Well, here we are at long last - the final chapter! I really hope you like it.
I've upped the rating on this for obvious reason if you should care to read it! Though there is nothing explicit, it is mainly of a suggestive nature. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!
Past, Present & Future
By LetitiaRichards.
Previously:
She closed her eyes again and willed herself back to sleep, wishing that he was the real thing and so not a child. Falling asleep again quickly, she dreamed of being held close in the real Jack's arms.
Chapter 21 – Merry Christmas One and All!
This time when she half-woke up, she uncurled and stretched like a contented cat. Her dreams had been oh so sweet. The smell and feel of Jack O'Neill's arms around her felt wonderful, although it was a little disheartening when she'd woken earlier to find he was still a child, but, no matter, it was good to have something to hold on to for the future. Even if he never grew up she would at least have some good memories of him, especially after their conversation last evening.
Lying there curled on her side still half asleep, she revelling in her dreams until she felt Jack kick her butt again. Counting to ten, she moved her hand behind her and grabbed it, stopping it from kicking her again.
She could feel Jack's breathing hitch in his sleep and he moaned something into her ear before he tried to move away from her grasp.
Another groan and a gasp followed and made Sam smile evilly, still trying to enjoy that dream while she could. She closed her eyes once more and tried to imagine herself in bed with the real Jack.
"Sam...I love you so much..."
She smiled, feeling sated and euphoric as she whispered the words back to him too.
"I know you love me Sam, but if you don't stop that..."
Sam squeezed him a little harder, loving that long drawn out moan of need that followed immediately.
"God, Sam...Please... ...If you don't let go now, I swear I won't be held responsible for my actions. And it will be one hell of a Happy Christmas, the like of which I haven't had in a long, long time!" Jack wheezed; his eyes almost crossing and watering with pain... and pleasure.
"Then stop kicking me Jack!" she muttered sleepily.
"That is so not my foot Carter!"
Sam's eyes popped open wider than she'd though possible; her eyebrows disappearing under her wayward bangs.
She shrieked and released him as if she'd been burned, tumbling out of the bed in haste when she suddenly realised exactly what it was that she had been holding onto so...firmly.
"Oh God!" Tell me I didn't! Please! I was dreaming! I swear I was!
On her knees at the side of the bed, she peered over the top of the bed at a fully grown Jack O'Neill who was wearing a sappy grin on his face, amused at the comical look of utter shock on her face.
"Jack!" she yelled dumbfounded.
He eyed her with amusement in his dark eyes as he took in her wonderfully tousled blonde hair and impossibly wide, blue startled eyes.
"Jack?" he queried with a smile, just not used to her using his Christian name. It sounded 'nice' when she called him that. He didn't know what the hell had been going on lately, but for whatever reason there was, they were actually sharing a bed. And as to what she had been doing, well, he didn't know why, but it had felt oh so good. Far too good for him to want to hide behind those damn regulations any longer. Besides, he'd already spoken to Hammond, though how long ago that was he didn't have a clue.
"Oh! Um...er...Colonel!" she gulped in shock. "You're back!"
Jack pulled the covers up and took note of his body, then dropped them back into place, rather firmly, bending his knees upwards, but remaining where he was. It could prove a little embarrassing if he tried to get out of bed. Oh yes, he was definitely an adult again.
"Ah...yeah, I guess so. What happened?"
At this precise moment, the door flew open and Daniel, Teal'c, Janet, and Cassie stumbled through to stand stock still in the doorway; having been summoned there in a panic on hearing Sam scream.
"What's up?" Daniel asked blinking sleepily. He'd only just gone to bed, having worked on the translations until an hour ago, and he'd come running in here without his glasses.
Jack flushed slightly, momentarily closed his eyes, and swallowed hard, though he absolutely refused to answer Daniel's purely innocent but leading question.
Then everyone spoke at once which had Jack cringing at the noise level.
