General Jack O'Neill was buried under his usual stack of unread memos when there was an unexpected gentle knocking at his door. Grumbling to himself, he called out "Come in," gingerly rearranging the piles on his desk so he'd be able to see his visitor once they came in. Leaning over to drop a large stack of memos on the floor by his chair, O'Neill was doubly surprised to see the head of his flagship team step into the room as he straightened himself up.
"Carter," he said, somewhat confused, "Shouldn't you be gearing up for your mission this afternoon?". She hesitated, eyeing her commander speculatively a moment. At last she responded with a well-trained "Yes, Sir," acknowledging that she had more than one mission to attend to this afternoon.
"Then what is it?," he asked bluntly, starring her down.
"Permission to speak freely, Sir?," she asked, steeling her nerves against the inevitably awkward conversation about to take place.
"Always, Carter," he replied, motioning for her to sit. She did as suggested, fidgeting nervously in the seat while trying to find the right words to say. "Carter," said Jack at last, growing impatient with her prolonged silence, "much as I might otherwise enjoy this impromptu visit, I do have other matters demanding my attention as well." He gestured irritably toward the multiple stacks of papers towering over his desk. Carter sighed. "Yes, Sir," she replied quietly. Jack raised his eyebrows in anticipation.
"Sir," she said at last, meeting his impatient gaze. "About this morning. I wanted to make myself absolutely clear about something." Sam swallowed hard, fighting both to hold his gaze and resist the urge to bolt from the room as fast as she could. Miraculously, she held her ground, watching the General's impatience fade into guarded curiosity.
"Sir," she continued, still searching for words, "Before I leave, I think we should meet. Off base. For dinner," she finished rather awkwardly. O'Neill's eyes widened in surprise as he exhaled sharply, running a hand nervously through his grey hair. Closing his eyes for a moment, he asked pointedly "Carter, are you asking me on a date?"
"Yes, Sir," she replied hesitantly, biting her lower lip. This was beyond awkward. The General looked for all the world as if he had just been struck dumb. His eyes were wide with disbelief, and though his mouth opened and closed as if to respond, no sound emerged. Sam winced involuntarily, waiting for her worst fears to be voiced. Instead, however, the General managed to clear his throat at last, rasping, "Ok," with a tiny nod of his head.
"Ok?," she repeated, mirroring his own uncertainty and disbelief.
"Yeah," he said, more confidently now. "Ok. A date." Sam smiled, brightening the room for an instant. Jack grinned involuntarily as well, caught up in the moment.
"Ok, then," said Sam, still beaming as she stood to leave.
"And Carter," he said, as she turned to open the door.
"Yes Sir?," she asked, looking back to her CO, her hand still resting lightly on the door's metal handle.
"Watch your six out there today," he said, looking at her meaningfully.
"Yes, Sir," she replied with a grin, leaving the office quickly in an almost giddy haze.
Jack leaned back in his chair, head resting casually on linked hands. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so perfectly happy, so alive. Grinning, he spun 'round in his chair, grabbing the nearest stack of papers to tackle with an enthusiasm he had most certainly never felt before.