The short elevator ride down to Hammond's office seemed to take an excruciatingly long time to Sam, who had decided to take the bull by the horns. If her father was going to fight dirty, then she was going to come out of her corner swinging! She wasn't about to just sit back and let two generals dictate how the rest of her life would go. Well, at least she didn't intend to allow them to ruin the career of the man she loved!
But when Sam got to Hammond's office, the door was closed and the lights were off. Sam ran down the stairs to the control room, where she found Jan's little snitch, the ever-present Walter Harriman, otherwise known as 'what's his name?'
"Sergeant! Has the General left the base?" she asked him quickly.
"Yes, Captain, he left just a few minutes ago," he replied, looking up at her with a blank expression. Sam suspected he was hiding a lot behind that poker face.
"Do you know where he went and when he'll be back?" Sam asked him, keeping her voice low so that the other technicians in the room couldn't hear.
"He went off base to take your father out to lunch, Captain." Walter stared up at her with innocent eyes, but she knew there was a lot of valuable information stored inside that head of his, and she wanted to know what it was!
"How about we go to the commissary for a cup of coffee, and you fill me in on what you know," she said quietly and through gritted teeth.
"I really don't know very much, Captain Carter," Walter said, his voice beginning to squeak.
"Look, Walter, I have a feeling you know a lot more than you let on. But I promise not to hurt you, if you tell me what I want to know," Sam hissed as she bent forward and pressed a few keys on the keyboard of the computer. She had just logged him out and entered a command protocol that required her password to get back into the program. "Shall we go get that cup of coffee now?" she asked loudly in her most pleasant voice.
An hour later she had the entire dirty scoop on what had been said between her dad and Hammond. And although it wasn't all bad news, it still didn't make her feel very confident. What Walter had not told Janet was that General Hammond had clearly been against getting rid of what he called 'the best military strategist' at the SGC, namely Colonel O'Neill. Hammond also was not willing to put either of them on report without more proof. As Sam made her way from the commissary on level three down to the infirmary on level twenty-one, she thought back to her conversation with Sgt. Harriman. The little man had sung like a canary, once she had threatened to tell Major Davis that he had a crush on him.
*~*~*~*
"Okay, even though I don't think you'd really do that, I'll tell you what I know. I heard your father tell Hammond that you and the Colonel were having an affair, and then I heard Hammond ask General Carter if he was certain," he whispered, bending forward over the small table. Sam had chosen the table in the back corner of the commissary, hoping that even if her other two teammates entered the big room, they might not notice her there. She really needed to talk to Walter privately!
"What did my father say?"
"He said... He said it was obvious from the way you were touching the Colonel and from what you were saying to him, that you...'that you were under that bastard's spell' was the way he put it."
"What did Hammond say to that?" Sam asked him, her blue eyes almost black in their intensity.
"He asked your father if you admitted being intimate with the Colonel. Your dad said 'no', but that he could tell that you had been intimate by the way you were holding him and carrying on over him. And he reminded Hammond that you two had just got through spending the night alone together on the planet." Walter was blushing now, and Sam had to look down at the table to hide her embarrassment. She would normally never talk about anything so personal with this man...or with most people for that matter...but she really needed to know what had been said about her and the Colonel!
"What did Hammond say then?"
"He said that was not evidence of anything improper, and that no matter how certain your dad was, he would require more proof before he would be willing to take any action against either you or the Colonel. He also reminded General Carter that, if he were to charge either of you with conduct unbecoming or with breaking the frat regs, both of you would suffer the consequences."
"And what did my father say to that?" Sam thought she knew what he had said, but she still needed to hear Walter say it.
"He said... He said that even though you are his daughter, you should receive no special consideration. You took an oath, and you should live by it," Walter said, his voice barely audible. The man actually had tears in his eyes. "You don't have to worry, Captain Carter; I would never tell anyone any of this," he promised.
"Thanks, Walter. You're a good friend," she said.
Sam smiled at him and then left the commissary. Walter just sat there looking like someone had ripped the stuffing out of his favorite Teddy bear. *~*~*~*
When Sam got back to the infirmary, Janet was just closing the privacy curtain around the Colonel's bed. She did it mostly out of habit. Today Jack was the only patient in the infirmary, and she was covering for her two nurses, who had asked to be allowed to use the gym. Janet wasn't sure she liked being alone in the creepy quiet of the subterranean complex, but she did prefer having no wounded SGC personnel in her care!
Janet saw Sam and put a finger up to her lips, indicating that they should be quiet because Jack was asleep.
"Janet, is he going to be okay?"
"Yes, Sam, the Colonel is going to be fine, thanks to you. You did a really great job of removing that spear point and cleaning out the wound. He can go home tomorrow, and in a couple of weeks he should be as good as new."
"Oh, Janet, I'm so glad! I can't tell you how scared I was when he was hit," she admitted.
"I can imagine, knowing how you feel about him," she said, lowering her voice a bit more. "So, tell me...what did you find out?" she asked excitedly. "Did you talk to General Hammond?"
"No, he wasn't there and neither was my dad. Apparently they went off base for lunch. But I talked to Walter, and he told me that General Hammond isn't willing to bring charges against either of us without substantial proof. And he doesn't think what my father told him constitutes proof."