"Sam?" Janet appeared concerned but soon changed her mind when she studied them a little closer. Her satisfaction in what she saw there, deepened. She would have to put off her medical checks on him until later there was no way she was interrupting them for a while. He certainly looked none the worse for his ordeal.
"Major Carter?"
"Sam? Oh, hey Jack! You're back!" Cassie was practically jumping up and down and would have run and jumped on the bed if Janet hadn't restrained her. The young teenager couldn't understand what was going on, but for some strange reason her Mom was now smiling sappily at the two of them that were in the bedroom.
"O'Neill! It is indeed good to see you restored to us once more." The Jaffa was actually wearing a huge knowing smile on his face, and he still gave them that little bow in greeting.
"Adult Jack's back? Already?" Daniel, still squinting myopically, appeared to be the most confused, apart from Sam that is, and Cassie too. "How did you...? Um... I mean," he paused, then pouted. "You know, I just spent all night working on the problem and now you're back anyway?"
"Well, don't look at me! I didn't do anything!" Jack insisted on protesting his innocence. 'Yet!' he added mentally, sending up his secret Christmas wish and hoping it wasn't too late for Santa to act on it.
Sam hadn't spoken a word or moved a muscle, and was still sitting on the floor gazing at Jack, unable to look away from his well defined chest. It was liberally dusted with curly salt and pepper hair, and her wayward eyes followed it right down past the slightly lax six pack abdomen to where the sheet rested, allowing her imagination to run riot over her more decorous notions as to where her hand had been only minutes before.
It was some time before she realised that everyone had fallen silent just watching her, studying his body for some sign of a reaction or explanation. She blushed, turning a deep shade of crimson, much to Jack's amusement, though he was the only one that could actually see her face properly.
"Ah...it's nice to be back kids. I fine. Great in fact! But, don't ya think you're overdoing the welcome back thing just a little?" Jack made a little shooing gesture with his free hand.
Surprisingly it was Teal'c who took the less than subtle hint and moved the others reluctantly back out into the hall and shut the door behind them. Sam went to stand ready to follow them, when Jack called her back.
"Carter! Stay!"
"Sir?" she queried, her voice more of a strangled squeak at this point.
"C'mere!" he beckoned with his finger and Sam gulped and felt a shiver run up and down her spine in anticipation. "I have something of great import that... We...um, need to talk!"
"We do sir?"
"That would be a yes, Carter." He pulled back the covers a little, careful not to expose himself and invited her back into the bed by patting the mattress beside him. "Sit!"
Sam's nerves almost got the better of her and she didn't know whether to sit at his command or run from it, but then he smiled that wonderful smile of his up at her and she knew that he wouldn't do anything to compromise her in any way.
Once she had crawled back into the bed he threw the covers over her and leaned back against the pillows he'd now piled up against the wall behind him. She followed suit feeling more comfortable and at ease now.
"I don't recall much of what happened after that disastrous run in with 'Santa' in the mall, or how much time has passed..."
"Oh..." she gasped in recollection. "It's Christmas day sir. Happy Christmas!"
"Yeah, you too! And I sure hope it will be!" he sighed wryly. Then looked over at her and smiled at her confusion. He drew in a deep breath, wondering where to begin. "Um...Did we talk last night or did I dream all that up?"
Taken by surprise Sam's eyebrows shot up. Holy Hannah! He remembered that?
"Ah...yes sir. We talked about...things."
"Ah! Then you'll know what I said... about..." he dithered, trying to find the right words. God, he was crap at this! "Us!" he said with a flourish of his hand between them.
Sam blushed again and could only nod in agreement.
"I guessed as much, though as I said, I wasn't sure it was for real at the time."
"I'm sorry sir. I was dreaming. I...I..."
"That's okay Carter...No problem! I...em...didn't meant to...em... you know?"
"No sir, of course not!" Damn!
An awkward silence fell and all that was heard was the faint ticking of the clock beside the bed. Then suddenly, and just as disturbingly, Jack cleared his throat, wishing he had a beer to hand. He could sure do with one right now!
