When he woke up and looked at his cell phone there were five messages from Kerry and two missed calls. Fuck. He was not going to deal with that today. His wife's bedroom was still closed, so he decided to take a quick shower. Then he'd start the coffee. Luckily it was Saturday so no meetings at the Pentagon. Hopefully somehow they could resume their talk about their shity situation. No, the shity situation he'd put them in to be more precise.
Putting on an old pair of jeans and a grey sweater, Jack went to the kitchen and started the coffee. There were still no sounds from Sam's room. He'd let her rest. She need it. She'd come back from a long voyage on the Hammond after all. Then had to deal with his shit. He'd never been so ashamed of himself like he was now. Just because he couldn't keep it in his pants, when Kerry Johnson offered herself up on a plate. Fucking old idiot. Yes, it'd been good sex. She was attractive but for Christ Sake he was married to the most amazing woman in the universe, in the galaxy even! He loved her as he'd never loved any woman before, not even Sarah. What had he been thinking?! He hadn't been thinking! The little General had done all the thinking and that had been the problem. He missed Sam but the little General had missed his wife even more! Making love to that sweet body, fucking her hard against the wall when his knees were up to it. Tasting her on the dining room table. God, he was a complete and utterly fool.
"Yeack…" The coffee was completely cold by now and still no sign of Sam.
Deciding to investigate, he silently climbed the stairs. He stood quietly at Sam's door barely breathing. No sound was coming from the room so she must be sleeping. Even tired that was very unusual for his wife. Sam never slept for long periods of time. Slowly he turned the knob and peeked. The room was almost dark except for the light that was coming in from the little space in between the curtains at the window. Sam was in the middle of the bed, a pillow firmly between her knees. While all the other pillows were on the floor. The covers were also drawn backwards, almost falling to the floor and she wasn't covered by any not even the cotton sheets. Jack swallowed, when he realized that she had only slept with her black lacy underwear. God, the woman had a body to die for! As if sensing that someone was in the bedroom, Sam turned to the other side. In the door's direction but her eyes were still closed. Her long hair was spilled over the bed covering half her face. Jack was starting to feel blood rushing south at top speed.
"Enjoying the view?"
Her question almost gave him a heart attack because he really thought she was asleep. She didn't move a muscle while speaking. He'd taught her well.
"Well, yes as a matter of fact." he said, clearing his throat. No point in lying when caught red handed.
"Not yours to enjoy anymore. Close the door and leave." she said, cold as ice. Grabbing the sheet to cover herself.
Sighing, Jack did what he was told and left. Things weren't starting out well this morning. He went to watch some hockey on TV, to clear his mind.
After he left, Sam spent several minutes staring at the ceiling, trying to regain control. She'd been awake when he'd entered the room but pretend to be asleep to see what he'd do. Apparently he still liked her body. As well as Kerry Johnson's. She wondered if there were others. That thought almost made her run to the bathroom and vomit. Calming herself, she decided that today she was going to clarify the subject. Tie up all loose ends, no matter how painful they were. If she was heading for a divorce, she preferred to start as soon as possible and not dwell on it. It would break her heart but if had to be done, the sooner the better.
After a quick shower, she put the first pair of jeans she found on and red v-neck t-shirt. She didn't bother with the hair, and left it loose. The kitchen was empty but she heard noise coming from the living room so Jack must have been watching TV. Taking her time, she made some toast and had her coffee. It was a beautiful sunny day. She took some time to appreciate it. Having been aboard the Hammond for months with its stale air and only the stars as the view and the occasional planet to visit. It was nice to be back on Earth.
Putting the mug in the dish washer. She took a deep breath and went to find her husband. As suspected Jack was watching a hockey game.
"Hi" she said, sitting on one end of the long sofa.
"Hey". He immediately muted the game.
"Ok Jack, let's talk like adults. I think after all these years we should be able to do that." she said, biting her lip again.
Jack sat more straight on the couch looking at her.
"Ok, Sam. Anything you want. What do you want to know?" he asked.
"How long has this thing been going on?" she asked, looking right at him.
"One and half weeks." he answered.
"Is she the only one? Or are there more?" She was more afraid of this answer than anything else at this time.
"Only her" he said and she knew it was true.
"Are you…" Sam faltered a bit. "Do you want to continue to see her?"
"No." His answer was immediate and left no margin for doubts.
"Why?"
"Why?" He repeated the question.
"Yes, why don't you want to see her again? Is it because I caught you? Would you have continued to see her, if I had arrived today as originally planned?"
