Notes: I totally suck for keeping you all hanging for nearly two weeks. I'm so sorry! It was 90% written for ages, but I had a heck of a time tying everything together. HUGE thank you to Flatkatsi for all her help. If it's any consolation at all, I made this extra long.
Previously on Hypothetical
Sam turned back towards Jack, wiping her damp palms on her jeans as she took a deep breath. The cool air helped. "I thought perhaps I could take this one, Sir." Sam's eyes danced with merriment as she boldly stared at Jack's obvious erection. Jack growled in frustration.
"One day, Samantha Carter," he drawled, his eyes still dark with intense attraction, "I'm going to really enjoy wiping that smirk off your face."
Sam's own eyes darkened with pleasure. "I look forward to it, Sir."
With a jaunty sway to her hips, Sam headed back inside.
Chapter 6
Jack woke up with one hell of a hangover and a raging hard on. He slammed his pillow over his face and groaned at the unfairness of it all. In another few weeks, it really wouldn't have made a difference, but Fate had decided it would be fun to move all the pieces around in order to place temptation right in front of his nose. He and Sam had taken flirting and sexual innuendo so far from the edge of appropriateness last night, and it was going to be hell to dial it back down. Jack really need to stop thinking about his favorite Lt. Colonel.
Naked.
It was bad. In a really good, but really, really bad way. He needed to get himself together. He was the commanding officer to the most top secret base in the world for crying out loud! It was just not seemly to be acting like a love-struck teenager. Suck it up, Airman!
It also wasn't fair to Carter. Sam. He and Sam might be holding on to the frat rules by the barest of threads, but they were still (mostly) there. It would not do either of their careers or reputations any good to slip up now. They waited this long, they could wait a couple of more weeks.
After a cold shower and a hot coffee, Jack felt better. He was glad to see he had arrived before Sam and Daniel and decided to forgo breakfast in the officer mess, asking Walter to just grab him a Danish and coffee. It seemed rather prudent to keep a little distance between he and Carter today. Not that Jack couldn't control himself, but it had only been 12 hours since he and Sam completely fell off the cliff of military appropriateness.
He still recalled her words. His words.
Jack groaned as inappropriate images flashed through his mind. This is exactly what he couldn't do. No thinking about Samantha Carter!
Thankfully, the universe decided to give him a break, and Jack found his morning filled with SG mission briefings, personnel evaluations and requisition requests. In less time than he would have thought, Jack easily shifted into General-mode and began the business of running the most secretive base on the planet.
*******************sg1sg1sg1sg1sg1****************
Sam Carter woke with a smile, the remnants of a really good dream slowly fading away. Sure, things were changing between she and Jack, and Sam wasn't naïve enough to think there wouldn't be challenges ahead, but for the first time in years, she allowed herself to think about a possible future with Jack O'Neill. She believed the two of them were actually on the same page, both ready to move forward and try having a relationship together.
Or at least mind-blowing sex.
Sam laughed out loud and shook her head in embarrassment. She didn't doubt that the sex would be amazing, but really, she wanted the full Jack O'Neill package. She was pretty sure Jack did too. Now all they needed to do was maintain their usual professional relationship for the next couple of weeks. To quote the General, piece of cake! Sam glanced at her alarm clock, pleased to see that he was up a good 30 minutes early. This afforded her an extra-long shower and time to stop at her favorite coffee shop before work.
Sam was humming softly to herself as she said good morning to the entrance guard and signed in. The elevator doors had just opened when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Sam, wait up!"
Daniel.
Sam pressed the 'hold' button and waited for him to quickly sign in and sprint towards her.
"Daniel, you didn't need to run," Sam chided her friend good-naturedly.
He gave her a half-smile and shrugged as he caught his breath. He looked up at Sam, surprised to see that she looked particularly well rested. And...content?
"You woke up early today."
Sam wrinkled her brow in confusion. "Why would you think that?"
Daniel chuckled. "Sam, you're dressed nicely, with the "good" make-up, and you're holding a cup of Victor's coffee!" He eyed her coffee longingly. It had been a long night.
"'Good' make-up?" Sam repeated with a laugh, silently handing her steaming coffee over to her friend.
"I think you might need this more than me this morning."
