Sam's place - 1997
Burying his hands in his pockets, Jack rocked on his heels while his fingers closed around the small box. He had no idea where to start and had just spent the last twenty minutes standing in front of the door, trying to figure out how to begin this conversation.
Sam pulled her jacket tighter around herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "Colonel O'Neill?" she asked again, sensing something unusual in his presence. She couldn't quite figure out why he was there.
"Sam," he finally responded, snapping back to reality. "We need to talk."
"About…?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jack hesitated, searching for any kind of hint in her gaze. Us, he wanted to say, but that would only widen the gap between them. "I'm sorry… about the dog," he offered instead, straying from his original purpose.
Smiling slightly, Sam waved off his excuse. "You should probably apologize to my father instead," she replied. "His shoes were chewed up last night."
Nodding, Jack let silence settle between them. The ring in his pocket felt like it was burning his fingers. "About my behavior, in that closet…" he tried again, more hesitantly.
Sam's heart started to beat a little faster. They were treading on dangerous ground with this discussion. Just as she was about to ask where he was going with this, Jack's phone suddenly rang loudly.
Sighing, he reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve the bothersome device, intending to turn it off so he could finally tell the woman in front of him that she meant more to him than he dared hope. As he pulled the phone out, Sam's eyes instinctively dropped to the screen, and the caller's name was clear.
Stepping back, she placed a hand on the door handle, her expression closing off abruptly. "I suppose we have nothing to discuss unless it's work-related," she said coldly before turning to go back inside. "Good evening, Colonel."
Shutting the door behind her, Sam leaned against it for a moment. From the other side, she heard Jack answer the call with a, "Yes, Diane?" that shattered her heart.
Taking a deep breath, Sam ran a hand over her face and met her father's concerned gaze as he approached to check on her. "I'm fine, Dad," she reassured him with a sigh. "I'm just going to bed."
Because clearly, karma was still having its way with her.
A few weeks later, Sam adjusted Cassie's coat, gave her a kiss on the head, and then turned to straighten Jacob's scarf.
"Be careful, okay?" she demanded in a tone that left no room for negotiation.
"Sammy," her father sighed, rolling his eyes. "We're just going to the mountains for the day so Cassie can experience the joys of skiing. Everything will be fine."
Sam gave their outfits one last check, ignoring her father's words. "Call me when you arrive, don't let her eat just anything, and be back before 8 PM—we have dinner plans, remember!"
Cassie suppressed a smile at the concern from the woman she now considered her own mother and grabbed Jacob's hand, pulling him toward the exit. "Come on, Grandpa, Daniel and Teal'c are waiting for us. See you later, Colonel! Bye, Mom."
Giving Sam one last kiss, she left without delay, taking Jacob along. Sam stood in the doorway, watching them leave. "Be safe! I love you."
The door of a taxi slammed shut at the same moment, and the young woman stepping out of it stared at the scene, dumbfounded. Sam waved at her and continued to watch the group organize themselves into the car. Cassie and Teal'c were about to see snow for the first time, and Daniel and Jacob had volunteered to chaperone the adventure.
"Holy cow!" exclaimed the young woman stepping out of the taxi. "I knew you liked older guys, but… that old?!"
"Liz!" Sam cried, pulling her into a hug. "That's my dad, you nut!" she clarified, stepping back to grab her friend's suitcase and bringing it inside.
The two friends had planned to spend the holiday season together; they hadn't had time to call each other recently, and Sam hadn't been able to update her on all the recent changes in her life.
"Oh thank god," the Irish woman replied. "I was beginning to wonder if I should avoid driving near retirement homes, just in case you pounced on every old guy we passed!"
They exchanged a look, and Sam was the first to laugh. She quickly composed herself when she noticed Cassie's dog trying to chew on Liz's shoes. "Colonel, no!" she scolded the dog.
Liz burst into genuine laughter, wiping away a tear that threatened to escape. "Colonel, really?" she bent down to pet the dog. "Why didn't you just name him Jack outright?"
Sam stuck out her tongue and headed toward the living room. "Cassie picked it. I just live with it and endure his love for shoes."
Liz chuckled softly and walked further into the house, gradually studying each room. She paused at a photo of Sam and Cassie in the park and smiled. "So, Cassandra, huh…? Looks like you're a full-on mom now?" She set the picture down and turned to her friend. "Almost 30, and here you are, all settled down."
The astrophysicist placed the suitcase in a corner and checked her phone to make sure Jacob hadn't called. "I met Cassie through work. She's an orphan, and…"
"And for once, your heart took the lead?" Liz smiled, settling onto the couch. "I won't even mention the number of orphans you probably meet through radar telemetry."
Nodding, Sam let herself fall onto the couch beside her. "Yeah." She seemed to ponder for a while before continuing, ignoring her friend's comment. "My dad's staying with us until New Year's, but then he has to go back to the Pentagon."
Liz nodded, discreetly glancing at Sam's still-empty left ring finger. "And after that?"
"After that, I'll manage like any other single mother in this country." She turned her head toward Liz and raised an eyebrow. "How's Oliver?"
Liz waved the question away. "Oh, we're on a break for now, but otherwise, it's fine." She rubbed her face and continued, "Nan's keeping an eye on the barn renovations while I'm here, but she sends her regards!"
"A break, huh?" Sam smiled, fully aware that their relationship was much more serious than they let on. "Send Nan my regards, too."
"And how's my brother?" Liz shot back.
"Oh, I have no idea," Sam replied, suddenly sounding blasé. "Why don't you ask Diane?"
"Oh boy," Liz straightened up suddenly on the couch. "Diane's back?!" she asked, shocked. Suddenly, everything about Sam's recent behavior made sense. "Now it all makes sense!" she exclaimed, smacking her forehead.
Sam frowned, struggling to grasp where her friend was going with this. "It all makes sense?"
"My dear Samantha," Liz continued in a more pronounced accent than usual, dodging the question. "When life gives you lemons…" she grinned mischievously. "Grab the salt and tequila!"
The astrophysicist stared at her friend, bewildered. That didn't answer her question, but from Liz's reactions, Sam could guess that she had indeed hit the nail on the head regarding Diane's presence.