Sam wanted things totally clarified. She wanted to know if she was going to be able to ever begin to trust him again or if it was just a lost cause. If the best course of action was going to be a simple divorce.
"I don't know" he answered, truthfully.
So apparently they were heading for a divorce.
"So if I hadn't caught you two, you would have continued to see her, after I left with the Hammond again. Is that right?" she asked again, for clarification.
"I don't think so, Sam." he answered slowly.
Sam passed her hands through her long hair in an exasperated sigh.
"Jack you can't say "I don't think so" in a situation like this! Were you going to continue to cheat on me or not?! WHICH IS IT?!" she asked, raising her voice for the first time.
He saw her façade was breaking as the conversation continued but he was being completely honest. As soon as he had seen Sam in his office yesterday, all thoughts of Kerry Johnson had simply gone out the window. He only wanted his wife back, no one else. She had to know that.
"Look Sam, I will be as honest as I can. Like I said yesterday, I'm sorry for what I did. It was a mistake and I can only ask for your forgiveness. I don't love Kerry Johnson, never did, not back then, not now. Bluntly it was just sex. I'm sorry. She has no place in my life, only you, if you'll still have me. I really hope that you will because I love you from the bottom of my heart. I've never loved a woman like I Iove you Sam. You know that I don't do these 'feeling things' well. But if that's what it takes that to convince you, that you're the love of my life. I'll stay here the whole day saying the same thing to you until you're convinced. I love you, only you."
He was flushed when he finally stopped talking but his eyes were as open as his soul. He really hoped that she could see that he was telling the truth. After all she knew him, faults and all.
Sam had heard everything he had said and was speechless for the moment. In all of their years of marriage never had Jack O'Neill ever spoken so much about his feelings. Her brain need to process what had been said, although her heart already had done that much faster. The problem was that she always listened to her brain and almost never her heart.
"So no more Kerry Johnson?" she asked, to confirm.
"No more." he confirmed.
"You realize Jack, how difficult it's going to be for me to trust you again?" she asked, while putting one leg near her chest.
Jack knew that already and was prepared.
"Yes, I know. I need to earn that trust all over again. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to do that. I mean it Sam, whatever it takes. You say the word and I'll do it."
"Anything?" she asked, doubtfully.
"Anything." he answered, with conviction.
Sam stood silent for a couple of seconds. Thinking of a list of tasks for him to perform to expunge all his sins. He was ready to do all of them.
"So if you never had to had any more contact with her…" She left the sentence unfinished.
"I would find a way, if that's what you want." he said, seriously.
"It is." she said, firmly.
"Ok, considered it done. Anything else?" he asked, calmly.
"Let's start with that." she said, getting up from the couch.
"Ok." The knot in his gut was slowly starting to untangle.
Jack pick up his phone and deleted all the messages from Kerry. Then blocked her number. After he picked up the remote and restarted the hockey game. Sam had left for her room again. After thirty minutes however she was downstairs, in leathers, with her helmet in the hand.
"Are you going out on the bike?" he asked, confused.
"Yes, I need to clear my head." she said, putting on the helmet.
"Are you coming back for lunch?" he asked, tossing the remote again.
Definitely not a morning for watching hockey.
Sam picked up her bike keys, and cell phone. Then put on her aviator sunglasses.
"Better not wait for me, I might be late." she said, leaving the house and going to the garage.
He followed after her and watched her open the garage door. She took out her precious Indian, she had driven herself from Colorado Springs. Then she mounted it and without a look back she took off. Burning rubber. 'Ok, that was strange.' he thought.
Sam drove a couple of miles to feel the bike and release the stress. Then she took a different direction, Kerry Johnson's address. Things were going to be resolved today, one way or the other. She stopped in front of a very modern looking apartment complex and dismounted. Taking her helmet off she went to the reception, where a young man was seated.
"Good morning, Ma'am. May I help you?"
"Good morning. Can you ring Miss Kerry Johnson and tell her Colonel Samantha Carter-O'Neill is here to see her?"
"Of course. Please wait a moment. You can have a seat in one of those chairs." he offered while picking up the phone.
Sam ignored the suggestion and paced a little while waiting. Five minutes later a very fresh and smiling Kerry Johnson was stepping out of the elevator and heading her way.
"Colonel Carter, what a surprise." She ignored the O'Neill on purpose.
"Miss Johnson, I hardly believe that is true." Sam said without breaking a sweat.