"Thanks, Sam." Daniel sighed happily in fresh roasted bean bliss as he took a large sip before handing the cup back to Sam.
"Yes, good make-up," Daniel confirmed, picking up the conversation again. "You have two kinds of make-up," he explained as the elevator descended. "Usually you have this minimalist thing going on." Daniel gestured near her face with his left hand in a counter clockwise circle. "Just enough to look presentable if you're pulled over on the way to work."
Sam didn't know if she should object to 'presentable' or 'pulled over'. She decided on the former as everyone knew that Sam liked to drive fast and had received more than a few speeding tickets.
"So, presentable, huh?" The elevator silently stopped on Level 25 and both exited.
"You know what I mean," Daniel continued, nudging her shoulder slightly. "Just a little eye stuff. Maybe some lipstick? You usually do a little bit more once you're at work and changed."
"And today?"
"Today, it looks like you woke up in a good mood and took some time with your appearance."
Days like today, Sam really wished Daniel wasn't so damn observant.
"Nothing wrong with that, is there?"
"No, of course not," Daniel assured her. "It's just a little unexpected." He gave her an apologetic shrug. "You've kinda had a rough couple of weeks, Sam," he said gently.
Sam nodded. "The weekend at the General's cabin helped."
"As did the BBQ at his house?" Daniel was totally fishing for more information. He knew something important had happened between Jack and Sam, he just wasn't entirely sure what it was yet.
"Lots of changes," Sam said finally as she stopped in front of the women's locker room. "Meet you in the Commissary in 30 minutes? I need to quickly check on an experiment first."
Daniel nodded. "Sure." Maybe he could get some more information out of her at breakfast.
*******************sg1sg1sg1sg1sg1****************
The morning had passed quickly. Jack was diligently working his way through a request for larger display monitors, when a sharp knock on the door, caused him to look up. He was not all that surprised to see his favorite rock hound standing in his doorway. Daniel frequently dropped by his office at odd times, and often for no particular reason, but the look on his face today, made Jack think he might be missing something.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Daniel tried not to sound as angry as he felt. It wasn't as if he asked Jack for help all that often.
"Er…Maybe?" Jack tried to keep his expression neutral.
Daniel shook his head in resignation. "Last week, remember? You promised you'd meet with me on Monday to go over my department requests."
Shit. He had.
"Sorry, Daniel," Jack said contritely. "I really did forget." He motioned towards his rather full in-box. "I've been buried deep in all sorts of other things this morning and our meeting didn't quite make it to my calendar."
"You have a calendar?" Daniel momentarily forgot his anger at Jack's forgetfulness. It felt like he was witnessing an anthropological cultural leap: Jack O'Neill becoming an administrator.
Jack looked at his friend oddly. Of course, he had a calendar!
"That's ok," Daniel continued. "How about I ask Walter to put something on your calendar for next week?"
"That'd be great, Danny. Thanks." Jack gave his friend a lopsided smile and then turned back to his desk.
"Make it up to me by having lunch with us?"
There was no question as to who 'us' would be. SG-1. Daniel, Teal'c…
And Sam.
"I'd love to Daniel," Jack began, glancing at the pile of papers in front of him, "but…"
Daniel gave a slight nod and then reached behind himself and closed the door.
Jack was confused. "Daniel?"
Daniel walked a few paces forward and sat down in an empty chair near Jack's desk.
"What's going on, Jack?"
"Nothing is going on," Jack cursed his friend's insightfulness. Sure, it had save his life on more than one occasion, but right now, he really needed Daniel to just go.
"Does this have anything to do with you and S.."
"Daniel," Jack barked harshly, shooting his friend a hard look. He then exhaled in a loud woosh and shook his head. In a gentler voice, he continued, "Just leave it, okay?"
Daniel looked at Jack critically and then gave a short nod. He'd give Jack his space.
For now.
"I'll see you later, Jack." Giving his friend one last look, Daniel quietly opened the door and walked out.
*******************sg1sg1sg1sg1sg1****************
Jack's self-imposed isolation lasted exactly 7 hours and 32 minutes.
After reading a report about a cultural misunderstanding between SG-13 and the inhabitants of P2X-492, Jack recognized that he needed a break. It was only after he selected the button for Level 19 that he realized he was heading to Sam's office. Jack closed his eyes briefly in resignation and sighed. He could visit Daniel instead on Level 18, but he knew it just wasn't going to work to try and avoid Carter for the next two plus weeks. Best to go see her now and gauge how easy or hard this might be.
