The Engagement Party

The klaxon was blaring and Walter turned to the General who was hovering over his shoulder.

"It Major Griff and SG-2 Sir."

"Open the iris and tell them to come through." O'Neill tossed this over his shoulder as he trotted down the stairs to the gate room. It was the last team off world and he could rest easy tonight.

"Find anything interesting."

"No Sir. I'm afraid Doctor Jackson is going to be disappointed. Those 'ancient pillars' were well weathered hoodoos. They were in a silted up, I guess, what used to be an arroyo. The floor of the arroyo was covered with flowers." As he said this he swiped at his pant leg releasing a cloud of pollen. O'Neill coughed as the yellow dust settled and swiped at his nose.

"The plants were covering the entire way but only were blooming there. It was sunnier there I guess."

"No more plants. I beg of you." O'Nell pleaded. Bill Lee had finally eradicated every last trace of the prolific alien kudzu.

Griff laughed but he had thought about bringing back a bunch for the party tonight. He was afraid it might be a surprise so he didn't. He really liked the vast field of thigh high red poppies, undulating in a gentle breeze. On their way to the supposed monuments Griff, weapon secured in one hand, let his other hand trail in the flower heads. It gave him a peaceful mellow feeling so unlike most of his missions.

He and his team made their way to the infirmary and O'Neill went back to his office. He swiped off some of the yellow dusty pollen clinging to his BDUs. Then he wiped his hand back on his pant leg. The stuff was hard to get rid of. It even became smeared on the keys of his laptop.

Griff and his entire team were smiling as the nursing staff jabbed needles into their arms and thermometers into their mouths. They were all a little itchy and wheezy. The doc, noting their histamine levels were elevated, gave the airmen antihistamines and observed. They recovered quickly and were released.


Daniel barged into Jack's office.

"You heard about the hoodoos?" Jack asked.

Dejectedly Daniel sighed "Yeah, but that's not why I'm here." He brightened and said "Teal'c and I are planning a little party for Sam."

"Yeah?"

"To celebrate her engagement." Daniel could see Jack's demeanor change.

"What's to celebrate, I say."

"Jack"

He rubbed his forehead and said "I'm busy that night."

"You don't even know when…"

"Daniel, I can't…" Jack was back in Ba'al's charnel house. He could hear the word he said to Daniel or a hallucination of Daniel almost two years ago - 'if I go, I swear to god I'll tell him, I'll tell him that I love her…and I can't' Unbidden into his mind he see Shanahan on the ground and him beating the hell out of the cop, then grabbing Sam by the hand and dragging her out of there, out of a prison.

O'Neill looked dazed to Daniel. Daniel cleared his throat to get Jack's attention and pleaded to his friend "Drop by… just for a minute, for Sam. You don't have to stay. It's tonight at 7."

Jack wondered next if he'd wind up begging Daniel to put him out of his misery. He'd do it for him.

It wasn't long after Jack was in the locker room changing into civics to go home. Tossing the BDU's into the laundry his hands again were covered by the yellow powdery dust. He brushed his hands together to dispel the dust, creating another puff of pollen. He proceeded to the elevators and his truck and home - to sulk. The damn yellow stuff was on his steering wheel. It looked like the glitter Cassie played with when she was younger. Or worst yet like he'd been entertaining a stripper in his truck.


He supposed he had no choice - Daniel would nag him to his grave. And he was no coward. And what did he mean Teal'c was part of this party planning? Teal'c was off world visiting Ishta.

As he was getting dressed Jack realized he should have asked Daniel if it was dressy and how many people were going to show up. Did he have to wear a suit or, god forbid, a tie?

Jack wondered if he was supposed to bring an engagement present although Daniel told him they didn't want any. They would be combining two households and had more than enough of everything. The very thought made him feel a bit queasy. He brought a bottle of rather good champagne. At least he didn't have to wrap it, or watch them unwrap it and ooh and aah over it.

He didn't want to go.


Black slacks, a charcoal jacket and a white dress shirt open at the neck seemed like a suitable attire. He hemmed and hawed in the truck until there was enough of a crowd he could get lost in. Jack swiped at his nose feeling a sneeze coming on, and there was that flowery smell. He could either drive home or get moving. Anyway she probably knew he was out here. He grabbed the bottle and made off to Carter's front door.