"Um...Before this...thing...happened to me," he began, wondering how she was going to take the news he was about to impart to her. "I...er...ahem... I had a word with General Hammond. Well, several words actually, but he was in total agreement with me on this, and we thought perhaps Christmas being a nice time and all, so it was as good as any time to choose to offer...er..."
Sam listened to his rambling explanation wondering if and when he was ever going to get to the point, but he looked so damn delectable and cute when he was tongue-tied. She could literally eat him!
"...And I wondered if that would be okay with you, that is... going by that half remembered conversation last night, I was hoping it would be...uh...will be okay with you? So, what'd ya say Sam?"
Huh? What? What had she missed? He was looking at her so expectantly now that she floundered for the slightest hint of what he'd been talking about.
After a few minutes of silence, his face fell.
"Not that much, evidently. Was I so wrong? Which part didn't you like?" he asked, trying hard not to look too disappointed, but the distinct absence of any words had hit him harder than he thought possible. Damn it! His restive fingers now pulled mercilessly at the loose threads on the coverlet, venting his frustration.
"What?" Sam gasped, finally able to get one word out at last.
"What?" he echoed softly, his face scrunched up because he was more confused by that comment than by her previous silence.
"No, I mean; what did you say? I'm sorry but I think I missed half of what you were saying sir." She looked undeniably guilty and lost.
"Oh!" His face brightened a little when he read her apology. He then summarized his earlier speech.
Sam wasn't so sure that she'd heard him correctly the second time. To say she was shocked didn't come close! Surprised, stunned, startled, staggered, stupefied and somewhat shaken was nearer the mark. Then after the initial reaction had passed, she felt astonished, astounded and amazed, all of which finally turned to euphoria, exhilaration, excitement and exultation.
Jack couldn't help but smile at the range of emotions playing over her face all at once. He so loved to see her speechless and amazed; she looked so damn beautiful it made him feel positively all gooey inside.
"Well? What'd ya say? Yez or nay?"
Sam blinked back the tears of happiness and practically threw herself into his arms nodding vigorously.
"I take it that you accept all the changes that we're gonna have to live with?"
She nodded against his neck, too choked up to voice her thoughts at this point.
Jack beamed down at her and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against him. He slid down the bed a little more so that they ended up lying closely wound round each other.
"You really want this?"
Her head came up level with his, all beaming smiles and happy tears. He leaned over and captured her lips with his in a long sweet, fervent kiss.
Finally having to come up for air, the ultimate expectation of her dreams fell into place as her emotions culminated in pure ecstasy. She felt like she'd come home; and that more importantly, it was okay for them to do this now.
"I love you Sam." Tears leaked as she nodded.
"I love you too Jack!" She leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose, ending the contact with a giggle.
Jack frinned at her, their eyes locking onto each other's, seeking and finding the true depth of their feelings so long hidden from sight, even from themselves. As they moved ever closer together, they knew they had reached their definitive victory. Their love had stood the test of time, tensions and trouble and had endured through it all. Jack homed in on his prize for another passionate kiss, while sending up a silent thank you to Santa for the best Christmas he'd had in far too long.
OoOoOoOoO
"Don't you think someone should go up there and make sure they're okay?"
"No!" Came three definite and decisive responses.
Cassie shrugged; she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to talk about work for that long, especially on Christmas day; and in bed too! She was fed up of waiting for them to come down; her Mom had refused to let her open any presents without them there too.
The adults had talked about Jack and Sam while her Mom was preparing the dinner, but she'd overheard odd snatches of conversation, not that it had made much sense to her. That sort of thing was okay in books and the movies, but not in real life, and at their age it was just gross!
Cassie sat as near to the door as possible and listened out for the opening of the bedroom door. When it came she was about to shout out in relief but then she heard the bathroom door shut and the shower running. Daniel had left some of his spare clothes on the bed for Jack, seeing as he had nothing else to wear now he'd 'grown up' again. Then it seemed an age before they finally appeared on the stairs.