Jack had just rounded the corridor that lead to Sam's lab, when he saw a brief flash of light and heard an electric zap.
"Ouch!" Jack recognized the voice and increased his pace. He entered Sam's lab to find her sitting on a lap stool sucking her right index finger.
"Having fun with your science experiments again, Carter?" Jack asked, as he stepped into her lab.
"Yes, Sir." Sam gave him a lopsided smile, as she removed her digit and examined it for burn marks.
"You okay?" He knew it wasn't serious, but he couldn't help but ask. Jack told himself he would have asked anyone under his command the same question. Just showing general concern for the health and well-being of his staff.
"I'm fine, Sir." Sam shook her head slightly as she took in the damage caused by the small explosion. "Too bad I can't say the same thing about my experiment."
"Seems to me like this is a perfect place to take a break," Jack said casually, leaning against the door frame.
Sam considered the request, glancing between her experiment and CO. "Actually, Sir…"
"Ah-ah! I'm hungry, Carter. And in desperate need of caffeine. 1400 is the perfect time for some cake and coffee."
Sam cocked her head slightly and smiled. "Cake, Sir?"
"All right, you can have blue Jello, but I'm having cake." He could tell that Sam was tempted.
"Really Sir, I should stay and finish this experiment." As much as Sam actually could use a break and definitely enjoyed her CO's company, seeing him in her lab was causing all sorts of inappropriate emotions and endorphins to surge in her body. It would probably be for the best to just give themselves a little extra space today.
Jack couldn't read everything that crossed his former 2IC's face, but he had some idea why she might be hesitating. It was going to be a very long 16 days indeed if they couldn't find a way to just be normal around once another. Jack mocked himself internally as he realized Sam was doing exactly what he had been: keeping his distance.
It was kinda silly.
"Ah, come on, Carter!" he cajoled. "I thought we could grab Daniel on 18 and Teal'c from 21 where he's just wrapping up a training exercise."
Jack could tell the inclusion of their team mates was a good one. "So," she said finally. "team break?"
"Team break," Jack agreed with a nod.
"Well in that case, Sir," Sam said with a smile, "how can I refuse?"
Jack returned the smile. See? They could do this. The next 16 days were going to be a snap.
*******************sg1sg1sg1sg1sg1****************
The next week passed by quickly. SG-1 had two successful missions and Jack was busy finalizing base reviews and working on his transition plan. After another day of slight awkwardness around Sam, the two had quickly returned to their usual working relationship, both pleased at how easy it was. Jack was happy to realize that he was no more concerned than usual when SG-1 was slightly late for a scheduled check-in (ion radiation interference), and if he gave Sam just an extra half second of his attention after SG-1 returned home dripping wet and covered in mud, well, he probably would have done that before, too. The only difference this time, was that it annoyed him when he noticed he wasn't the only one who appreciated Carter all wet and muddy. He wanted to say something, but didn't think Sam would appreciate it.
The next week, Jack had to fly to D.C. for two days, one of those days overlapping with SG-1 being off-world. None of them were even aware that Walter had slowly started gathering boxes and was beginning to pack up the General's office.
Things really began to feel real after Jack returned from D.C. escorting one Major General Hank Landry. There would be an official ceremony and then celebration on his last day, but it was important to Jack that he had an opportunity to personally introduce Hank to the senior officers and personnel on the base. He also wanted to give Hank the opportunity to gawk and ask him questions. It might be common place for him now, but Jack remembered (albeit barely) what it was like seeing the Stargate for the first time.
Jack introduced Hank to Colonel Reynolds, his new 2IC and left the two alone to give them a chance to get to know one another. Reynolds was going to remain the base's second in command under Hank. Jack remembered his own 2IC discussion after taking over command from General Hammond. Jack had originally expected Sam to continue in her capacity as his 2IC, but it was George who had politely (but firmly) reminded him that as capable as Sam was, she was only a major. Protocol dictated that one needed to be a colonel to hold such a position. Jack smiled at the memory. Idly, he wondered how long it would be before Sam's next promotion. He knew she'd only recently made Lt. Colonel, but the way Sam's career was progressing, Jack had no doubt she'd make General before 50. His smile grew larger as he spied a familiar trio in the back corner of the mess.