She opened the door for him before he could ring the doorbell. Sam was beautiful, elegant, dazzling in his eyes. She wore a form fitting dress of a swirling design of blue flowers on a white background. She had on shiny dangling earrings, shimmering in the light cast by the fixture over the door. He pondered what they would feel like on his tongue if he put his lips over her earlobe.

"Sir, are you all right?"

He swallowed hard and pulled himself together. "Exhausting week and past my bedtime."

She smiled and led him into the house. "Pete, this is General O'Neill."

Pete put his hand out to shake hands with the tall and handsome and most formidable General. Jack shoved the bottle into his hands. 'Hold this and keep your hands off Carter.'

He was sure he thought this and not said it outloud. But he wasn't sure so he smiled so Pete would think it was a joke. His smile looked feral. Jack gave Carter a kiss on the cheek, his nose brushed the silver and gold dangling earring and he was sure he heard a tinkling sound. And she smelled so damn good. She smelled delicious. Or maybe it was the baked goods on the breakfast bar.

Daniel was doing his best to keep guests well lubricated and chatting, passing hors d'oeuvres while mingling.

Jack was having a hard time letting Sam go, going in for a second go at her cheek and earring. Daniel was on the spot to run interference. He managed to put a bottle of Guinness into Jack's hand and he guessed next Jack would look for a means of escape. He hoped Jack wasn't armed. When wasn't Jack armed - in the shower? What was he thinking, he was in a room filled with cops and the backyard filled with front line field officers? And what the hell was this yellow stuff on his hand? Damn he was hungry and these hors d'oeuvres looked good. He ate a few.

It was a bit too hot and crowded for Jack, filled with Pete's friends (who the hell were all these people), so he found his way to the back yard. That's where most of the guests from the SGC were. Jack nodded to the assorted service men and women and found a dark quiet corner. He was thinking about those earrings dangling from Carter's perfect ears. And that perfect neck, smelled so good, so lickable.

"That poor bastard." Griff said to Dixon. "I was sure this was for him and Col. Carter."

"Cryin' shame." Dixon commiserate. "Didn't you hear about the cop?"

"Yeah…but what was she thinking after that clusterfuck at the stakeout?"

"I've been married for 17 years and I still don't understand women." Dixon said.

"Where is your wife?" Griff asked.

"She likes O'Neill and couldn't bring herself to face this. I told Sam we couldn't find a babysitter. You?"

"My wife is the one who told me it wasn't the General so she didn't splurge on the gift. I nearly didn't come tonight, thought I was coming down with something. By the way, is Walter here?"

"Oh yeah, he and Siler are in the garage tallying up the winner and loser of the pool. Expecting a big pay off?"

"Hell no."

Feretti moseyed over and said "At least someone got him a drink."

"Yeah, he's going to need it."

"He ain't drinking." Griff noted.

"Might be a good thing." Reynolds said joining the group.

These men always had one another's back and they'd protect O'Neill. They were professionals, they could do covert. They wouldn't let it show but they'd close rank behind him. Damn Skippy.


Sam was trying her best to be sociable, smiling til her face hurt and attempting to remember the names of Pete's co-workers. It seemed as though he invited everyone in the Colorado Springs Police Department and even a few friends from Denver. She was expecting all his aunts, uncles and third cousins to show up next. The party had overflowed to the back garden. And that's where all her friends from the SGC were. Would it always be like that - his friends and her friends?

Someone changed the music and she hated what was on. Someone put the television on. Even after asking them not to smoke in the house the fumes made her eyes water. She supposed she could ignore the chips being ground into the carpet and the drinks being sloshed on her furniture.

And where did General O'Neill go? He did seem happy to see her. And he seemed to like her earrings, touching the delicate swirls of silver and gold. Sam brushed her cheek where he dropped a kiss and smiled and touched her lips. Mmmm, she thought, he smelled so good, the subtlest hint of floral with the usual musk. Sam hoped he didn't leave already. Maybe he just disappeared into the backyard.

