When the doors closed behind Jack, leaving her alone in the room, Sam began pacing again, running her hands through her hair. As she walked back and forth, her dad's words floated through her mind. "You'd be surprised how many strings you can pull." Suddenly stopping, she glanced wildly around the room for her cell phone. Picking it up, she sat down on her bed and dialed an old family friend.
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*briefing room*
As Jack entered the briefing room, General Hammond nodded to him. "Sit down Colonel."
When Jack was seated, Senator Kinsey began his onslaught again. "Tell me again Colonel, why you went back for Major Carter?"
Jack stared at him icily. "I went back for a missing member of my team."
"Is that your only reason?"
"Of course. You already talked to Daniel and Teal'c…."
"And they confirmed what you just said." Kinsey opened another folder in front of him. "Colonel, I'd like to bring you back to a mission a few years ago. An unofficial mission that began as a Tok'ra experiment…..an experiment involving alien armbands…..?"
Jacks heart rate quickened. He remembered that mission all to well. He remembered the force-field that separated him and Carter as the place was about to blow. It was that mission that had prompted the admission of their feelings merely days later. Letting his breath out slowly, Jack nodded. "I remember," he said softly.
"Major Carter was trapped behind a Goa'uld force-field is that correct?"
"Yes. It was blocking her way out."
"And the mountain was about to explode?"
"Yes."
"And yet here too, you refused to leave without her."
"Yes," he said coldly.
"Surely with only minutes left, she told you to leave without her. And yet I have here," Kinsey said pulling out yet another folder, "that on the previously mentioned self-declared mission, where SG1 gated to a Goa'uld mothership, that Daniel Jackson was wounded and left behind. There wasn't an alien force-field separating the two of you. In fact, you could have easily picked him up and brought him with you."
Jack kept his mouth firmly closed and stared ahead, not trusting his voice. Looking smug, Kinsey sat back in his chair. "Tell me Colonel, what's different about Major Carter?"
"Excuse me?"
"What's different about Major Carter than Dr. Jackson?"
"Apart from the obvious physical differences?" General Hammond's lips twitched at Jack's joke, but he was able to maintain a straight face.
Kinsey frowned. "Let me rephrase the question. Do you have any feelings for Major Carter?"
"Carter is a member of SG1, a member of our family."
"That's not what I meant Colonel."
"Then what did you mean, Senator?"
"Do you have any intimate feelings for Major Carter?"
Jack stared at Kinsey for a few moments before replying. "Yes," he said softly.
Kinsey grinned. "That's a court-martiable offense Colonel."
"I know."
"And that never stopped you?"
"Carter and I have never been anything but professional."
"And I'm supposed to take your word?"
A hot flush crept up Jack's neck. "We tried to ignore it," he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the table in front of him.
"Ignore?"
"Carter's career means everything to her, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that."
"What about your career?"
Jack shrugged. "I've already retired once."
Suddenly the meeting was in interrupted by an officer entering the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt sir, but Senator Stile just faxed over some papers. He said that they were urgent."
"Well hand them over son," said General Hammond. He took a few minutes to read over the papers before holding them out to Senator Kinsey. "You might want to see these Senator." Kinsey frowned at General Hammond's smug face. "There are multiple letters from Senators, Generals, and Heads-of-State, praising the efforts of Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill, and SG1, and requesting an exception be made in light of the current situation."
"That's impossible," said Kinsey, snatching the papers from General Hammond. "And it isn't fair to award Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill an exception, when surely there are others in a similar situation who can't."
"May I remind you Senator, that without Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill, you wouldn't be here, none of us would, in fact the entire planet wouldn't be."
Again the were interrupted by the same officer. "I'm sorry sir, but the Secretary of Defense is on the phone for you."
General Hammond nodded. "Thank you. I'll take it in my office." Hammond stood up and nodded to the others. "Well gentlemen, I believe that we're done here. Jack, you're dismissed."
"Yes sir," said Jack. As he left the room, he felt elated. Things had gone much better than he thought. Walking down the halls, all he could think about was seeing Carter.
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