"Hiya kids," he said casually, surprising his former team. Sam looked up and gave Jack one of her 100-watt smiles that never failed to put him in a good mood.
"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed. "We didn't expect you back until tomorrow."
Jack shrugged. "I met up with Hank, that is General Landry, and we decided to fly back early." Fact was, Jack couldn't wait to get home. In a little more than 72 hours, he'd no longer be commander of the SGC and he wanted to enjoy his remaining time. For a moment, a wave of nostalgia rolled over him and he wondered if he had made the right decision. He knew Hank was a good man. A good leader. But the SGC was more than just a base to him, and leaving it was not going to be easy. Still, there were some awfully nice perks to look forward too. He purposefully did not glance at Sam.
Jack pulled up a chair and sat down, stealing one of Daniel's fries.
"Geeze, Jack," Daniel whined, "you could get your own food, ya know."
"What's the fun in that?" Jack said with a smirk, taking a second fry.
"Why don't you take something from Teal'c or Sam?" Jack looked at Daniel as if he had grown two heads. Sam tried to hide her smile as Teal'c raised an eyebrow.
"You forgetting something, Danny?" Jack teased his friend. "Maybe there are still some memories you haven't gotten back yet…"
Daniel creased his eyebrows in thought. Why was everyone looking at him strangely?
Sam took pity on her friend. "Our second year, Daniel, remember? We had just returned from P7J-989…"
"The garden planet with the wacky 'Keeper'…" Jack added.
"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed as the memory kicked in. He looked at Teal'c. "We returned from the mission famished and headed down here to eat and…"
"And O'Neill attempted to partake in sustenance that did not belong to him."
"It was just a roll, Teal'c." Teal'c gave his friend a serious look.
"It was my food, O'Neill," Teal'c replied dryly.
"And you immediately pulled Jack out of his chair and had him pinned to the ground with his arm behind his back within moments," Daniel recalled with a laugh.
"He caught me off guard," Jack groused. "Obviously, if we were in the field and someone I didn't know tried that, he wouldn't have succeeded."
"Of course," Daniel agreed in a mocking voice. Sam held her hand firmly over her mouth to hold back her giggles.
Jack gave both of them his 'death glare'. "Hey! Be nice to me! I'm only here for another 3 days."
Those words immediately sobered the group.
"When will you be leaving for D.C. permanently, Sir?" Sam asked. Her face gave no indication that his departure meant significant changes for both of them.
"I'll have a little over two weeks before my first day at the head of Homeworld. I plan on spending at least a week here in Colorado packing up. Might take longer. We'll see." All three SG-1 members regarded their friend somberly. It wouldn't be the same after he was gone.
"Which reminds me," Jack said, trying to change the mood. "There's the official send off for me at O'Malley's…"
"I still can't believe they're letting us back," Sam said with a chuckle.
"Well, it has been several years," Daniel said diplomatically. He still couldn't he had been involved in a bar brawl. Or that he had won!
"I think the kicker was the change in ownership," Jack added with a grin. "Just be on your best behavior if you see anyone who looks familiar." Everyone assured him they would.
"But after O'Malley's," Jack continued, "I thought it might be fun to head back to my place for a few. Drinks. Stars. Campfire…"
"One last evening with the team, Jack?" Daniel asked.
"Will there be s'mores, O'Neill?"
Jack nodded. "Of course, Teal'c." Teal'c bowed his head to show that he'd come.
Jack looked at Daniel, and he too nodded. He turned to Sam to see what she thought of the idea. Jack had no idea at all if she would think this was a good idea or a bad one.
Sam smiled. "Well, as long as there are s'mores, Sir, count me in."
TBC
Notes: What started as a 'simple' 3-part story, is now looking like it'll take 8 chapters to complete. I didn't mean for this chapter to be so bloody long. But I just couldn't take the easy way out and just say "Three Weeks Later". The stage is now set. Jack is indeed gonna leave the SGC and head to Homeworld next chapter. (previously posted as 'retire' - thanks for the catch kahuna) Hmm. Wonder what'll happen then? cue evil laughter. Please let me know if you're still enjoying!