There was a glimmer to her lips as if someone had brushed them with gold dust.

Now since General O'Neill had come and gone she felt so irritable with the crowd in her living room. When Pete introduced her to his associates the best he could do was 'she in the Air Force'. She wondered if he could even pronounce astrophysicist nevermind explain what that means.

And she really wanted to be in the backyard with the people she was comfortable with, her friends and the General. There was no one here to have a conversation with or to joke with. What did that say about her?

And what was with Daniel? He was scarfing down mini quiches like a wood chipper.


Walter and Siler were conferring in the garage over a bowl of appropriated chips. "This doesn't fit any of the parameters of our lottery." Walter was dismayed. "I thought I thought of everything."

Siler added "Yeah, Aliens, clones, Jaffa, Tokra, Narim, Martouf/Lantash back from the dead, Alec Colson, Joe Faxon back from the Aschen, Malcolm Barrett, O'Neill robot, O'Neill from another reality, even Kinsey."

Walter was perplexed. "Honestly, I thought we did. Some have the right date, right time, right planet, right species but no one has the right man."

"And neither does she." Griff said as he and the fellow officers joined Walter and Siler.

As a crowd gathered around the two men in the garage Walter unfurled a few yards of neatly arranged rows and columns. They were all curious as to the results of the largest and most extensive betting pool in SGC's history.

"What did ya bring all that for? I thought you had it all on a spreadsheet on the main frame." Siler whispered.

"I thought this looked more professional." Walter whispered back.

"What? For a bookie from the 1930's."

Siler found a few wenches and a ratchet or two to hold down the ends of the curling chart.

"As you can see" Siler said to the gathered service members "we have charted out all possibilities of combinations and permutation."

"I have kept all the slips submitted but, as you can see, we have filled in the chart in order to best identify those with the correct selections." Walter was very efficient. He had a small lock box by his side with the submissions.

"As you can see '' and with this he pointed to the third column "some have selected a date that has already passed." There were some murmuring in the crowd. Walter went on "However since we have not seen an official marriage certificate we cannot rule out a secret marriage prior to today's date."

"I have a connection in the local records office, so if that's the case we might be able to narrow things down." Siler added.

"Subterfuge on her part?" Someone in the crowd queried.

"Is anyone close?" Someone else asked.

"Hard to say since the original question for the pool was who, what, where and when and how will Colonel Carter marry." Walter said.

"And then it expanded to engagement, pregnancy and children. We have had some pretty bizarre guesses but all things considered we couldn't reject any of them out of hand." Siler added. "For example, under species most chose human but there was a variety from Unas to Ascended Ancients." There were snickers in the audience.

"What are some of the better guesses?" someone in the crowd ventured.

"Carl on MALP repair suggested Anubis would abduct her and make her his concubine. Still possible I guess."

That got groans.

"Kenny in food services was on the money for time, date, planet and species but he guessed himself as the groom."

This got a round of laughter.

"Hey" Kenny said indignantly "It's still possible."

"In your dreams." a voice in the crowd shouted.

"And then there was an addendum to the original choices, which we will consider separately, concerning pregnancy. We already have a submission of triplets, two human and one alien." Walter had another scroll for that lottery.

"No, I think that was two aliens and one human, nonidentical triplets." Siler said.

"I stand corrected." Walter huffed. "So until the wedding ceremony there will be no pay out but some will know if they are already out of the running. Thank you for your attention and patronage. Oh and the prize money is in an account and making interest."

"Get that man a beer." Ferretti said.

"Thanks but I'm on duty in half an hour." And Walter left with the charts and lock box under his arm.


Sam saw the Chief of Police, Pete's boss, escape into her backyard. The group got much livelier with his departure.

The Chief spied his poker buddy. "Jack, how ya doing?"

"Good to see you Jeff. Who's minding the store? Looks like your whole department is here."

"And then some. But I could ask you the same thing, these all yours?"

"Yup, Carter is well liked and they are always up for a party."

They could hear the laughter from the group in and around the garage. "They plotting something?" The Chief asked.

"Always a possibility." O'Neill said with a grin.