She'd always been told that there was nothing going on between her favourite people, because of the AF's regulations, not that it had stopped her wishing that they would get together one day, because she knew they were good friends, and now here they were walking towards her, holding hands and smiling like those proverbial cats that had eaten the cream.
"Merry Christmas kids!" Jack cried out happily, and then sniffed the air appreciatively. The wonderful aroma of Roasting turkey with all the trimmings was filling the warm house, and his smile grew wider.
"Merry Christmas Jack!" they all chorused. "Merry Christmas Sam!"
"Hey! Merry Christmas to you too! All of you!" Sam beamed, looking quite radiant.
"Jack! Sam!" Cassie squealed with expectant delight as she pointed to a sprig of mistletoe hanging over the doorway. They all looked up at it and grinned.
Then Jack took Sam in his arms and kissed her long and deeply while they all looked on in amazement. When they broke off, they kept gazing into each other's eyes for a long time.
"Ah, Jack? Got something you want to tell us?" Daniel asked, thinking that he had missed a memo or something. Last time he'd heard they weren't supposed to do anything as personal as kissing, even if it was just because of the old tradition.
"Yes. Just what did you two talk about up there?" Janet added, feeling a little chagrined at being left out of the loop.
Jack shrugged and looked to Sam for her opinion.
"Shall we tell them now or after dinner?"
"Now! Now!" yelled Cassie, not above reading romance novels instead of studying when Janet wasn't looking.
"Okay then...last one in the... Oh...right!" Jack's words trailed off when he realised he'd been left in the hallway with just Sam.
Everyone had rushed past the two of them in their haste to get to hear the full story, leaving the two of them standing in the hall.
"Hey! You two. Come on! We're all here waiting!" Janet called out eagerly. She was almost beside herself with curiosity. She had guessed something was going on when they'd all barged into the room earlier, but now she wanted to hear all the details.
They strolled in and sat down on the sofa which conveniently happened to be the only two seats left available. How strange!
"Well! Out with it!"
"I have heard it said many times that you should not keep the elderly waiting O'Neill!"
There were snorts of amusement around the room at Teal'c's comment while Jack just gave a capricious shake of his head at his friend's witticism. Teal'c was getting much better now at this game.
"Hurry up uncle Jack!" Cassie groaned. "Mom said I can't open my presents until you've told us all what's going on!"
"Okay! Okay! Sheesh..." he muttered, then got poked in the ribs by Sam who was grinning like mad at him. "Right then. Here's the news! So I hope you kids are ready for this!"
He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts.
"A while back I spoke to General Hammond about giving Sam her own team..." This brought forth gasps and nods of approval from those listening. "He asked me if there was a problem to which I replied, yes!"
"There was?" Daniel was completely mystified by this statement, thinking that he didn't recall Sam and Jack having any problems working together.
"Daniel!"
"What?"
"Shut up! Just let me finish, okay?" Jack griped in frustration.
"Oh!" he gasped in surprise. Even more so when Janet hissed her approval in his ear. "Okay!"
"I told him that I had become...well, 'attached' to my 2IC and that we couldn't, shouldn't be working on the same team unless he wanted to have us both leave under a cloud so to speak, because neither of us wanted to give up the Air Force or the SGC. He told me to leave it with him for a bit and he'd get back to me. Which he did, just before we gated to P...whatever..."
Sam was about to correct him when he stopped her by placing his fingers over her mouth.
"Ack! Doesn't matter." He wagged his finger at her with his free hand until she nodded okay. "The whole thing is, that, as it turned out, from today, Sam is now Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter and will be running her own show so that we can... Well, let's just say she's no longer under my chain of command."
"And I think you guys have already guessed what that means to both of us!" Sam added, taking Jack's hand and squeezing it, sending him that big smile that made his insides melt again. He beamed back at her, but then turned to see for himself what the gang thought of the whole idea of losing Sam from the team so that he and Sam could be together.
