Note: Rating change to teen due to language.
"Kerry hinted that my 'issues' had to do with you."
"Me?" Sam squeaked. Before she could sort out what she should say next, she blurted out, "Why would she think that?"
Now it was Jack's turn to be surprised. Carter might be inquisitive as hell on the science stuff, but emotional things? Hell, no. He remembered the rather awkward conversation they shared shortly after Shanahan gave her a ring. Awkward was an understatement. Jack swirled the amber liquid around his glass and thought about how he should answer her question.
"Do you really want to know?" Jack asked softly, looking up from his drink. They were definitely walking a fine line here.
Sam blinked. Not literally, but figuratively, as she stumbled to pull them back off the proverbial ledge.
"I mean," Sam began, as she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment, "only if it's something I should be made aware of, Sir?"
Really? She was going to go all 'Sir' on him?
"Really, Sam? Sir?" Sam's eyes went impossibly wide. Not only was Jack liberally using her first name, but now he was mocking their military ranks?
As much as Jack liked the splash of color across Sam's face and neck, he could also tell that she was acutely uncomfortable. In the last 24 hours, she had lost her father and her fiancé, to say Sam was emotionally fragile right now was an understatement. Jack felt the need to dial things back.
"Look, Carter," he began again. "We don't have to talk about this now..."
"Oh no you don't!" Sam bristled, pointing a finger at him. "After two drinks..."
Jack held up three fingers.
"Three drinks," Sam smoothly corrected, "we're going to talk about this."
"This?" Jack repeated.
"Yes, this." Sam suddenly felt incredibly brave. She looked at her drink, wondering if the blame was on the whisky or just the fact that enough was enough and she just wanted to know. Which might be a really bad mistake, but one she was prepared to make. Do? Sam closed her eyes briefly and let out a soft sigh. Sure, she was frequently the smartest person in the room when it came to intellectual pursuits, but emotional ones? Hell, no. When it came to discussing her feelings, she was god-damned neophyte.
Jack picked up his whiskey and took a large sip as he eyed Sam critically. Was she really ready for this? Was he?
After a few moments that felt like hours, Jack began. "Carter, I have been told, mostly by Daniel and Teal'c, that I kind of have a… thing for you."
Jack has a thing for me?
"I mean, not an inappropriate thing, obviously, but every now and then I guess it's kinda visible. The guys, well mostly Daniel, kinda bug me about it every now and then."
The guys bug him about it? As much as Sam really wanted to move on to Kerry, she really wanted to know how Daniel bugged Jack. She surprised herself by asking the question aloud.
"How so?"
Jack was unprepared for her boldness. It was bad enough that he was trying to explain the whole Kerry thing, but now she wanted to know more?
"Shit, Sam," Jack said in an exasperated voice. "Really?"
Sam's heart raced, but she kept her reply cool. "Yep."
Sam tried not to enjoy just how much she really liked hearing her name on Jack's lips. Shit. She was calling him Jack again in her head, wasn't she?
"Just remember, you asked." Sam just smiled sweetly and motioned for him to continue.
"Apparently," Jack began, "I mean, occasionally.." Jack didn't really know what to say. There were a million different ways he showed his affection for her. Where to begin?
Sam was really enjoying this whole awkward Jack thing. It was just not something she saw everyday. She found it incredibly sweet. And yeah, kinda hot. Sam mentally slapped herself. No. Not hot.
Liar.
"Occasionally..." Sam repeated, feeling the need to say something, if only to shut up the voice inside of her head.
"Occasionally, I check out your ass," Jack said finally. Sam smiled.
"Big deal. I check out yours too." Both of Jack's eyebrows shot up so fast he wondered if he pulled a muscle.
"You do?"
"Sure," Sam replied nonchalantly. In the early days of SG-1, she had frequently eyed all of the derrieres of her teammates, not that she was going to share that with Jack. And it was his she most enjoyed looking at.
"But I also worry about you," Jack continued. "I mean, way more than I probably should." A slate of memories flashed by: Kidnapped. Super soldier. Replicators. Nirrti. Prometheus (both times).