Jeff noticed the beer bottle dangling from his friends fingers. "Can I get you another?"

"Thanks, no, I'm on call."

"Not one of them?" the Chief cocked his chin toward the group of officers.

"They need a night off, it's been one of those weeks."

"I don't mean to pry but isn't this" and he gestured with his beer bottle toward the house "kinda sudden. He hasn't been in my department for more than a few months."

"Not for me to say."

"And she's one of your top scientists and he's not the brightest bulb…" Jack motioned for him to keep quiet.

Sam had come out the door with an ice cold bottle of Guinness and she was approaching the Chief and the General when a sound in the house of a plate hitting the tile floor and raucous laughter was heard.

With Carter in sight, the discussion of who, what, when and where stopped abruptly, light in the garage went out, and the crowd there dispersed.

"My gang" the Chief muttered as he trudged into the house and the volume turned down immediately.

Sam took the bottle from O'Neill and handed him the fresh one. Except for what remained on his fingers of the pollen, a few grains clung to the bottle neck now firmly in Sam's grasp. She was surprised it was still full. She was also surprised that his fingers were around hers, both holding the long neck of the fresh beer bottle.

The fairy lights twinkling the trees in her yard caught the dangling earrings and the golden flecks sparkling on Sam's lips. Again O'Neill was entranced. Sam felt his fingers tighten around hers and she raked her teeth across her bottom lip. Most of the golden flecks disappeared from her lip to reappear on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes fluttered closed as O'Neill's index finger traced her bottom lip, sparkling it anew with splatters of gold.

"I really shouldn't"

Sam wasn't sure if he was talking about drinking or touching her. She'd take door number two.

Across the yard Siler poked Kenny and said "You don't stand a chance."

"Yeah, well then neither does that poor slob in the house."


The house, now deplete of alcohol and snacks was vacated by the hoard of Pete's buddys. He looked around at the mess of bottles, glasses, crumpled napkins, plates and other assorted debris, and decided to ignore it and go find Sam. She had decamped to the backyard minutes before the Chief came back in and put a decided damper on the celebration.

Two things happened at once. Pete spied Sam near her boss, a little too close for his liking. And the General's phone rang. Actually it rang quite a few times before it occurred to O'Neill what that noise was.

Beer bottles were now both in Sam's hands, Jack took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the display.

"It's Walter. Wasn't he here a minute ago?" Jack asked no one in particular.

Flipping the phone open he said "O'Neill".

"Sir, the Stargate is missing." Walter sounded nervous.

That was incomprehensible. "What?" O'Neill asked, he was sure he had heard wrong.

"The Stargate is missing."

O'Neill looked perplexed, clicked his phone shut and said "I gotta go."


Sam could still feel the warmth of the General's fingers while Pete nattered on about what a good party this was and how great it was that the rain held off until now.

The humid evening developed into a light mist then a gentle light rain. O'Neill's hands were wet from the door handle. He grabbed a left over napkin from a fast food debris on the passenger's seat and wiped both his hands and the glittery steering wheel. He started the truck and was off to the SGC.

SGC members bid the couple a 'good night' and 'great party' as they exited through the side yard instead of tramping through her house.

It seemed everyone except for Daniel had gone home. Sam, whose mood was ebullient while with O'Neill, sunk to a new low when she saw the mess in her once tidy home. There were plates scattered about with half eaten food, glasses and beer bottles on every conceivable surface. She missed the burn marks on her sofa that strategically placed pillows hid.

Sam wondered why so many china plates were used since she had a whole stack of sturdy decorative paper plates with matching napkins. She found them on the island, the entire stack smeared with frosting smushed against a cake and cole slaw dripping down the other side. The whole lot got pushed into a trash bag.

"Gee Sam," Pete said, as with an insanely loud clatter he dumped a bunch of bottles into a recycling bin, "I'd love to stay longer to help out but I've got an early meeting in the morning." He gave her a peck on the cheek, she did turn as he came in for a landing, put on his coat and left. Daniel, faithful trusty Daniel, was busy scraping dishes and loading the dishwasher.

Sam had some serious thinking to do while she did some serious cleaning. It might take some time. And when she was done she'd have to take out the trash.