After a moment of silence which had both Sam and Jack looking at each other in dread, there were shouts of 'Congratulations' ringing through the house. Hugs all round, with kisses from Cassie and Janet too, and then Daniel had a sudden thought and hared off to the computer upstairs while they all opened their presents, and then Teal'c disappeared for a while to use the phone in the study.
OoOoOoOoO
Sometime later the doorbell rang and Janet went to answer it, welcoming the final guest into her house to share in their festive celebrations.
Jack and Sam both stood up when General Hammond walked into the chaos of ankle deep wrapping paper where various piles of opened gifts were stacked around the room. He shook hands with Jack, more than relieved and happy to see him back to being himself again. He kissed Sam and congratulated her on the promotion and gaining the leadership of her own team. Then patted them both on the back, hugging Sam and wishing them all the best for their future.
Janet soon announced that dinner was ready, so they all moved into the dining room. General Hammond had only just sat down at the other end of the table before Janet placed the turkey in front of him.
"There you are sir," she smiled readily at giving him the honour of carving the juicy bird. Hammond grinned as he picked up the carving knife and fork then paused in his admiration of the food on the table in front of him.
"Thank you Dr. Fraiser. It looks good enough to eat." Janet preened at his praise - until he continued. "Well, this is fine for me, but what are you people eating?" he laughed heartily at Janet's reaction and everyone else's loud objections.
"Where's Dr. Jackson? I though he was staying here too?"
Just then Daniel came running into the room, papers in his hand as he waved them over his head.
"Jack! Jack. I just figured it out!"
"You want to share that with the rest of us Dr. Jackson?"
Daniel stopped and looked up in surprise.
"Oh! General Hammond. I didn't know you were coming to dinner?"
"Neither did I, but please let's serve this wonderful feast before it gets cold and then you can tell us all about your translation while we eat."
"Um...yes sir. Of course!" Janet pointed him to the empty seat and he sat down between Teal'c and Cassie, and opposite Jack and Sam.
They all helped themselves to the food and then settled down to enjoy Janet's hard work. It was then, Daniel began to relate his discovery.
"I...I found out it was all a mistake Jack! It shouldn't have happened to you. But you see, I was basically right all along. It was created by some of the Ancients race, only, it wasn't meant to change a human...a...a person as such, you see. The...the writing had me stumped for a while, but as I said, I was more or less right about it being a sort of fountain of youth or whatever."
"Ya think?" Jack sighed with regret. Some youth he turned out to be! A little bit too young for his liking. He wouldn't have minded knocking a few years off his age, but being four was so not what he'd have wanted by a long shot. "So? What then?"
"Well, apparently, the people that lived there would place a small sample of, what I took to mean, DNA, in the middle of that inner circle and then they somehow activated the controls automatically as they walked from the room. I guess that's why it wouldn't let me in there to stop it. Anyhow, it was supposed to recreate them as children, which they would then keep as their own to rear and so on... I...I guess that's why they eventually died out. I mean, it couldn't have been very healthy or productive."
"They cloned themselves?" Jack, Sam, Janet and General Hammond all voiced their astonishment at the same time, while Teal'c raised an eyebrow in consternation.
"Um...yeah. From the translations, I figured they only lived a fairly short life span and the women were pretty much barren through interbreeding, and whatever, so they built this altar of youth, to create children of themselves to rear until they passed on and the children grew up and performed the same rituals when the time came. And, like all copies of copies, the master deteriorates in time and the copies aren't as good as the real thing."
"So, why did it work...half work on me?" Jack demanded. He was more curious about it than annoyed by now.
"I really don't know Jack, but don't forget you had that Ancient's repository downloaded into your brain that time. Maybe that left some kind of marker in you. Something which could have been recognised by the machinery. I have no idea."
