Fic- Changes Part 2
Title: Changes
Author: Vicky Ocean
Rating: Not exactly for children. Some parts include questionable language and sexual innuendo and situations, though nothing graphic. (This whole wacky ratings crap is a pain in the mik’ta.)
Summary: Post Threads, Jack makes some changes in his life.
Classifications: Drama, Romance (the Jack and Sam variety)
Spoilers: Up to and including Threads
Disclaimer: Just for kicks, pallies.
Finally, the allure of the scent of coffee wafting into his room was enough to propel Daniel out of bed. He took several steps and realized he didn’t really feel so well. He fought the nausea and trudged out to the kitchen expecting to see Jack, but instead was a little shocked to see MacGyver. “Oh, you’re real. I thought I just imagined you.”
Mac turned and smiled, “Good morning, Doctor Jackson. Coffee?”
Daniel slumped down into a chair at the table, “That would be wonderful. Thank you. And call me Daniel.”
“Sure,” Mac placed a mug in front of Daniel and sat down across from him nursing his own.
Daniel took a sip and sighed in caffeinated bliss. He looked up at Mac, “I was really drunk last night. Did I say anything a tad weird?”
“Only something about blowing up suns and finding at Atlantis.”
Daniel grimaced, “Oh, ignore me. I babble when I’m drunk.”
“Good morning, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c greeted as he entered the cabin.
“Hey, Teal’c. Sam and Jack already out there ‘fishing’?”
“I have seen neither O’Neill nor Colonel Carter yet this morning.”
“That’s strange. I thought Jack was going to force us all to get up at the crack of dawn.”
“It appears not,” Teal’c said joining them at the table with a glass of orange juice.
Daniel shrugged and returned his attention back to his coffee. “You guys stay up late last night or something?” he asked Mac.
“I didn’t, no,” he replied unable to keep the smile off his face.
Daniel, of course, noticed it and demanded, “What?” Teal’c also looked highly curious.
“Can I ask you something?” Mac questioned.
Daniel looked suspicious, “I guess.”
“What’s the deal with Jack and Sam?”
“Why?” Daniel asked leaning on the table, suddenly very interested. “What did they do?”
“I couldn’t say for sure, but I do know that Sam didn’t sleep in her own bed.”
“How did you obtain this information, MacGyver?” Teal’c inquired.
“Sam woke me up last night looking for another blanket and then she went to ask Jack. When she didn’t come back out after a while I took her bed.”
“YES!!!” Daniel jumped up. “Yes! Yes! Finally! Thank God!”
Mac looked a little shocked at Jack’s friend’s interest in his sex life. “Been a while for Jack, huh?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Daniel exclaimed still hopping around. “For eight years we’ve had to live with ever escalating sexual tension between those two. They’re like Scully and Mulder crossed with Maddie Hayes and David Addison, except without the slamming doors.”
Mac couldn‘t quit believe what he was hearing. “Y’know, Jack’s always been kinda on the repressed side, but eight years is a bit long to wait for even him to make move.”
“Regulations forbid General O’Neill and Colonel Carter from becoming involved,” Teal’c explained. “Both have recently been attempting to establish relationships with others.”
“Both?” Daniel asked in shock. “Jack’s been involved with someone?”
“Agent Kerry Johnson.”
“The CIA agent investigating the Go- uh- that stuff? She’s only been around a couple of weeks. Besides she‘s half his age.”
“Indeed.”
“That’s weird, Teal‘c. All of a sudden, too. He hasn’t been involved with anyone since Laira and that was before the Za- uh- lie detector thing.”
“I believe Colonel Carter’s imminent wedding would be a likely factor.”
“Well, yeah,“ Daniel agreed. “How come he didn’t tell me?”
“I believe he was hoping it would remain a secret,” Teal’c told him.
“How do you know then?”
“I overheard them discussing dinner plans.”
“Does Sam know about this?”
“Of this I am not certain.”
Daniel grinned, “Well, if anything, Agent Johnson is permanently out of the picture now. Gimme your cell phone, Teal’c. I think there a few bets that can be settled by this information.”
Teal’c obligingly handed over his phone. Daniel dialed quickly, “This is Doctor Jackson. I need to speak to Sgt. Davis… Hey, Walter. It’s Daniel. You know the longest running bet in the Mountain? You need to start paying out…. Did I see them? No, Walter, why would I want to do that…. Hear them? Again no. As excited as I am about it, it’s not something I want to personally witness…. How do I know? Jack’s cousin saw Sam go into his room last night and they still have come out yet…. Yeah, MacGyver. How did you know? I swear you’re psychic, Walter… Hold on.” Daniel held the phone out to Mac. “Walter wants to talk to you.”
“Who’s Walter?”
“Jack’s personal Radar O’Reilly and the base bookie.”
Mac shrugged and took the phone. “Hello…Yes, this is MacGyver… No, I don’t know for sure that they did it…. I mean, c’mon, even Jack’s not that stupid. A beautiful blonde in his room all night, someone he obviously has a thing for… Really?! She jumped him and he just took her to the infirmary?…. Well, yeah, he does have a will of iron…. Okay, you’re welcome…. Sure.” He handed the phone back to Daniel. “He wants to talk to you again.”
“Yeah, Walter…. The sheets? You can’t really think that Sam’s a…. DNA testing?….
I’ll see what I can do…. Bye, Walter.”
------
For the first time in nearly a decade everything was right in the world of Jack O’Neill. The Goa’uld had been decimated. The Replicators obliterated. The Jaffa were free. Daniel was alive. Sam Carter had finally come to his cabin and best of all she was asleep in his arms. Or was.
