Chapter six

After the argument about Jacob, Sam just didn't know what to say to Jack to make things better. She had tried reasoning with him, and each time he came back with accusations about how she always did exactly what her father wanted her to do. Sam knew that in many ways Jack was right; she had always done as her father wanted. A part of her considered contacting her father and telling him they couldn't wait...that the wedding had to go on as scheduled. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it, especially when she knew how much it meant to him to walk 'his little girl' down the aisle.

And so she had postponed the wedding...or more like canceled it for now. She wasn't so little anymore, but lately she wished that she was, so she could crawl up on her father's lap and be protected from all the hurt and anger that Jack was sending her way. She almost dreaded coming home from work at night. And on one particular night things got even worse, even though on this night she and Jack didn't argue.

When Sam arrived home, she had been surprised to find Mellie still at 's apartment down on the first floor. Dorothy Watson was the widowed mother of one of the marines, and as his only next of kin she had been allowed to move to Egeria with her son. The gray-haired woman waved at Sam through the window and opened the door as Sam came walking by.

"Here's your momma," she said cheerfully, holding Malinda in her arms. Mellie reached out to Sam, and Sam took the child, wondering why Jack hadn't picked her up. His office door had been locked when she stopped by there on the way home, so she figured he would be home by now. And if he was the first one here, he always got Malinda from the sitter. So where was he?

"Thanks, Mrs. Watson! We'll see you next Wednesday!" Sam said as she waved good-bye. Mellie was nodding off, and she felt like a sack of potatoes as Sam carried her up the stairs. 'One thing this building could use,' she thought, 'is an elevator for pregnant women carrying two kids.' They absolutely had to move to a larger, ground floor apartment before the new baby came! 'Maybe I'll talk to Jack about it again tonight...if he's in a good mood,' she thought cautiously.

After putting the baby in her crib, Sam sat down on the bed to change from her boots to her house shoes, and that's when she saw the large white envelope on her pillow. A feeling of dread came over her as she reached out and picked it up. She knew it was from Jack, and she knew he wouldn't be leaving her a note like this, unless he couldn't face her. She opened the unsealed envelope and removed the single piece of white paper. With trembling hands she unfolded it and began reading the note written in Jack's casual scrawl.

Dear Sam,

By the time you read this I will be on my way to Washington, DC. I have business with the President and the Joint Chiefs, but I also need some time to get my anger under control. I know I've said and done things that have hurt you, and I'm very sorry for that.

I love you and our babies more than you will ever know. I will be back in a couple of weeks, and I hope when I get back we can work things out. Until then know that you will be in my thoughts constantly.

With all my love,

Jack

Sam sat there and wept for a long time. Finally she dried her eyes and looked around. She needed to fix some dinner, before Mellie woke up. So even though she didn't feel like eating, Sam went into the kitchen and prepared the dinner she had intended for her and Jack. Crying as she ate was not helping her digestion, and so after just a few bites, she dumped the remainder from her plate into the garbage. Then she shoved the saucepan containing the leftovers into the refrigerator, changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over her head. The next morning she called her assistant and said she wouldn't be coming into work the rest of the week because she was sick.

Jack had decided to bunk with an old friend while he was in DC. Major Charles Kawalsky had been under Jack's command in Nam, and later in the Gulf War. Charlie had also been part of the SGC team that had gone on the first mission through the stargate about six years earlier. Jack thought the scruffy little airman was like a fish out of water here in DC, but he seemed happy with his newest assignment. Tonight they'd decided to have dinner at one of Charlie's favorite restaurants, and Jack had promised to pay.

"Man, you don't have to buy. Just because I don't make a general's pay doesn't mean I'm poor, ya know."

"I know that, Charlie, but I owe you for putting up with my sorry ass for two weeks," Jack said around bites of steak and shrimp. Kawalsky always did know where to find the best food, Jack thought as he inhaled the delicious aromas that bombarded his senses. Jack also figured that the lack of variety on Egeria was another reason that the food on Earth seemed so appetizing.

