Chapter Four
Nine hours later, Sam pried her gritty eyelids open through sheer force of will. As her throbbing brain slowly gained consciousness, she groaned through clenched teeth against the dull ache in her head. Sitting up, she was about to put one foot on the floor when several realizations struck her at once.
She wasn't at home.
She was badly hung over.
And she'd spent the better part of last night making out in a bar with her commanding officer.
As the monumental weight of these realities came crashing down, Sam found herself frozen in place, one foot halfway out of bed, a hand clutching her forehead, and a rather slack-jawed expression on her face. It might have been comical, were it not for the fact that it changed her life so completely.
With her remembrance of the night before came another unavoidable realization, one which made her queasy as it sank in. She was going to have to walk out of this room in a few brief minutes and pretend that absolutely nothing unusual had occurred. Sobriety painted a very harsh picture of her actions the night before.
Suddenly panicking, Sam had no idea how she could possibly face the rest of her team, much less Jack himself. Swallowing a wave of nausea, she did the first thing that came to mind. Picking up her cell phone, she frantically punched a familiar number and waited.
"Hello?" The friendly voice on the other end of the line was a soothing balm to Sam's frazzled nerves.
"Janet, I did something really stupid." Though she knew she was still suffering the effects of the night before, the gravelly quality of her voice was still somewhat jarring to hear. Wincing at how wretched she sounded, she cleared her throat and continued. "I have no idea how I'm going to live this one down."
Across the country, Janet set down her coffee mug and settled into a chair at her kitchen table. She certainly hadn't been expecting a call from her friend this early in the day, and to say Sam sounded like hell would have been an understatement. Pulling out her best nurturing voice, Janet soothed the other woman as best as she could from a few thousand miles away. "Okay, start from the beginning. What happened? And did you wake up alone this morning?"
Sam heard the smile in Janet's voice and relaxed in spite of herself. "Yes, I woke up alone," she replied dryly. Thanks to Daniel. Wincing again, Sam realized that if Jack had been the one to walk her to her door, this morning might look a whole lot different than it did. Shoving the thought from her head, she tried to decide where to start her explanation to Janet. Opening her mouth, she just let her thoughts pour out. "In an effort to escape Daniel's boring archaeology lessons, Jack and I walked around the museum together yesterday, and in the process, shared a few not-very-professional moments."
Janet smiled, picking up her mug of coffee. "That's not so bad," she said soothingly, somewhat amused by Sam's propensity to overreact.
"Yeah, but then we went to a bar and made out for an hour."
Spitting coffee halfway across her kitchen, Janet's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Gasping, she clutched the phone to her ear. "Did you just say that you made out with Colonel O'Neill in a bar?"
Sam sighed. "Yes. I made out with my commanding officer in a public place."
Janet struggled to keep her mouth closed as she digested this piece of information. "Were you drunk?" It was the first question which came to mind.
Shrugging, Sam didn't bother denying it. "Fairly tipsy."
"Was he?" Janet's voice still held a note of shocked disbelief.
Considering the question a moment, Sam was startled. "I have no idea," she admitted readily. "He'd had a few beers, but I really wasn't keeping track of exactly how many."
Janet paused. "That's interesting," she said slowly. "Maybe he was sober."
Sam blinked. "I guess it's possible," she agreed, "but I'm not sure it matters at this point."
Finally starting to regain her equilibrium, Janet's natural pragmatism began to re-emerge. "Of course it matters," she said firmly. "Now, tell me why you sound as though the world is ending."
Sam snorted. "Because it is," she said wryly. "And I'm not talking about our little mishap on our last mission, either."
Janet shook her head. "Sam, don't you think this might be a good thing?"
Sam's voice registered a note of pure incredulity. "Are you kidding me? Janet, I got drunk and made out with my commanding officer in front of an entire bar full of people, including the other two members of my team! I could be court martialed for what I did!"
Waving a hand dismissively, Janet seemed unconcerned. "If the two of you wanted to make things work between you, I guarantee you could find a way. Maybe this is the first step in that direction.
Sam's jaw dropped. "You're no help at all!" she shrieked. "Janet, what happened last night was a huge mistake. And I somehow have to pull myself together in the next thirty minutes so I can meet them all for breakfast and pretend nothing is wrong!"
Unruffled by her friend's tirade, Janet's voice remained calm. "Sam, honey," she said quietly, "do you really regret what happened?"
About to fire back a quick "yes," Sam suddenly found herself unable to do so. After a moment, she sank back onto the bed and sighed. "No, not really."
Janet smiled. "Then maybe you should be thinking of ways to keep things from going back to the status quo."
Sam opened her mouth to reply, when a knock sounded at her door. Her heart plummeted to her toes as she realized it was probably Daniel, stopping in to make sure she was okay. "Crap," she muttered darkly. "Janet, I think Daniel's at my door. Let me call you back later." Then, without waiting for a reply, she snapped her cell phone shut and padded to her door. Glancing down once to make sure the t-shirt and boxer shorts she'd slept in were decent and presentable, she opened the door and prepared to tell Daniel she was just fine.