From behind the white curtain they heard the gruff, angry voice of one very awake Col. Jack O'Neill. "What the hell has Walter got to do with this?!" Sam and Janet reached for the ends of the curtain at the same time, whipping them open in both directions.
"Sir, I thought you were asleep!" Janet said, an startled look on her face.
"I was playing possum," he admitted. He often pretended to be asleep when he was in the infirmary. He found it was one way of avoiding being poked, prodded and stuck with those big needles. "Now what was this about General Hammond bringing charges against someone?"
"I think I'll leave you two alone to talk. I'll be in my office if you need me," the petite doctor said with a smile, and then she clicked away on her high-heeled shoes.
"So...Janet knows about us?" he asked softly, as Sam's fingers sneaked out to touch his arm. She knew there were cameras in the corners of the room, but she had to take the chance. She was so relieved that he was going to be okay, and she simply had to touch him!
"She's known for some time how I feel about you. But don't worry; she's my friend and she won't say anything." Then Sam explained how Walter had gotten involved. Jack listened attentively, just staring into her blue eyes. He had made an angry face when she told how Jacob had gone to General Hammond to try and get Jack transferred, but he held his tongue until she was finished.
"Wow! I had a feeling your dad didn't like me much, but I never thought he'd pull a stunt like that. "So, what do we do now?" he asked. Jack wasn't sure just how far Sam wanted this relationship to go. They hadn't even consummated it yet, for crying out loud!
Sam knew exactly what she wanted, although she hadn't told him yet. She had never felt like this before; she was finally doing something completely selfish...completely for herself, and it felt good. All her life, or at least since her mother had died, she had lived her life doing the things she knew would make her father happy. She had craved her father's approval...his love. And what had it gotten her? Yes, she had a fantastic job, but she and her father were no closer than they'd ever been. Sam had to finally admit that her father was never going to change, and that she needed to live her life for herself, instead of for him. And now she had this great guy who loved her. But did he want to make a commitment to her? She decided that now was the time to find out.
"I guess what we do now depends on how important this is to both of us. I mean do you want to give us a try?" she asked him timidly, her legs beginning to shake as she stood next to his bed. What if he said 'no'!
"Yes, I do, but I don't want to get shipped off to Nome for doing it!" he said with a little grin, as he thought of the double meaning of that statement.
"And I don't want you to get shipped off to Nome, Colonel, or anywhere else for that matter."
"So what do we do?"
"I'm not sure. But I know what I want," she said, her face brightening.
"And what would that be, Captain?"
"I want to be free to be with you...to see where this thing between us will go. I want to go on working with alien technology in my lab, and I want my career in the Air Force."
"I don't see how you can have all of those things, unless I retire. I thought I was ready for retirement once, but now..."
"You like your job. I know! I like mine too! But there is one part of my job that I would be willing to give up, if it would mean that we could be together." Jack tipped his head to the side in confusion. He couldn't see where she was going with this.
"What would you be willing to give up, Sam?"
"I'd give up gate travel to be with you, Colonel," she assured him. Jack's left eyebrow shot upward.
"But you'd have to give up the SGC too, Sam. Don't forget I'm still 2iC of the base."
"I know that. And what I'm about to suggest wouldn't be easy. We'd have to carry on a long distance relationship, but I'd be willing to try it, if you are."
"Sam, just tell me already! What are you thinking?"
"I could put in for a transfer to Nellis, Sir."
"You're suggesting you go to work at Area 51?" Jack asked, shocked that she would even think of leaving the SGC.
"Yes! It would be the perfect place for me, Sir. And it's not really that far by plane. If we tried, I think we could make this work. And it would give us time to see if we really have something that will last."
This was not what Jack had wanted at all, not that he had a better solution. He just knew that Carter leaving the SGC was not an option he wanted to consider!
"No, Carter, I don't want you leaving the SGC on account of me," Jack said shaking his head. He could see Sam was disappointed, but he didn't know what else to say.
"Then I guess there's no hope for us, Sir," she said sadly. She turned and started to walk away, but Jack's soft, sexy voice stopped her.
"Hey, Carter! I still think you're the hottest Jell-O wrestler ever, you know," he said with a sparkle in his eyes. He felt like he wanted to cry, but he held the tears back, unwilling for her to see how much this was hurting him. He figured he had to do this for her. He'd deal with his own emotions later.
"And just for the record, I wouldn't have anyone else for my second-in-command but you!" he added truthfully. "You saved my sorry ass once again, Sam. You're the best!" And he knew it was true too.
"Thanks, Sir," she said softly, choking back the tears. And then she turned and walked out.
At least she wouldn't have to speak to General Hammond about any of this. It didn't look like he was going to send Jack away or discipline either of them, which really didn't surprise her very much; she knew the man thought of her and Jack like family. 'Maybe Dad should take some lessons from him on parenting,' she thought as she headed to her lab.
Sam went inside and shut the door, leaning her forehead against the cold, gray steel. She let out a long sigh and turned to look around at her life...such as it was. Now all she had to do was not let what had happened between her and the Colonel get in the way of her being a good officer. She would pretend like none of this had ever happened, including the part where she and Jack had professed their love for one another. It wouldn't be easy, but like a good little soldier, she would try her best.
TBC