Kerry Johnson looked at her rival and almost giggled. The woman was dressed in brown leathers, boots and with a helmet in her hand. The aviator sunglasses gave her a pilot look, hardly a seductive appearance. Kerry was wearing a short summer dress, showing some nice cleavage, sandals and big earrings. The differences couldn't be more evident.
"Wanna grab a coffee? It's just around the corner. I suspect you want to talk?" asked Kerry.
"Fine." Sam wasn't exactly expecting to talk to her in the lobby.
The two women left the building in silence. Although each one gave the other a quick appraisal measuring their opponent. The coffee shop was indeed a very short walking distance from Kerry house. It was blessedly almost empty at that hour on a weekend day. After ordering, the two sat at a table close to the window but far from the entrance.
"So what brings you here, Colonel?" Kerry asked, with the most adorable smile she could put on her face.
Sam looked at her cappuccino and then to the woman sitting in front of her.
"Do you really want to play that game, Kerry? I gave you more credit than that but apparently I was wrong…" Sam's smile was clearly a mocking one.
Kerry's smile was gone in an instant and her posture was now that of a cat ready to attack its prey.
"Fine, Colonel! No games! Easy for me. Jack is mine now so you'd better get used to it." She said almost spitting the words.
Sam relaxed a little in the chair, the same smile still on her face.
"Oh really?! Is that how you're deluding yourself nowadays?" she asked, almost amused.
Starting to feel a little angry at the apparently relaxed attitude of the General's wife, Kerry decided to lay all her cards on the table.
"Oh I'm not deluded, my dear. I know that for a fact. I've known since the first time he started fucking me, every day since last week. More than once a day if you want to know.", she said, showing almost all her beautiful white teeth.
It was a low blow although not something that Sam wasn't expecting to hear from her adversary. Nevertheless, it took all her military training to keep her from punching Kerry in the face with all her strength. Instead, Sam as calmly as she could, drank a little of her coffee and just looked at her.
"Is that it? You fucked my husband and you think that he's yours? You're not a very smart one, are you? I wondered how you entered the CIA? Probably on your back…" Sam lifted her eyebrows gently in disapproval.
"What the hell?!" Kerry almost yelled at the woman calmly sitting in the coffee shop as if she was discussing the weather.
Sam was losing her patience. She didn't want to spend one more minute with this woman then she absolutely had to. So let's get to business, as the song said.
"Look Kerry. I get it. You had Jack before and you've had him again but you are not getting him anymore. It's over so get that through your head or things will get very nasty for you." she said coldly.
Kerry looked at her as she had two heads.
"Are you threatening me?" she asked, almost laughing.
"No." Sam shook her head. "I'm simply explaining how things will be from now on. Just to get everything crystal clear. No room for misunderstandings."
It was as if she was giving a lecture at the Academy like in her old days.
"Oh please enlighten me Colonel, because I'm dying to know how you're going to keep your husband out of my bed. Once you're out there in space for months at a time" she said, smiling like a cat with a plate of milk in front of it.
"I don't have to enlighten you about my marriage. I'm simply telling you that Jack isn't yours to keep so stay away from him and your life will be much healthier and…" Sam paused as looking for the right word but after a couple of seconds she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
At this point Kerry was boiling inside.
"Well just let me tell you that if your marriage was so wonderful, your husband wouldn't be fucking me like a madman in the first place! So stop pretending you have the upper hand in this situation and give him the divorce. It is the easiest way for everyone." she said, crossing her arms.
"No one will be getting a divorce." Sam said icily.
"I beg to differ. Apparently you haven't talked to your husband enough." she said smiling again.
Sam felt a cold chill run all over her body but tried to put it past her. She would not show one inch of weakness in this conversation.
"Oh we've talked plenty." she said, with a false conviction. "That's why I'm saying that you have no chance whatsoever of staying with him. You never had." She ended with a punch she knew would affect Kerry.
Kerry eyes almost spit fire when she heard that.
"YOU FUCKING ICY BITCH!" She yelled punching the table.
Luckily they were the only customers at the coffee shop because Sam abhorred public scenes.
"If you can't keep a calm conversation, I'm leaving." Sam picked up her helmet.
"Get away from me, but mark my words Jack will be back to my bed before your leave is over." She snarled.
Sam left the coffee shop without another word and got back to her bike parked near Kerry's apartment lot. Her hands were shaking when she started the bike and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself before leaving. The last thing she needed was an accident.