The words, however, died in her throat.
It was not Daniel at her door.
It was Jack.
Jack had been standing at her door for at least five minutes, trying to think of what he might say to her when she answered. Unfortunately, he'd never really been a master of words, especially in uncomfortable situations.
Finally, after discarding a few dozen lame greetings, Jack exhaled sharply and knocked on the door before he had a chance to change his mind. Damned if he'd stand here half the morning. He'd looked like an idiot many times in his life before. Why this should be any different was beyond him.
Before he could second-guess his actions, the door to Sam's room gently swung open. Dressed in an adorably rumpled t-shirt and boxer shorts, his second-in-command appeared in the doorway looking fairly composed.
Until she realized who'd been knocking.
It took Jack less than four milliseconds to recognize the sheer, unadulterated panic which appeared in her wide blue eyes. Instantly, his protective instincts kicked in and he began trying to set her at ease. "Not dressed yet?" he teased, reassuring her with his warm, dark eyes.
Sam's heart had begun rocketing in her chest the moment she'd seen who her late-morning visitor was. Grateful that he seemed to be acting fairly normally, she replied without thought. "I just woke up," she confessed softly. "I think I might have had a little too much to drink last night." Then, realizing the host of other issues her admission stirred up, Sam felt her face grow warm.
Jack's mouth quirked up on one side. "I never would have guessed," he replied dryly. Then, seeing her obvious embarrassment, he reached up and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear without thinking.
As Sam took in his affectionate gesture, her eyes widened in surprise. Surely, he couldn't mean for the events of the previous evening to change anything between them?
Until that moment, Jack had been totally oblivious to how hard going back to "normal" would be. With a sharply exhaled breath, his eyes darkened and his mind churned. For a few seconds, he seemed to digest the enormity of the situation. Then, with a decisive glint in his coffee-brown eyes, he met her gaze head-on. "I think we miscalculated last night," he said bluntly.
Sam's jaw fell open. She'd certainly not been expecting to have this conversation anytime soon, much less in a hotel hallway dressed in her pajamas. "W-what do you mean?" she stammered, trying to get hold of her runaway emotions.
Jack held her gaze steadily. "Last night, we thought no one would have a problem keeping what they saw between us quiet." He paused, watching as her eyes churned with naked emotions. "But I think we forgot about a few people when we made that decision, Sam."
Blinking, she tried to decide who he could possibly be taking about. As far as she knew, there'd been no military personnel in the bar last night, and certainly Daniel and Teal'c would keep their mouths shut. "Who?" she asked breathlessly. "Did you recognize someone at the bar? And if you did, why would you -" She broke off abruptly. Was she really about to ask her commanding officer why he'd kissed her? The conversation was quickly going from strangely uncomfortable to totally surreal.
Jack's eyes twinkled as he watched her face redden further. She was utterly adorable – which was more than a little dangerous to his self-control. Still, he knew she was upset, so he tried to be diplomatic. "Actually, Carter, there were two people there last night who might have a problem with our little, ah, indiscretion. Both of them officers."
Sam's jaw dropped. "Two? Two officers?" That certainly wasn't good news.
He nodded. "And you know them."
Now Sam's brow wrinkled in confusion. She was certain she hadn't recognized any other military types there last night, much less two officers. Shaking her head, she looked Jack in the eye. "I don't think so," she said uncertainly.
Jack just smiled. "Sam, I'm talking about us."
At that moment, Sam's face went totally blank. She understood the words coming from her CO's mouth, but she just couldn't quite wrap her head around their meaning. "You think we're going to tell the Air Force about making out in a bar?"
Unable to restrain a grin at her blunt assessment of the situation, Jack tried to keep some sort of somber and concerned attitude about the whole thing. Still, hearing Sam admit to 'making out' in a bar with him was too absurd not to be funny – which simply reinforced his last statement. "Actually, yes."
Sam just blinked. "You think we are going to tell the Air Force about making out in a bar," she repeated slowly. Shaking her head, she looked totally dumbfounded.
Jack took a slow breath, waiting for her complete attention before speaking. "More importantly, Sam, I think we should tell them."
Sam's face was a picture of utter shock. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked disbelievingly.
Suddenly, Jack's face grew serious. "No. Not really. On one hand, I know I have this obligation to enforce and uphold the laws of the country I've sworn to protect. But on the other hand…" His eyes traveled slowly over her face.
Sam swallowed. "On the other hand?" She felt her heart kick into overdrive as his eyes darkened with emotion.
"On the other hand…" Jack sighed softly in resignation before abruptly pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.
A tiny whimper escaped Sam's throat as his mouth closed mercilessly over hers. If she'd been confused before, she was now utterly befuddled. However, before her brain had a chance to start analyzing what Jack's actions meant, all rational thought fled under the delightful pressure of his lips.
