So it's been a while since I posted here but the supposed fuel shortage in the UK right now gave me an idea. I'm hoping to try and write a few more chapters, I just need to flesh out some more ideas, although if any of you have any ideas please let me know.
Anyway, this is an AU for the first time Sam and Jack meet, hope you like it.
He was driving home from the base. It had been a weird day, seeing everyone from his old team again. He really had thought that the last mission was going to be the first, and last, he ever saw of the gate, but obviously, he had been wrong. Someone had come through, but he was soo sure it hadn't been Ra, there was no way he could have possibly survived a nuke to the face.
"Ah well," he said to himself, "I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow. It'll be nice to see Daniel again if nothing else. I wonder how married life is suiting him."
He was half thinking about his own failed marriage and half concentrating on driving along the darkening road when he saw a car pulled off to the side, hazards on, and someone standing out in the dark, waving at him. He almost drove past, Colorado Springs was a pretty safe area but stopping for some randomer on the side of the road wasn't necessarily the best idea.
Then he saw that it was a young woman, waving hard, clearly upset, and he sighed. He slowed and then pulled over, cracking his window just enough to speak to her.
"Broken down?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I ran out of gas," she explained, "I don't suppose you could tell me where the nearest gas station is?"
Jack frowned. "It's just down the road," he explained, "About a mile."
"Is that it?" the woman asked, her shoulder sagging, "I've been here for an hour and you're telling me I could have just walked a mile down the road and I would have fixed all my problems."
"Yeah," Jack said, "You sure it's the gas and not something more serious?"
There was something about the woman that made him immediately trust her. "I can pull over and take a look if you want." He didn't wait for the woman to answer, but pulled forwards slightly and pulled in in front of her car. He got out of the truck, leaving it running to provide some light, and walked back to the woman.
"I'm sure," the woman said, "I was running on empty, trying to find a gas station and the car conked out."
Jack looked her up and down. Now he was out of his truck he could get a proper look at her. She was younger than him, with short blonde hair, and she held herself with confidence. Jack also noticed that in the half-light of twilight she was pretty.
"Are you new around here?" Jack asked, looking over the car as he spoke, "Everyone knows that the gas station is along here, it's used by the people up at Cheyenne all the time."
Sam sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I drove in this morning for a new job. I asked in the town where the gas station was and got some garbled answers about it being along this road. I didn't want to leave the car when it ran out in case it was too far away."
"Do you not have anyone you could have called?" Jack asked.
The woman shook her head. "Thanks for the help," she then said, "But since I know where the gas station is now I'll just walk up there, grab a jerry can, and walk it back."
Jack looked up the dark road and then back to the woman. "I'll give you a lift," he offered, "People drive along this road far too fast and in the dark, they won't see you."
"It's not that dark," the woman disagreed, "And I wouldn't want to interfere with any plans you had this evening."
Thinking of his plans for that night, sitting home alone drinking beer in front of the TV, Jack shrugged. "I didn't have any plans," he said, "And I insist."
"What if I'm some deranged serial killer?" the woman joked.
"What's the chance of both of us being serial killers?" Jack joked back.
He thought he might have gotten the wrong idea when the woman froze but then she laughed. "I'm Sam by the way."
"Nice to meet you, Sam," Jack replied, "I'm Jack."
Sam offered him her hand and he shook it. He held onto it for a few seconds longer than was perhaps necessary before he dropped it, cleared his throat, and gestured to the truck. "Shall we?" he invited.
Sam smiled and got into the passenger seat of the truck. Jack walked around and got into the driver's seat. He checked for traffic then pulled out and drove back the way he had come.
"So new job then?" Jack asked, "When does that start?"
"Tomorrow," Sam answered, "I drove from my old place and made a bit of a road trip of it, some downtime between the jobs."
"Where from?" Jack asked, he was very curious about the woman who was currently sharing the cab of his truck.
"DC," Sam said.
Jack whistled slightly. "That's a pretty long drive."
He saw Sam shrug out of the corner of his eye. "I had a lot of stuff to sort out," she said by way of explanation.
