You know it's open," he yells. Kind of pleased that—relationship or not—Carter still plays Mrs smartypants when it comes to things like locking your front door. Jack doesn't even care to wait for her and keeps walking towards the backdoor when an unexpected voice surprises him.

"Hey Jack."

Jack shifts slightly and there on this beautiful Saturday morning, just hours after he rolled off Carter, stands General Hammond.

"General." It's instinct really, reverting to his title. He feels like a little boy about to be caught by his dad doing something he shouldn't be doing.

"Sorry I'm dropping in on you announced," General Hammond says with a smile.

Jack drops the plate onto a table but holds onto the beer, glancing to the door before he steps towards George to give him a friendly hug.

"I didn't expect you before Monday," Jack says.

"I flew in yesterday. Meet some old friends, check-in on the house, you know."

Jack's head bobs up and down like some muscle in his neck isn't quite working. Ironically this situation has a lot of similarities with not even three months ago when Carter showed up at his house.

"Got a coffee for me?" Hammond says.

Carter can come back any minute. This is not how he wants their relationship to become public. It's too early, and quite frankly, he's afraid it's going to remind Carter of all the reasons why they didn't commit to their feelings earlier. But then again, there's a perfect explanation why Carter will show up at his house: she was taking her bike for a ride. It's not that she's walking in on Hammond dressed only and barely in Jack's old shirt.

Jack nods to the sofa then heads to the kitchen to make some coffee. Once they are settled, and past the common pleasantries, Hammond gets to the point.

"We've been working together for almost nine years, so I didn't just want to spring this on you on Monday."

Jack stiffens. So this is not a friend just dropping by.

"I'm stepping back as Head of Homeworld Security," Hammond says. "I'm retiring."

As usual, Jack falls into joke-default while his brain is trying to ignore what that news paired with Hammond's surprise Saturday morning visit means. "I told you this desk job was going to be a nightmare. Dealing with those politicians who are worse than Goa'Uld. Wearing your dress blues everyday all day…"

"You will get used to it," Hammond says, but Jack keeps going.

"It's bad enough behind the desk at the SGC, but at least you get a whiff of adventure and stray shots here and there in the gate room but in DC…"

Suddenly it hits. It feels more like a punch in the gut and not at all as a promotion should feel.

"Wait a second. You will get used to... As in…"

It can't be. They just got out of the direct chain of command, and now he's supposed to be the boss of all of them?

"They want you as new…"

"Do you want another cup of coffee?" Jack gets up and grabs Hammond's cup from the table. It's still full. He stares into the black liquid looking at the reflection of his face. Where's that dumb happy smile he saw there just an hour ago when he brushed his teeth with Carter doing the same right next to him?

"Jack," Hammond's voice jolts him out of his thoughts.

"Maybe a whiskey?" Jack glances at his watch. It's 11:30.

"Jack, they want you…"

Jack considers plucking his fingers into his ears and lalala, but before he can do so, Hammond finishes his sentences. "They want you as the new head of the department of homeworld security."

He wonders what greater cosmic balance is at work here. Maybe he and Carter just can't be together for the sake of the universe. He rubs his hands over his face, decides against a whiskey, and for another joke. "I didn't expect anyone would ever want me as head of something. As face maybe. I was told I have a good jawline." He tries a flattering smile, which won't quite work.

Hammond is smiling brightly as if this just another one of Jack's hard-to-get. But when he watches the younger man, noticing how there are frustration and something else hardening his features, the smile subsides.

"I know a desk in DC isn't your dream job, but it is the front line of defense for the Stargate Program. It's where we fight the internal battles to protect our teams so they can protect the world," Hammond states. Of course, Jack knows. Of course, Jack wouldn't be super excited about the job under other circumstances, either. But if it weren't for Carter, he would joke a bit more and then follow orders. But he can't. Not now. Not after finally feeling peace in his heart.

"I'm honored, General. But there must be someone else."

"Of course, there is. Wolsey has his own idea of a perfect candidate. But you're the only one that understands what it means to fight those battles our teams are going into. You are the only one who knows what the SGC needs."

Jack reconsiders a glass of whiskey, but he doesn't need anything to bolster him up. It's quite simple.

"Sorry, George, but I'm not your man."

"I can keep going with the flatteries if that's what you need to hear," George says, an attempt to lighten the situation. He watched the man in front of him in the most challenging situations, and the look he has on his face now reflects the one he had in moments like near self-destruct.

"Is this an order?" Jack asks.

"Well…" Hammond confirms what Jack knew all along.

"I can't do it. I'm sorry."

"And you're not going to tell me why?"

Of all moments, this is one Jack hears the churgle of Carter's bike. How it comes closer and louder and then dies out altogether. He visualizes her pulling off her helmet, kicking down the stand in one move. He can hear her boots on the ground, and next thing, the door opens. As always, Carter has impeccable timing.

"General." She freezes in the doorway, her eyes darting back and forth between Jack and Hammond.

"Colonel Carter," Hammond gets up, and the look he throws Jack is all-knowing. There's no way they can fool him. But Carter wasn't Carter if she didn't immediately adapt to the situation and find a way to save their asses once again.

"Good to see you," she says with a genuine smile that makes Jack wonder how often she had lied to him. "I was just dropping my bike off. The General lets me park it in his garage while I'm Nevada."

She turns to Jack and says, "I just need the keys, Sir and I can put it back in."

