Staking a Claim Part 6
See Part 1 for disclaimer and other information
A week earlier:
He'd never been particularly great with computers. Knew what he needed to, otherwise O'Neill wasn't interested and left it up to the experts. Sam's move to Nevada awakened an interest he hadn't sought but she told him it would be worth it and it was.
IM, email, VoIP and a webcam – Jack quickly picked up the intricacies, amusing Sam when he waxed lyrical about the miracle of technology. More specifically, he marveled at how easily he could see and speak to her on his laptop. The seeing part made all the difference. Way more intimate than a mere phone call.
She agreed. Sam was more familiar with what he referred to as "the beast", in other words the internet. She was just as thrilled as he, however, when he appeared right in front of her eyes for one of their now regular hook-ups.
The previous few weeks had been tough going for Sam. Getting to grips with her new role was difficult enough but the SGC had been her second home for a large chunk of her life and she missed it. In fact, she'd spent more time inside Cheyenne Mountain than she had in her house. Used to moving around because of her father's career, then having chosen that military path herself, Sam had never established real roots anywhere - until Colorado Springs.
This latest move was, therefore, different. The Springs was home. Her friends, her whole life, were back there. It wasn't that Sam had never made friends before, but the bonds with her fellow team mates were powerful forces to reckon with. Outside of her family, she had never experienced the like of such strong ties before.
Sure, everything was changing back in Colorado. Daniel was due to move on. Another galaxy beckoned. Teal'c was preoccupied with his Free Jaffa, helping to forge a new nation, a different way of life. Then there was Jack.
The relationship with her former CO had changed suddenly and dramatically before she left the Springs. Now, Sam longed for his physical presence more then she had ever imagined.
Although she wanted a long term relationship and the whole nine yards, she was an independent woman. Her relationships with men had never defined her, or she didn't believe so. What she had with Jack, however, was something intense and unique and Sam wanted to make the most of this newfound, eye-opening connection.
The miles that stood between them were a burden. Worth bearing so far and she wanted it to stay that way, but a pain in the ass nevertheless. Their regular webcam contact was, therefore, a godsend.
Jack had never prided himself on his great communication skills. Quite the reverse; he openly admitted that talking was not a strong point, particularly when it came to the more personal and intimate. Opening up was far from easy. Sam didn't think she was that great at it either. Two peas in a pod.
As a result, silent voids could occupy their distant contacts as much or more than words. Sometimes they talked, sure, but sometimes they didn't. At first, this seemed a little awkward, until they realized it didn't really matter. No couples talk all the time, right? Just like what would happen if they were together in the same room.
Despite that, Sam had learned much more about Jack rather than General O'Neill in the previous few weeks than she had ever known before. Likewise, she had revealed bits and pieces of Sam as opposed to Carter. It was a gradual process, just like in any developing relationship. All that "getting to know each other stuff", as Jack sometimes put it, was as important as it was fascinating.
They regretted the lack of physical contact because a large part of their familiarity centered on it. Not the sex so much as the hugs or small tactile gestures that often communicate feelings far more than words. They saw each other in person as much as possible, but theirs was a new and burgeoning relationship and thus far, the virtual heavily outweighed the actual.
On this occasion as they connected and Jack's face appeared on her screen, Sam noticed almost straight away that something was bothering him. He smiled in greeting but his eyes lacked their usual spark. Asking him about it might well be pointless she realized. If he wanted to let off steam and talk, he would. Otherwise, she would make the most of the simple and mainly silent contact. Just seeing him was close to being enough.
They exchanged the usual pleasantries and Sam rambled on a bit about a couple of work issues, but Jack seemed distracted and they soon lapsed into the muteness that tended to dominate these phone calls. Sensing there might be something he wished to discuss in a Jack like reluctant way, she stared at him thoughtfully for a while before deciding to prompt him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, wishing she could reach out for him. This was much better than a mere phone call but not quite good enough. She wanted to touch him and was sure he felt the same way.
"I miss you," he replied evasively. Sam knew this wasn't the true root of his disquiet but he rarely if ever actually expressed those sentiments so she smiled sadly and pressed her fingers to the screen. Jack did the same at his end - virtual touch, implicit holding of hands.
The silence continued and she waited for him to speak, hoping he would confide whatever it was that disturbed him. She thought he wanted to.
"I'm getting transferred," he announced suddenly and she stared at him in wide-eyed shock.
"W-what?"
"I'm leaving the SGC."
Sam's heart pounded with dismay and she was stunned into silence. The SGC needed Jack, she was certain of that. What had possessed his superiors to do something so stupid? He was by far the best qualified and experienced officer available to command and, as far as she knew, he'd done a good job.
She realized he'd had many doubts about his ability since taking over from General Hammond. It was one heck of a job, but Jack was one heck of a guy. He'd met the challenge and had not come up wanting. She couldn't understand why they would have reason to transfer him out. It didn't make sense.
Before she could speak, he came back to her again. "Shocked, eh?" he said and she nodded dumbly.
Now Sam started to consider the potential consequences for their relationship. Would this transfer make it harder for them to see each other? The idea made her feel sick. Bad enough that their work already separated them for too long but if he moved even further away it could become close to impossible.