After a few seconds of mindless bliss, Jack wrestled control from his baser instincts and tore his mouth away, breathing raggedly. The dazed, hungry look in Sam's impossibly large blue eyes just about did him in, so he consciously removed his hands from her arms in an effort to get some distance between them. "You see, Carter?" he said somewhat shakily. "That is why we need to get this out in the open. If we bury this the way we've always done, one of two things is going to happen." His eyes darkened intensely. "Either we're going to end up completely unable to interact on a professional level, or what just happened here in the hallway is going to repeat itself in the middle of the gateroom with Hammond and the whole SGC watching from the sidelines."
Still trying to catch her breath, Sam began processing Jack's words silently. As the picture he'd painted began to develop in her mind's eye, she felt some of the blood drain from her face. Much as she'd like to believe he was exaggerating, she had no doubt that it was a possibility. Exhaling slowly, she met his gaze uncertainly. "How can we possibly explain this?" she asked quietly.
Jack's trademark half-smile appeared on his rugged face. "I'd be willing to bet Hammond has some sort of contingency plan in his desk for this situation."
Sam's eyes widened. "But – you don't think he knows…" she trailed off, unsure of how to finish the statement.
Apparently, Jack had no such issue. "That we've been trying not to maul each other for the last seven years?" He grinned at the shock painted on her features. "Carter, I'd be willing to bet most of the SGC knows that."
Sam was beginning to feel like a fish out of water. "Wait. You knew how I felt about you all this time?"
He shrugged casually, but his sharpened gaze conveyed sheer intensity. "I wouldn't say that," he replied softly. "But even I'm not dumb enough to think that we were just friends and colleagues."
Swallowing, Sam tried to process the enormity of their current conversation. Then, with a resigned shake of her head, she gave up and decided to lob the ball into his court, so to speak. "So what do you think we should do?"
He smiled faintly. "Let's get through this mission. Then I'll see what Daniel and Teal'c think."
Sam nodded, feeling somewhat numb. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Looking deeply into his eyes, she took a deep breath and asked a brutally honest question. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you could be giving up your entire career for… this." she gestured helplessly between them, not quite sure how to categorize their ambiguous relationship.
Jack regarded her seriously. "Are you?"
The answer came to her instantly. "Yes," she whispered.
His lips quirked upward. "Then you've got your answer."
Twenty-four hours later, the four members of SG-1 drove toward the security checkpoint at Cheyenne Mountain's main gate tin a military-owned SUV. As expected, Daniel had charmed Caleb and his father into letting him "borrow" the artifact. With a little luck, there would be something left of it to return when the mission was over. And if not, someone at Area 51 would be doing one hell of a forgery to replace it.
As Jack pulled into the checkpoint, one of the airmen stationed there immediately stepped up and saluted. "Sir, General Hammond wants you to meet him in the conference room as soon as possible. We've just received notice that the President is dropping by at 14:00 hours for an unscheduled visit." The young man seemed understandably nervous as he spoke.
Jack exhaled sharply. With everything else on his mind today, the last thing he needed to think about was an unannounced visit from the President. Still, one didn't really have a choice when it came to these matters. "Got it," he said blandly, not letting any of his own apprehension show.
In the back seat, Sam had stiffened reflexively at the announcement. With a sympathetic look in her direction, Daniel seemed to be offering silent support. He had no idea what had gone on between the two officers during the last day, but he could clearly feel the tension growing. He hoped they'd be able to find some peace with their feelings for each other, but he seriously doubted that they'd do so today.
The edgy, apprehensive atmosphere clung to the team as they descended silently to the base. None of them seemed willing to break the unnatural stillness which had settled over them, nor did any of them have a clue what they might say if they had a mind to do so.
Reaching the conference room, all four of them tensed in unison when they saw General Hammond already seated behind the large, oak table. It took him less than three seconds to pick up on the tension in his flagship team.
"I take it you failed to obtain the artifact?" His voice was grim, but straightforward.
"Ah, actually, General… We did get the urn." Shuffling through the backpack he'd been carrying, Daniel produced the etched, floral-patterned and held it aloft.
A puzzled frown creased the older man's brow. "Then why the long faces?" he asked curiously.
Jack shrugged. "The President's visit has us a bit on-edge, sir." He smiled wryly. "I, for one, never did like performing for an audience."
If Hammond found the explanation unusual, he gave no sign of it. "I understand," he replied, "but he certainly is entitled to drop in and see how things are going around here." The general grimaced. "Especially since we've not had an especially stellar record of late."
Sighing, Jack made a face. "Which is exactly why we're all a bit uptight. Not that the whole 'saving the planet' routine ever gets dull, but it's a lot like making sausage. So long as you like the result, you should never ask what goes into it."
Hammond rolled his eyes at Jack's irreverent sense of humor. "At any rate, this time you're going to have the President watching you. And since he's due to be here very soon, I strongly suggest you get ready to embark immediately." Then, looking at the vase that Daniel was still holding, he seemed to be struck with a thought. "Do you have any idea what that thing does?"
Daniel and Sam exchanged a wordless, nervous glance. Looking back at the General, Daniel summed up their answer neatly.
"Not a clue."