Twelve Red Roses

A Valenship 2008 Fic

by Sarai

Chapter Two

With Landry officially debriefed Sam headed directly for Washington. She sighed, relaxing into the comfy plane seat and stretching her legs out in front of her. Being a respected Colonel in the Air Force certainly has its perks, she thought.

Sam sipped her juice happily. She was finally on her way to see him. She couldn't believe she'd actually worked up the guts! Informing her superiors she required some early personal leave back on Earth had been a huge challenge for her. She was, after all, a respectful, rule-abiding officer of the Air Force. She never did things for her own personal gain. And she always followed the orders of her superiors. In that respect she didn't take after her husband at all.

As usual she couldn't wait to see him. But it was different this time. She felt different. This time Sam had the aching feeling that when he held her, she wouldn't be able to let go. The nervous fluttering in her stomach made her giggle. They'd known each other for over ten years and she'd felt like that about him for most of that time, although the feelings had enhanced especially in the eight months or so that they'd been married.

Pulling out her bag from the chair in front of her, Sam took a quick peek inside. While she knew Jack disliked surprises she hoped he would enjoy the one she was preparing for him, especially since she'd managed to keep her return to Earth a secret from him.

She smiled slyly as she tucked a snippet of black lace further into the bag and glanced around furtively. Putting her bag down again the giddy Colonel settled back into her chair, mentally organising the rest of the surprises she was preparing for her husband.

Within the deep confines of the Pentagon, General Jack O'Neill paced his large office impatiently. Stuck in meetings all day, Jack was fast beginning to lose his mind. On days like these he longed to be out in the field, his P-90 resting familiarly in his grip. But then, he had his reasons for taking this job. Sighing, Jack sat, reclining in his large leather chair.

One reason in particular was smiling back at him from a small picture frame almost invisible beneath the mounds of paper on his desk. The picture of Sam was one of his favourites, taken on their pier in Minnesota on honeymoon. She looked relaxed and happy, beer in one hand, laughing at some silly joke he'd just made.

On days like these, more than anything, Jack longed to be with his wife.

The General sighed again, tilting back his head. By now she'd have the roses he sent. He smiled. Jack didn't consider himself a romantic man, not by a long shot. And yet, there were times in the last two years when he just couldn't help himself. He actually found it easier to profess his love for his wife through gestures rather than words. Things like the 7th chevron engraving along with "Always" on her wedding ring. Still, he couldn't believe he'd actually managed to pull enough strings for this recent gesture. Being a 2-Star General in the USAF certainly has its perks, he thought.

Of course, a better gesture would have been for him to visit her himself. Unfortunately the nature of his job didn't allow time enough for frequent personal trips to the Pegasus Galaxy. A day or two here and there maybe…but then he was still making up for the two weeks he'd wangled for their impromptu honeymoon.

Jack closed his eyes, remembering the last night of those two weeks. They'd spent the better part of the evening intertwined on the couch in front of a dying fire. Sam breathing heavily on his bare chest tickled the few grey hairs there. His fingers twitched as he remembered stroking her hair, relaxing him as well as her. He remembered feeling as though they were the only two people in the world; they'd cut themselves off as much as two high-ranking AF officers could, checking in with the Pentagon and SGC only once every couple of days. He could feel the warmth of the fire on his face, smell in the enticing scent of his beautiful new wife…

A harsh knock jolted him back into the present.

"Come!" He barked, angry at whoever it was for disturbing his daydream. The door opened forcefully as his secretary Emma strode purposefully into the room, clutching a handful of folders.

"General, the minutes for your meetings today". She placed the stack on his already overflowing desk. He rolled his eyes at her.

She smirked. "With all due respect Sir, you can't just keep ignoring them. It's as much a part of your job description as bringing you coffee is part of mine!"

Jack grinned, one of the few things he really did like about the Pentagon was his team. They were no SG-1 of course, but still he'd struck lucky. After several unsuccessful trials involving assistants that were too afraid even to speak to him, the personnel manager had finally come up trumps with Emma. She was young, technically too young to be in such a privileged position, but she reminded Jack of a certain sparky young Captain he'd worked with ten years ago.

He checked his watch, 1700 hours, and sighed, knowing he wasn't likely to be home before 2100 that night.

"Speaking of coffee?" He pointed at the door.

"Of course sir". She paused, "If I may though, General Rogers asked me to pass on a message. He advised that you go home early tonight Sir. As a…reward for sitting in meetings so patiently today". Emma ducked her head, suppressing a giggle; her bosses' dislike of meetings was infamous.

Jack raised his eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Teal'c, though he didn't realise it.

"Oh he did, did he?" Seeming to contemplate whether this was a good thing or not Jack's eyes settled on Sam's picture. There were a lot more of these back at the safety of his house, along with beer and a hockey game if he could find one. Grabbing the blue jacket from the back of his chair he sauntered past his now openly giggling assistant.

Jack frowned. "Something funny?"

She choked, trying in vain not to burst out laughing. "Uhh…no…Sir. Goodnight…Sir!"

Jack walked out of his office. "These kids get weirder every day," he muttered.