It's scary how quickly she falls back into the good-soldier-routine. Jack should add something to complete her story. Make it bulletproof. But he doesn't want to deny this anymore. Eight years with feelings. Four unbearable. He almost lost her to his military duty and another man.

"Sure, hope no cop is on your tail."
Oh, what irony.

Sam throws him an annoyed glance that Hammond doesn't catch.

"Well, it was good to see you, Sir. If you are not busy, we're having a team dinner tonight…"

Jack isn't sure anymore what's pretend and what's real. Did she really plan dinner with Daniel? Royally no to that.

Hammond nods seems to buy her story and when she says that she's got to go to meet Daniel, and thank you again, Sir, for hosting the bike, Jack wants to grab her and press his lips against hers, maybe dip her, to show Hammond once again, this time without an all resetting time loop, that he loves her.

Carter is almost out of the door, the grand revealing averted, when there's another voice coming from the back door.

"Mister O'Neill."

Miss fucking Jenkins.

"I made cinnamon buns. When I let Samantha into your house yesterday evening, I thought to myself: I should make those two some cinnamon buns. They will probably be busy with other things than making breakfast."

Miss Jenkins walks into his living room through his back door, carrying a plate of, in all fairness, delicious looking, cinnamon buns. She smiles brightly at them, pleased to find an even bigger audience than expected.

Carter has turned to the brightest red Jack has ever seen on her, and there's no way Hammond is going to understand this situation wrong anymore. Jack's confused by the almost pleased smile on Hammond's lips, but right now, his first order is to get Miss Jenkins out before she can make things even worse.

"Miss Jenkins, let me show you my front door. The usual means of entry and exit if you visit a house that is not yours." Jack takes the plate of buns—you should never punish pastries—then navigates Miss Jenkins towards the front door.

"Can you believe they finally found together? I had almost given up on him," Miss Jenkins manages to say to Hammond as Jack escorts her past him and even gets in a good dig into Jack's ribs.

Once the door closes behind Miss Jenkins, Jack takes a deep breath before turning around, not knowing what to expect from either Carter or Hammond.

This woman is going to be his death.

Slowly he shifts and first looks at Carter, who's still incredibly flushed even by her standards, then to Hammond, who simply grins. Jack claps his hands and says the first thing that comes to mind, "Cinnamon buns anyone?"

"You know, two cinnamon buns and a slice of chocolate cake might not be the best diet when you sit behind a desk in DC instead of wandering through the SGC," Carter says with a mischievous grin.

They've actually made it out alive and are now sitting in Carter's favorite coffee shop. Once Miss Jenkins spoke the truth, and Hammond's look had said something like dare to elaborate, Carter had said it out straight. Steady, confident, happy: The General, Jack, and I are in a relationship.

Apparently, this was not a problem to Hammond and almost a relief because, yes, even though Jack would be the head, he wasn't her commanding officer with General Hughes as commander of Area 51 in between. And especially since their relationship started before Jack would take command, no problem at all. So in Hammond's mind, Jack could just take the job as head of homeworld security so he could finally retire. Just for fun, Jack told him he would think about it over the weekend.

"It's a special occasion, Carter," Jack says and shoves the last spoon of chocolate cake into his mouth.

Carter rolls her eyes and smiles at him. Jack is still glad she hasn't changed her mind. Secretly starting to date is one thing. Telling others that they are a thing now, something else.

"That makes me think, I should get some to go, Miss Jenkins had a point." He gets up, letting his hands wander along her shoulders as he squeezes by to get some other baked goods for breakfast. That's much quicker than making eggs, so they have much more time for other, much more pleasant things. Judging by the bright smile of the waitress, he must be smiling himself. DC or not, there will always be another challenge in their relationship. Nevada had always been just an interim for Carter, at least in Jack's head. So it was only a matter of time before things would change again. Perhaps not as quickly as they changed now, but being the head instead of the man came with some perks like regular visits to Area 51. And let alone in the past six weeks, Carter flew to DC once. So maybe this all meant more Carter-time, and he didn't even have to share with Daniel.

With a bag full of croissants and an even brighter smile on his lips, Jack walks outside, where Carter is waiting. As he steps into the bright daylight, he spots Carter hugging someone. He isn't quick enough to stop and turn around and make a run for his life because as Carter moves out of the embrace with Major Cassidy, his stalking-victim spots him. The young woman immediately stiffens, her smile subsides, and there's something like 'Oh what a coincidence' on her face when she looks at him.

"General O'Neill," she says and throws Sam a conspiratorial glance. Carter turns around and chuckles when she finds Jack staring helpless into her direction.

"Major," Jack says and quickly slips his shades over his eyes. This work-relationship was doomed from the moment Cassidy moved into Carter's lab. But for the second time today, Carter is the rescue team he needs. She spins around, steps next to him, and grabs his croissant free hand.

"It was good to see you, Tara. But we've got to go. I'm only here for the weekend." Carter says with a wink, then pulls Jack forward towards his car.

"I'll call you when I'm back in Nevada," Carter hollers over her shoulder.

Jack can't help but turn around. Cassidy's face is wide from surprise, then the AHA pops in her brain, and Jack can practically watch her puzzle it all together—almost as quickly as Carter would have. She huffs a smile and says, "Can't wait, Sam. See you Monday, Sir." And for the first time, when Cassidy speaks to him, it doesn't sound like she's going to report him any second.

Jack and Sam get into the car, but before he starts the engine, he turns to Carter and dives in for a kiss. Just to make sure there are no misunderstandings left.

End.