"So what is it you do then Sam?" he asked.
"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist," Sam answered.
"Cool," Jack said.
"You have no idea what that is do you," Sam said with a laugh.
"Not a clue," Jack admitted. He didn't mind that she was laughing at him, in fact, there was a part of him that wanted to hear her laugh forever.
"To put it simply," Sam said, "I'm a scientist."
"Ohhh," Jack said, sucking air in over his teeth, "Well that's a mark against you." He was smiling as he spoke and he knew that she could see, so he hoped she wasn't going to take him too seriously and get offended. "If any of my colleagues saw us now they'd think I'd been hit on the head."
"Not a fan of scientists?" Sam asked.
"As a rule no," Jack answered, "But there's a few I'm starting to like."
He saw Sam smile.
"Here we are," he said, pulling into the well-lit forecourt.
"Thank you," Sam said, "Would you mind waiting while I get a jerry can filled? If you need to get going no worries, I can walk back pretty quick."
"I'll wait," Jack said.
Sam gave him such a bright smile Jack felt his heart skip a beat before she slipped out of the truck and walked into the store. She was gone for a few moments before she came back out with a jerry can, which she quickly filled and then placed in the bed of his truck.
She smiled at him through the window then opened the door and got back in. "All done," she said, "Thank you."
"Let's get you back to your car shall we," Jack said with a smile.
Sam smiled in response.
They stayed quiet as they drove back down the road to where they'd left Sam's car. He pulled up in front of it again. "Well thanks again," Sam said, as she opened the door and made to get out.
She slid off the seat and reached back to grab her jerry can from the bed of the truck. She came back to the passenger side. "Thanks again," she said, "I really appreciate it."
"You're more than welcome," Jack said. "Do you want me to hang around until you've filled up, and got safely back to the gas station?"
"No I should be ok now thank you," Sam replied with another stunning smile. She then turned to leave, and Jack felt his heart drop a little, he wasn't ready for her to walk out of his life just yet. His heart jumped when Sam froze for a second and then turned back to face Jack. "I know I've already taken up a bit of your evening," she said quietly, "But what would you say to an offer of dinner? As a thank you for helping me out?"
Jack thought for a moment. "Dinner sounds good," he said, "Do you know anywhere or do you want to just follow me somewhere?" He thought for a moment. "What are you in the mood for? Chinese, steak, pizza, pick your poison."
Sam shrugged. "I'm not too fused," she said, "You pick wherever and I'll just follow you there."
"Ok," Jack accepted, "Well how about you get your tank filled, then we'll head to the gas station, then I can show you my favourite place for steak in town."
"It's a date," Sam said with a smile.
She turned away quickly, but not quickly enough to hide the slight blush that was on her cheeks. Jack smiled to himself and then watched as she filled her tank from the jerry can, then stuck the jerry can in the trunk. She got into the car then flashed her lights to let him know she was ready, Jack figured she hadn't realised he had been watching her the whole time.
He signalled to pull out and then Sam pulled out after him. They drove down to the gas station and as Sam pulled in to fill up Jack thought about where he was going to take her. He'd specifically picked a place there was no chance of running into anyone from work, he really didn't want to run into Kawalsky, he would never hear the end of it, no matter how innocent this evening was going to be. There was however a small part, that he was determined the keep down, that hoped it wouldn't stay all that innocent.
Once Sam had filled up she pulled back in behind him and Jack waved at her and when she waved back he headed off.
They pulled up in the parking lot and both got out of their respective cars.
"After you," Jack invited with a flourish.
Sam laughed and Jack felt his heart skip a beat again.
The two of them had a great evening, just chatting about anything and everything. It was mostly small talk and fluff, nothing about her new job or his past, but they had a great time and once they'd finished and paid, Sam insisting that she would pay even after Jack offered, they headed back out to their cars.
"Thank you," Sam said as they stopped at her car, "I had a great evening. It's been a lovely first impression of the Springs."
"I'm glad I could be of assistance," Jack said with a mock bow, "And if you ever need a tour guide feel free to give me a call."