Could they survive it, she wondered? Yes, she was confident they could endure almost anything. She loved Jack, he loved her. They were both military. They would cope. Other people did, didn't they, so why not them? On the other hand, many didn't deal with long separations particularly well and she dreaded this might happen to them.
They'd only just started this relationship, damn it, and Sam very much wanted it to work. They were good together, so much greater than she had anticipated. Jack was attentive, thoughtful, gentle and compassionate, often charming. He rarely failed to make her feel good about herself. Their lovemaking was tremendous. In fact, she had never before encountered such bliss with a man, such unadulterated love.
Now she saw him in a new light, Sam understood how different he could be to the man she had worked with for all those years. She had loved that man but she loved this one even more. This private O'Neill - the Jack that seemed to reveal himself only to her.
When he looked at her, she saw his feelings reflected in his eyes. He genuinely loved her back, adored her. That depth of emotion made her feel extra special and Sam knew she had a similar impact on him.
Sometimes she wondered if their feelings blinded them to each other's faults, but she didn't truly believe it. Love could be blind, sure, but after all those years of working together, the couple was very aware they each had failings. Sam was sure they would irritate each other, bicker and fight, but equally certain she would love him her whole life. Kissing and making up would be a lot of fun she thought.
Sam realized Jack didn't get why, but he accepted she loved him deeply and eternally, grasping it with both hands because he felt the same way about her. She cherished the way he loved her so unequivocally. No ifs, no buts, no doubts. Jack wasn't one for confessing those feelings often but she was wholly secure in the knowledge that they existed and hoped he had this same confidence in her. She believed he did even if he never said as much.
They had no real need to express how they felt verbally. It wasn't that they took it for granted but simply that they knew, felt it in their souls. Talking was something they did but rarely about that and those frequent silences had become comfortable, companionable and tranquil - absolutely unlike their current uneasy one.
"Where, when?" she asked eventually as he obviously wasn't going to volunteer any further information.
"D.C. A month."
She looked agog at that. "D.C.? A month…? D.C.?" she queried again, not quite able to picture Jack in a posting in the big bad capital. "The Pentagon?" She was astonished, had never considered Jack ending up there and was sure he hadn't anticipated it either.
"Hammond is moving on. The President asked for me and the IOC seems to agree, although heaven knows why. But you don't say no to the President of the United States, right?"
Her mouth hung open with shock, an expression that might have amused Jack if he hadn't been in such a serious mood. He knew she hadn't expected this. Nor had he come to that, but his revelation had visibly shaken Sam.
He was still thinking it all through. The implications of the job, the implications for them. Both worried him but he'd been pondering the latter before calling Sam, thinking about worst case scenarios as was his habit. She would come back into the fold, his chain of command. As Head of Homeworld Security, Hammond had responsibility for her new area of work and in a very few weeks Jack would too.
"It's a promotion. A second star," he announced flatly.
Sam smiled now, excited for him. She realized he would never have sought this but he would feel honored, albeit a little daunted, by the prospect. He would continue his involvement with the SGC too. They weren't losing all that expertise as she had first feared.
"Apparently one star simply isn't enough for Head of Homeworld Security," he added with a hint of self-deprecation. This was an unusually rapid promotion.
"You were toying with me weren't you? Really, Jack, you had me going for a moment there. It's fantastic! Congratulations!" she exclaimed effusively, quickly noticing he did not seem similarly ebullient. Jack had not been toying she realized. He should be delighted but this was Jack. He didn't admit it and had accused her of it, but sometimes he over thought things.
"I never wanted D.C." he replied gloomily. "Damned politics and politicians. Backstabbing… I'll be crap at it."
"You won't!" she argued encouragingly wanting to lighten his downbeat mood. "I know it's not really your thing but think of all the good you can do for the SGC. You'll get used to it."
"If I don't end up on a charge because I decked some bureaucratic asshole like Kinsey."
Sam laughed. "You can be remarkably restrained. Just count to ten and think about saving the world when one of those assholes gets to you and you'll be fine." He smiled at this remark. "Better than you think, I'm sure of it. Jeez, I can't think of anyone else who could do the job better. Imagine the alternatives." She puckered her nose up at the thought and, although Jack didn't look convinced, her confidence in him gave him a small boost. "Besides, as you said, you can't deny the President. You have to do it."
"Of course I'm gonna do it but that doesn't mean I have to like it." He eyed her sullenly for a moment, sighing. "And we'll be further apart than ever."
"Just a plane ride away. We'll never truly be apart," she assured him and he regarded her silently for a while, a small smile appearing on his lips.
"No we won't," he agreed. "But that's not all… We'll be…"
He seemed unwilling to voice it but Sam suddenly caught on to the other consequences for them. Thinking she knew what he was about to say, she interrupted.
"You'll be in charge again. Same chain of command," she said in a dismayed tone at that crushing blow, her previously cheerful and optimistic disposition abruptly replaced by despondency.
Jack nodded, looking equally disturbed by the notion, and Sam's thoughts ran wild as she took a few moments to ponder the potential repercussions of that fact.
No wonder Jack had seemed subdued about his promotion and reluctant to talk. All those plans to make them happen meant very little now. Those pesky regs… damn it!
To be continued in Part 7