Jack's house - 1997
"Really, we didn't have to, you know," Daniel sighed, reaching for the dish on the coffee table.
Sam chuckled and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "It made Teal'c happy," she tried to justify.
Daniel rolled his eyes and threw an amused glance at Teal'c, who seemed unsure about his plate.
"You okay, T?" he asked.
"I am not familiar with this type of food," the Jaffa responded, swallowing his first piece of sushi. "But it appears to be quite delicious." He suddenly filled his plate with enthusiasm, nearly emptying the dish before them.
SG-1 was at Jack's, celebrating Daniel's return among them. Sam was sitting on the couch next to the man she considered her brother, unable to distance herself from him. She felt relieved and happy to have him back, but the celebration wasn't enough to allow her to forget the pain in her heart.
The embrace she had shared with Jack, after her reaction to the hypnosis, replayed over and over in her mind. The sense of calm she had felt, nestled in his arms and breathing in his scent deeply, had left a profound emptiness. Trying once again to distract herself, she forced her thoughts to focus on the archaeologist, rather than the man who had gone to fetch something in the kitchen and against whom she longed to press herself. He had made his choice by not following her in the airport; she needed to come to terms with moving on.
The evening went on smoothly, and the four of them were happy to share a simple moment, especially now that Teal'c was allowed to leave the base. With Daniel's apartment emptied, Jack offered for him to stay at his place, and Sam offered to drive Teal'c back to the base before heading home herself. The goodbyes were brief: they would all see each other in two days at the SGC.
As he closed the door, Jack was about to join Daniel in the living room to offer him another beer when his phone rang. He answered without looking at the caller ID, already guessing who it was.
"Yes, Elizabeth?" he asked with a smile.
"Admit it, you didn't even check if it was really me," his sister teased.
Jack moved towards the kitchen. "Who else could it be?"
"Well... it's 9 PM over there, so it could very well be, oh, I don't know, maybe... Sam?" his sister sighed.
"Mh," was Jack's only reply. Sam had barely spoken to him during the evening and had avoided his gaze the entire time; he doubted she'd call him now.
Liz continued, not giving him a chance to add anything. "Happy birthday, old man!"
Wedging the phone between his ear and shoulder, Jack carried the beers into the living room, handing one to Daniel before returning to the call. "Thanks, Liz," he replied, taking a sip of his beer.
"Did you get Nan's gift?" his sister asked, a smile in her voice.
Jack frowned and pulled a large envelope from the coffee table. "Yeah, I've got it right here."
"Open it!" Liz ordered impatiently.
Placing the phone on the coffee table and turning on the speakerphone, Jack began opening the envelope under Daniel's curious gaze. He pulled out the contents and froze as he recognized the luxurious box, marked with the family's crest.
Jack carefully opened the box, and his breath caught as he gazed at the ring, gleaming with yellow gold that had barely aged over the decades. Every curve of the band, every tiny engraving, told the forgotten legends of the green hills. The diamond, surrounded by delicate filigree and fine scrollwork, seemed to float like a star in the cradle of the radiant gold.
Along the sides of the ring, Celtic patterns danced gently – endless knots that joined and intertwined in perfect harmony, symbols of the eternal cycle of love and life. Under the light, these engravings seemed to come alive, whispering ancient promises, oaths that bind two souls together for eternity.
The small secondary stones, rose-cut diamonds, shimmered with the soft delicacy of morning dew, adding an extra sparkle to the central stone. Around it, fine floral details wove in, reminiscent of the blossoming moors where love could be born from a simple glance.
And this ring, much more than a piece of jewelry, was a message from his grandmother. Nan O'Neill had worn this ring for decades, embodying the very essence of ancient Ireland, with its subtle blend of nature and the divine, of earth and stars. She had always refused to part with it, had denied even her own son the right to give it for his marriage to Jack's mother, and had refused to give it to Jack himself when he asked Sara to marry him. And now, here it was, held delicately between his fingers. Beyond its monetary value, this ring held immense sentimental value within the family. It was said that the ring chose the future O'Neill to wear it, as its size had never been adjusted for centuries.
"Well?" Liz asked, regretting not being there to witness her brother's reaction in real-time and also regretting herself that the ring did not fit her.
Jack cleared his throat and gently closed the box. "Tell Nan it's nice, but my fingers are a little too big for this kind of jewelry," he replied, trying to defuse the situation with humor.
He guessed Liz was handing over the phone when his grandmother's voice came through. "Jonathan."
"Hello, Nan," he sighed, immediately taking the speaker off in the vain hope that Daniel wouldn't hear the rest of the conversation.
"You know as well as I do who's meant to wear that ring," Nan continued, her voice serious. "And I'm sure it will be your greatest birthday gift."
Jack rolled his eyes, taking advantage of the fact that she couldn't see him, and downed his beer in one gulp. "It's not that simple, Nan."
Nan sighed deeply, fell silent for a moment as if lost in thought, and finally added, "I'm not going to live forever, Jonathan. I know what true love looks like. Don't let it slip away just because you two are incapable of having a conversation."
She hung up before he could respond, and Jack spent a few moments lost in contemplation of the ring. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Daniel's voice, finally breaking the silence.
"Okay, I think you've clearly got something to tell me," he mimicked air quotes with his fingers as he added, "Jonathan."