"I'd like that," Sam said. She unlocked her car and grabbed a pen and some paper from the glove box and offered it to him.
"You're prepared," Jack joked.
"You never know when an idea might strike," Sam quipped back.
Jack smiled and quickly wrote his number down before handing her back the paper and pen. "I'll be busy for the next few days," Jack told her, "But I should be back by the end of the week. Feel free to give me a call then."
"It's a date," Sam said with another megawatt smile.
Jack's heart skipped another beat and before he could stop himself he took a step closer to Sam and slowly touched his lips to hers. It was a fleeting kiss, nothing more than a peck really, and soon they were staring at each other again.
Sam cleared her throat, a slight pink blush colouring her cheeks prettily, and looked away from him. "Nice to meet you," she said in a rush.
She jumped into her car and pulled out before Jack could say anything. "D'oh," he muttered to himself as he walked back to his truck, he really might have blown. He still hoped to hear from her though, so he wouldn't write off the chance for another date until at least a week had passed.
He got back into his truck and drove home, tomorrow was going to be a busy day and he really did need to get some sleep.
The next day found Jack sitting in the conference room with Hammond and the rest of the team.
"So what's the plan General?" Jack asked.
"Not yet," Hammond answered, "We're still waiting on someone." He turned to Samuels. "Is Captain Carter here yet?"
"Just arrived sir and on the way down," Samuels answered.
"Captain Carter sir?" Jack asked.
"I'm assigning Captain Sam Carter to the mission Colonel," Hammond explained.
"I prefer picking my own team sir," Jack responded. He felt a shiver at the name, he really had had a great night the night before and really hoped that he would be hearing from her at some point in the next week, even after his potentially ill-advised kiss.
"Not for this mission Colonel," Hammond said, his voice firm, "Carter is our expert on the Stargate."
Jack sighed. "Where's he transferring from," he asked in a resigned tone.
"She's transferring from the Pentagon," a voice came from behind them.
Jack felt a shiver go down his spine, he was pretty sure he recognised that voice but he really hoped he was wrong. With a feeling of dread washing over him, he turned to see who had just walked into the room and his heart dropped. There, looking very impressive in a freshly pressed uniform, was the woman he had had dinner with the night before, the woman who had started to worm his way into his heart the night before. He suddenly realised he was totally screwed.
As he was studying her so closely he saw when Sam recognised him but was very impressed when she kept her professional face in place and walked more fully into the room. "You must be Colonel O'Neill," she said, saluting as she spoke, "Captain Samantha Carter reporting, sir."
Jack didn't know what to say, his fantasy of seeing her again had just come true but in the worst possible way. He was saved from having to say anything by Kawalsky.
"But of course you go by Sam."
"Don't worry, I played with dolls as a kid," Sam's snappy retort cut through the air and Jack had to hide a smile.
"G.I. Joe?" Kawalsky guessed.
"Major Matt Mason," Sam corrected.
"Right..." Kawalsky said, then looked at Ferretti who was sat beside him with a questioning look.
"Major Matt, he was an astronaut doll." He looked at Sam. "Did you have the jet pack that made him fly?" he asked earnestly.
Jack rolled his eyes as Sam smiled.
"Anyway," Hammond interrupted, "Shall we begin?" He looked to Jack as he spoke.
Jack nodded, and once Sam had taken a seat, he began, "Those of you on your first trip through the gate need to know what to expect."
Carter interrupted. "I've practically memorised your report from the first mission," she said, her voice full of excitement, "And I like to think I'm prepared for whatever going through the gate feels like."
Kawalsky and Ferretti shared a look. "I don't think you understand," Kawalsky said, "Have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F-16 at eight-plus G's?"
"Yes," Sam answered quickly, a slight smile on her face.
That threw Jack, that had definitely not come up in conversation last night. Kawalsky was obviously surprised as well. "Well, it's way worse than that," he said, trying to cover himself. He looked to Ferretti for backup.
