I have to continue to thank to Loverustal for her beta work also in this chapter.
Finally, alone in the secretary's office, Sam took three steps toward Jack's door. Muffled sounds could be heard from inside and a single tear fell down Sam's face. She quickly wiped it and took a deep breath. Her marriage was about to enter a rough patch. With her hand on the door handle she silently tried to open it, half expecting to find it locked. To her surprise, it was not. Opening the door quietly, she entered her husband's office to discover her suspicions were right.
The only light came from Jack's desk lamp but it was enough for Sam recognize the woman kissing her husband, Kerry Johnson. After all these years, Kerry Johnson had come back to claim her prize. They were so involved with each other that neither realized that she was standing in the middle of the office, watching them. Jack was sitting in his chair while Kerry was sitting on the desk with her back to the door. Sam counted out a minute in her head and cough loudly. The reaction was immediate.
Jack moved his head to the left and his eyes widened openly staring at his wife, all blood leaving his face. Kerry just turned her head and look at Sam with no expression on her face. Her red lipstick was smeared around her lips as well as Jack's.
"SAM?!" Jack shouted as he jumped out of the chair flinging it back against the wall.
Sam remained completely still looking at him with her full Colonel mask. This was no time for breaches. She needed all her strength and this was the only way. For this fight, she need Colonel Sam Carter, not Samantha Carter-O'Neill.
"Hello General.", she said coldly.
In the meantime, Kerry had stepped down from the desk and was very calmly composing her clothes. Sam was trying very hard not to look at her open blouse and black bra. As for Jack, well his jacket was nowhere to be seen along with his tie. Most of the buttons on his white shirt were open and he was quickly fastening his belt. Yeah things were definitely not peachy.
"SAM?" he said again. Trying to compose himself as fast as possible.
"Well at least you remember my name", she said. While taking a seat on the couch near the window as if she was merely making a social call and not having her heart broken in two.
Kerry Johnson was a little surprised by the composure of Jack's wife. She had expected a lot of shouting from Sam when she'd discovered that her husband was having an affair. Certainly not this blasé attitude. Colonel Carter continued in many ways to be an enigma to Kerry. However things were well pointed towards her goal: getting Jack back. As she put her high heels back on and grabbed her purse, she quickly looked at Carter. She was sitting on the couch in her jumpsuit, clearly having come directly from the Hammond without bothering to change. The woman hadn't even made an effort after months without seeing her husband. Yes, Kerry thought her job had definitely been made easier by the minute. She left without a word but a smile on her face.
In the meantime, Jack had gotten his clothes back together and was trying his best to come up with a solution to a problem he had created. Having fucked up his marriage really good.
"What are you doing in D.C.?", he asked. Sitting down in the chair in front of the couch.
Sam could have laughed at his question if she wasn't so deeply hurt and heartbroken.
"It's where I live.", she simply answered.
"I know that, but why today?", he asked as calmly as he could.
If someone would have entered the office and looked at them, it would have seemed like a normal husband and wife conversation to them. Although Sam's face was a blank mask devoid of emotions and Jack was doing his best to get his shit together after an afternoon of office sex with Kerry.
"So that's what bothering you? That I'm here today?", she asked. While looking around the office seeing that his desk had been mostly cleared of papers and files, like they did when they'd had sex on it. She felt bile rise in her throat and barely managed to squelch it.
Jack was confused. This was not the reaction he'd expected from Sam. Well he hadn't been expecting his wife today. That was the problem but apparently that train had already left the station and hit him full force.
"Humm. Well, no, yes, I mean…" He tried to put his thoughts in order. It would be much easier if she was yelling at him.
"Are going to decide on any of those or…?" The question remained unfinished while Sam extended her long legs trying to ease the muscle tension forming in her entire body.
Suddenly Jack stood.
"Aren't you going say anything about…" and he made a gesture towards his chair and desk.
Sam had been trying to decide exactly that for the last couple of minutes. Having been unable to come up with a clear answer yet, she was trying to buy herself some time.
The other option was to simply kill him and for now she really didn't want to do that, even heartbroken. Although a zat gun right now would have been too much to resist, so he was definitely lucky that the guns were safely locked in another room at the Pentagon.
"What do you want me to say, Jack? AFTER WHAT I SAW, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?!" she yelled. Letting the Colonel mask slip a little bit.
Jack sat down again in the chair in front of her. Joining his hands in a pleading gesture trying to make amends.
"I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so very, very sorry.", he said, eyes downcast.
"Sorry for being caught, I imagine.", she said. With a little laugh while she got up and went to the window looking outside.
He closed his eyes and exhaled. He'd fucked up this time, really bad. But he would not go down without a fight. They could get through this.
"Are you coming home?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"The jury is still trying to decide on that." she said. With her back to him.
He walked near her but kept a safe distance, weary of her and what she might do.
"I know, that I don't have any right to ask you anything but I'd really like to have my wife back home again." he said.
The tears had started to gather with a vengeance but Samantha Carter-O'Neill was a tough cookie when she put her mind to it. So the tears never fell. For a couple of minutes, the office remained in total silence while she tried to gather all her strength to take the next step.
"I have no intention of sleeping in a hotel while I have a house in town.", she coldly said. While picking up her duffle.
"Thank you, Sam.", he said with relief in his voice.
"Don't 'thank me', Jack. I'm just going home after being stuck months in a spaceship. That's all. The rest remains to be seem." she said, as she walked out of the door.
He stood motionless in the office after she'd left. Only after a couple of minutes was he able to gather his jacket, briefcase and phone. He saw that he had a message from Kerry but didn't bother to open it. Instead he called his driver and went home. Where hopefully Sam would also be.
Sam had taken a cab not bothering to wait for him. Especially not wanting to share the same space with him. In the cab she finally let the silent tears fall, while her mind replayed the images of her husband kissing and groping his ex-girlfriend from not a so distant past. Dear God! Sometimes life really sucked!