"Ah, that's okay. I know you'd do the same for me, Jack. Hey, listen, I've been wonderin about somethin. What's with your story, Jack? I know those meetings were only scheduled for one week. Why aren't you headin back to Eger...er..home on Friday?" He had quickly corrected his slip, just in case anyone was listening; gate travel was still a subject that the general public knew nothing about. "I thought you were gonna get married, and then the wedding was canceled. And now you're hangin around here lookin like somebody ran over your dog, when you could go home. Wanna tell me what's goin on?"

"Not really."

"Okay, then let me make a guess. Sam finally wised up and realized you're not good enough for her," he said with a chuckle. He didn't know Sam Carter all that well, but he knew her reputation. She was said to be a sort of female Einstein...the Air Force's wunderkind...and everyone knew she was gorgeous too. How in the hell his friend had gotten so lucky was something that even he couldn't understand, and he knew Jack O'Neill probably as well as anyone.

"I guess you figured it out," Jack said, downing the dregs of his beer. He held up a hand and motioned to the waiter to bring him another.

"Ah, come on, Jack. You know I didn't mean that. I really would like to know what's goin on," he begged, studying his friend's face. He had seen Jack through some pretty rough times, like when his mother had died while they were in Kuwait, and when Jack's son had shot himself before their first trip through the stargate. He knew that this guy kept a lot inside...that he suffered silently when he really should open up and talk about stuff...just like he was doing now.

"Let's just say that Sam is already married." Charlie's eyebrows popped up at that remark. "Her father...Jacob Carter runs her life...always has, and I'm afraid he always will."

"I've heard about General Carter. But I thought he died or something," Charlie said.

"I wish! Ah, hell, I don't really mean that. Let's just say that he's still around, and he and I don't see eye to eye...on anything, but especially his daughter."

"And she won't take sides?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, she's taken a side alright. His!"

"So what are you gonna do? Sam's got a bun in the oven that's yours, don't she?"

"Yah, it's mine, and I intend to be there for the kids."

Charlie's eyebrows shot up again. "Kids?"

"Yah, Sam's got another kid. A girl named Mellie. She's a peach, Charlie! You should see her! She looks like her mom, and she's smart as a whip!" Jack enthused, his eyes shining with pride.

"Well, I can tell you really care about her. I hope Sam appreciates that you're willing to raise another man's baby," he said honestly. "I'm not sure how I would feel about it, if I were in your shoes."

"And you'll probably never have to worry about being in my shoes, since you never date the same girl for more than a week!" Jack laughed.

He had already met Charlie's latest love interest, a young woman named Tiffany who worked in Arlington as a hair stylist. She was nice but definitely not his type, Jack thought as he recalled the petite, blue-eyed blonde with the big tits. Their conversation of the previous evening had told Jack all he needed to know about her; the term 'blonde bimbo' fit her better than anyone he had ever met.

"Hey, that's not true! I went with the Sandra for almost a month!"

"And what, pray tell, made you decide to bail out that time?"

"I was in love with her mother's cooking, not with Sandra!" They both cracked up and laughed till they had tears in their eyes.

"And this current one...Tiffany... How serious are you?" Jack asked as he emptied his beer bottle.

"Don't know, Jack. But I'm hoping she could be the one!"

"No kidding? You finally ready to settle down?" Charlie, at forty-eight years of age, was nine months older than Jack.

"Yep! I think it's time I did, Jack. I'll be retiring in a couple of years, and I'll need someone to take care of me in my old age."

"Christ Charlie! You make it sound like you're ready for the retirement home! And don't let Tiffany hear you say that you're looking for someone to take care of you," Jack advised his friend.

Charlie nodded. "I'm not stupid, you know. So what do you think will happen with you and Sam?"

"I'm not sure. I love her more than anything. But unless she's willing to choose me over her father, I don't see how we can make it work," Jack said sorrowfully.

TBC