"I haven't noticed anything in the Colonel's bloodwork Daniel that was any different to anyone else's, though I haven't actually run a DNA test on him..." Janet went off into quiet contemplation.
"Well anyway, I'm back now. I'm more than fine, and I intend to stay this way. I hope to god that I don't wake up one morning to find I'd been downsized again, because I will sooo not be a happy camper!" Jack stated firmly.
"Oh, I doubt that Jack," Daniel assured him. "Now that you are back to normal again, it probably means that the whole process has been rejected by your body for good. Perhaps that's why you kept changing between your adult mind and that of your childhood. It seemed to prove very unstable on you."
"Yeah, talking of which... Em...did I say or do anything that I might yet live to regret?" Jack asked watching all round the table closely for any sly smiles that might appear from the company around him.
"Oh, I don't think so Jack." They all looked at each other and shrugged, but then, just when Jack had decided he'd gotten off fairly easily; Daniel continued, "Other than the fact that you had the whole commissary in hysterics with your tales of frogs hidden in a Nun's wimple. That you hated your Pizza – in fact you spat it out and vowed never to touch another one."
By now Jack had closed his eyes, to listen with a pained expression of dread growing over his face, just waiting for something really bad to be said that indicated he'd revealed something from his past that he wanted to keep to himself.
"Let's see now, you put sugar in my coffee." Daniel was on a roll. "You locked yourself in the men's room, yelling and screaming and tried to kick the door down. You fell asleep in Sam's lap, sucking noisily on your thumb during the debriefing. Kicked Colonel Simmons in the knee cap – which he thoroughly deserved by the way! You disrupted all the shoppers and security guards in the mall by having a fight with some not so nice folks from the NID who'd dressed in Santa's outfit in the huge Christmas display area. Um...practically demolished the infirmary. Shall I go on?"
"Okay! Okay! Enough! I get the picture!" By now, Jack was cringing so badly, and hoping that this was by far the worst things he'd actually done that was on Daniel's list. He didn't think he could listen to anything else he may have done. He was just so relieved to know that he hadn't given away any of those really annoying little secrets from his past, and by the sound of it he'd managed to keep the more embarrassing incidents and memories of his childhood from his friends.
He brightened slightly, pushing away the trepidation he'd felt while Daniel was reciting his life as a 50 plus four year old. His past was safe. His present was now going to be fantastic with Sam by his side; and his...their future was all going to be taken care of now they had decided to take that last step towards being a couple. Yeah. He was more than pleased with the way things were working out. Beaming round at his friends who'd sat there watching him while he'd chewed over his meandering thoughts; they returned the smile with big cheesy grins.
"Here's to you kids, and you too General, sir. Merry Christmas!" Jack raised his glass in a toast, and they all followed in toasting each other, but Sam and Jack in particular, and to the future.
"Any more of your delicious pumpkin pie Janet?" asked Jack, changing the subject and feeling free and light for the first time by releasing a deep cleansing sigh of relief, now the worst was over.
"Why of course my little sweetie," Janet giggled, and Jack's smile suddenly vanished when he realised with dread, that there was yet more to come. Something big. He cringed in anticipation. "Anything for you Jonjo!" she replied, bringing the house down around him.
"Arrgghh! Crap!" Jack squirmed, knowing he'd dropped himself right into it. There was no way they were going to forget that in a hurry! He let his head fall onto the table, and repeatedly banged it in defeat, while all around him the laughter continued. He was so not gonna live that down. Ever!
The End.
Well, I really hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter for the finale to this story!
I'd like to thank everyone of you that has sent in a review over the umpteen weeks it took me to get it down on paper - as it were! I have really enjoyed reading your comments and have appreciated your encouragement a great deal. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
As promised, I will now turn my attention to that much neglected fic of mine - This Old Man! Once that is out of the way I already have the start of the next one written. It's going to be something rather different this time in celebration of my 100th story. To read any of my previous fics you may have missed please go to 'Jackfic' dot com and look for fics under Lingren!