"Yeah," Ferretti took over, "By the time you get to the other side, you're frozen stiff, like you've been through a blizzard." He paused, then continued, "Naked." He and Kawalsky grinned at each other when he finished.
"That's the result of the compression that your molecules undergo during the millisecond required for reconstitution once you've stepped through the gate," Sam was quick to explain.
"Oh great," Jack said, finally finding his voice, "Another scientist. General, please."
He felt a little bad about what he said but he needed to say something, to break the dump silence that had fallen over him since Sam had started talking.
"Theoretical astrophysicist," Sam snapped back quick firmly.
Jack felt the now-familiar heart skip as he looked into her eyes and saw a mischievous sparkle there. He quickly looked away. "What means what exactly?" he asked the room in general.
"Which means she's smarter than you Colonel," Hammond replied, "Especially in matters related to the Stargate."
Kawalsky and Ferretti started to snigger but Jack glared at them and they stopped immediately. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam hiding a small smile, and he felt a warm feeling in his chest.
"With all due respect Colonel O'Neill," Sam said, "I'd been studying the gate for two years before Doctor Jackson got it to work and you went through." She looked around the room and then her eyes landed back on Jack. "I should have gone through with you then." There was an edge to her voice that made Jack think there was a story behind that. "But this time sir, nothing you or your men can say will stop me from going through, so you might as well all accept it."
Jack couldn't help but admire her guts. "With all due respect, Doctor..." he started to say but Sam spoke across him.
"It is appropriate to refer to a person by their rank, not their salutation," she said, the edge returning to her voice, "You should call me Captain, not Doctor."
Jack swallowed hard but was saved from having to say anything as Hammond, who had been watching the proceedings with a sly smile on his face, spoke up. "Captain Carter's assignment to this team is not an option Colonel, it is an order, and one that I expect to be followed."
Jack sighed slightly, so quietly that no one should have been able to hear him, but Sam obviously had because she turned to him and started speaking again. "I'm an Air Force officer just like you are, Colonel, and just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of the outside, doesn't mean I can't handle whatever you can handle."
Jack smiled slightly as Sam's cheeks turned ever so slightly pink. He knew that meant she was blushing, he'd seen it a few times the night before, but it was so subtle he had a feeling no one else was going to notice it. "Oh I have no issues with you being a woman," he assured her, leaning against his elbows on the table and looking at her, "I like woman. I just have a little problem with scientists."
He saw Sam bite the inside of her mouth slightly, he hoped to hide a smile and not in anger before she spoke again. "Colonel, I logged over a hundred hours in enemy airspace during the Gulf War. Is that tough enough for you? Or are we going to have to arm wrestle?" She stared at him, unblinking, daring him to look away.
Neither did and it was the rest of the room who broke them out of it, which was just as well as Jack wasn't sure how much longer his nerve would hold, and they started talking about the mission and how they were going to make all this work.
Once the meeting had finished everyone got to their feet. Kawalsky and Ferretti shared a smirk when they saw that Jack was waiting for Sam. He just shook his head at them and then ignored them as he waited for Sam to collect her things.
"I'm sure you'll like me when you get to know me," she said as she straightened.
"Oh Captain," Jack said, "I adore you already."
Sam laughed slightly and then looked him in the eye. Jack held her gaze and they both knew that what had happened the night before couldn't be spoken of ever again, and there was absolutely no chance it could ever happen again. Last night they had been Sam and Jack, the night in shining armour that had helped her in her time of need, but now they were Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter, Air Force officers, about to go on a mission to another planet.
Jack sighed quietly to himself, he really was wishing that Sam hadn't walked through that door and he was still waiting on her phone call. He then gestured for Sam to walk ahead of him. "I'll walk you to the locker room," he invited.
"Thank you, sir," Sam said.
Her words sealed the deal and Jack's fantasy about seeing her again, and maybe even kissing her again, went up in a puff of smoke. Sam then looked back over her shoulder at him and Jack could see the starts of the megawatt smile he'd seen a few times the night before starting to appear on her face and his heart skipped a beat again. Then again, he thought to himself, if he got to see that smile again this might even be worth it.