"I worry about you, too," Sam shared quietly. X-301 failure. Nearly dying from an ancient virus. Baal. Trapped off world (both times).
They sat in silence for a few moments, each gathering their own thoughts.
"Anyhow," Jack said finally, feeling the need to speak. "Every now and then I guess there's something on my face that shows a feeling or two for you. Daniel sees it and mocks me." Jack paused, remembering how at first Daniel did indeed make fun of him. It was a light-hearted banter. Harmless. Later, after Daniel realized how much Jack really cared for Sam, he was angry at Jack, shouting at him to 'do something'. And Jack had to explain military rules and regulations and it didn't make either of them happy. When Shanahan came into the picture, he had to endure Daniel's pity. And then anger. And then pity again.
"So Daniel mocks you about this 'thing'?"
"Among other things."
"And Kerry?"
"Well, I guess she kinda noticed something on that day you dropped by."
"Kerry noticed 'a thing'."
"Yep." Jack took another drink of his nearly flat Guinness and wondered if the conversation would end here. They had locked their feelings in that proverbial room years ago, and although things had indeed changed, they still were limited in what they could do.
In how they could act. And if they really started to walk down that line now, things were going to change mighty fast.
Sam seemed to reach that conclusion too as she exhaled audibly and gave Jack a reassuring smile that Jack returned. They sat in silence once more, only this time it wasn't quite as awkward.
Mick came by a minute later to check on them and immediately noticed that the light-hearted bantering was gone. Both the general and Sam were still seated side by side, but quietly. Deep in thought. Mick would bet his paycheck the thoughts were of the other. Before he could say anything, there was a crash from the kitchen.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Mick griped, as he wiped his hands on a clean dish towel and headed towards the noise.
Sam laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I swear, Sir," Sam said with a smile, "that catch phrase of yours is probably making the rounds in at least three galaxies by now."
"I have a catch-phrase?" Jack asked with obvious merriment. "Cool!" Sam rolled her eyes. Jack grinned.
"You have one too, you know," Jack countered.
"I do?"
"Yep." Jack gave her shoulder a playful nudge. "But I think you might have gotten it from your Dad," he admitted. "I heard Jacob say it once or twice too."
Sam wrinkled her brow in concentration as she tried to think of what it could be. Jack saw the moment she figured it out. Sam's face always lit up when she solved a puzzle. Jack loved that about her.
Liked that about her.
"Holy Hannah!" Sam exclaimed.
"Got it in one." Jack grinned.
For the next half an hour, the pair talked about other catch phrases heard on base and where they might have come from. Soon they were laughing with one another, the earlier awkwardness fading away. Mick was quite pleased when he returned to see the nachos completed gone and the two Air Force officers in an animated conversation.
"Can I get you one more?" he asked.
"I really shouldn't…" Sam began. She wasn't drunk, but she certainly was tipsy. Lord knows she needed a good night's sleep before she faced the morning.
"Ah come on Carter," Jack cajoled, not wanting the evening to end. "Just one more. If we leave our keys with Mick, he will drive them over to the secure part of the lot as he locks up. We can take taxis home, and I can borrow my neighbor's car to come and get you in the morning." Jack was inordinately pleased with himself that at no point in that rather long monologue, was there even an inkling that Sam was going to go home with him.
"Why do you have the keys to your neighbor's car?"
"Kind of a long story, but it involves a family of four, college visits and not wanting to pay the inordinate fees charged by airports for overnight parking. My truck couldn't fit all of them, so they left their SUV with me. I'm going to pick them up from the airport next Tuesday."
That seemed to make sense, except… "What if there's an emergency, Sir? I mean, as you know, we have some awfully strange things happen on base…" Jack smiled and Sam grinned back.
"Worst case scenario, I have an airman pick them up. After all, there should be some perks from being 'The Man', right?"
Sam agreed, and just like that they ordered another round.
A/N: I am so glad you are enjoying the story! Thank you all so much for your fantastic reviews. And a big thank you to DeniseM for pointing out a missed Major reference in the previous chapter. Mick, the bartender can refer to her as 'major' (Jack might not have updated him on her promotion), but all other references needed to be Lt. Colonel. All fixed. ?