“Hhmmm, coffee,” she purred and buried herself deeper into his embrace. Yes, Jack O’Neill was a happy man.
“The guys must be up,” he commented smoothing her bangs back from her forehead. She looked up at him losing her sleepy expression and grinned at him. “What?”
“You’re happy.”
“I am,” he agreed grinning back at her.
“I’m glad,” she pulled away from him enough to lean up and kiss him softly. “I’m going to make sure you stay happy.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”
“No,” she said her expression turning serious. “I haven’t always done right by you, Jack. I’m going to make that up to you. I‘m sorry.”
“Hey, I haven’t exactly been an angel either. But I have a rule. There is absolutely no dwelling on the past in my bed. It’s over. Nothing can change that. Ah!” he pressed a finger to her lips. “Yes, I know time is relative.”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” she mumbled against is finger.
“Yes, you were.”
“I wasn’t.” Her smiled returned and she snuggled against him. “You wanna know what I was going to tell you that day I showed up at your house?”
“Sure, baby.” He froze the minute that came out of his mouth. “You’re going to kick my ass for calling you that, aren’t you?”
“Normally, if you were any other man, I would. But as luck would have it I’m in love you. So I don’t mind being your baby.”
“Cool,” he smirked and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “So what did you come to tell me?”
“Actually, I kinda just told you.”
“What? That I’m allowed to call you ‘baby‘?” he asked deliberately misunderstanding her.
“No, that I’m in love with you.”
“Well, that‘s convenient. I’m in love with you too.”
“Good.” Sam sighed. “I guess we should get up before they decide to check on us.”
“You do realize we’re never going to hear the end of this?”
“Oh, God,” she groaned. “20,000 Questions with Doctor Jackson.”
“Tell you what. I’ll go out there. Get breakfast started and distract them with food. You sneak out and we keep this just between us until we slowly acclimate them to the idea of us together.”
“A master strategy,” she kissed him soundly. “There’s a reason you’re the General.”
-------------------
Jack opened his door to a noise that sounded oddly like a champagne cork popping. He meandered through the living room and leaned casually against the wall surveying the scene in the kitchen. Sure enough, Daniel had a champagne bottle in his hand and was pouring liberal amounts of it into glasses of orange juice. He passed a glass to Teal’c and Mac before taking one for himself. They raised their glasses. “So, what are we celebrating?”
Glasses still suspended midair, three pairs of eyes shot to him. “Um, you,” Daniel muttered.
Jack’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “Me?”
“Well, actually, you and Sam. Finally…y’know...”
“Ah. And how do you know what you think happened actually happened?”
Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but Mac waved away whatever he was about to say, “I got this one.” Mac, smirking, sat his mimosa down and moved to confront of Jack who was still leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed defensively over his chest. “One,” Mac held up a finger. “I slept in Sam’s bed last night.” He paused and Jack motioned for him to continue. “Two,” he raised another finger. “You didn’t just deck me for saying that.” Jack shrugged and Mac continued with another finger, “You have a really stupid sappy smile on your face. And you never smile. Especially like that.” Another noncommittal shrug from Jack, before his cousin continued breaking out into a smug grin, “And, four, you’ve got a hickey.”
“What?!” Jack quickly brought his hand up to his neck and found a tender spot. “Crap. I’m too old to have hickey.”
Satisfied, Mac turned on his heel and walked back to the table. Daniel held out a mimosa to Jack. He snatched it out of Daniel’s hand and glared at his grinning friends, “You are all complete and utter bastards and I hate you all.”
“Oh, look, the fearless General is embarrassed. How cute.”
“Watch it, Jackson. Just watch it.” Jack plunked down into a chair and tried to glare at them again but he could keep the smile off his face, so the effect was rather ruined. “Just let us get used to this. And don’t tease Sam.”
“Oh, that is soooo sweet,” Daniel continued his needling. It wasn’t often he had something over Jack.
“What’s sweet?”
The four men looked to see Sam standing in the doorway dressed in a sweater and jeans, her hair still damp from her shower.
Daniel coughed guilty, “Uh, this champagne,” he held a glass out to her. “Here have a mimosa.”
Sam accepted it and looked suspiciously at the men, none of which would meet her eyes, “What are we celebrating?”
Jack risked a quick glance at her and merely said, “They know.”
Sam sighed and then broke into a smile, “I guess it was unavoidable.” She ruffled Jack’s hair and sat down next to him.
“Y’know, as happy as I am about this, you guys aren’t going to be all mushy and sappy all the time, are you? Because that would kinda creep me out.”
“I can’t speak for Sam, but Jack’s a complete sap,” Mac offered.
“Gee, thanks, cuz,” Jack growled.
“Well,” Daniel considered this information. “I guess Jack’s innate sappiness will settle one of the secondary bets.”
“You called Walter, didn’t you?” Jack demanded angrily.
Daniel gave him his best innocent look. He knew it would work but it didn’t hurt to try. “I called Walter,” he said without remorse.
“Goddamn it, Daniel!” Jack exploded jumping out of his seat to tower over Daniel. “Don’t you have a grain of sense? After all these years don’t you understand the regulations by now? Couldn’t you just wait two more weeks until my retirement was official before you told the freakin’ galaxy.”
“Nobody cares, Jack,” Daniel tried to placate him “Everyone from the President down to the cleaning staff has money riding on this. They’re not going to court martial you.”
“Has dying again leached your brain of what little common sense it had? Do you have any idea what this could do to Sam’s reputation in the Air Force outside the SGC? Sure everyone on base knows the history, but everyone else will just assume she’s been screwing her way up through the ranks!” Then he turned his wrath to the silent Jaffa. “And Teal’c, you of all people, I thought would have more sense than let Daniel do something like that!”
“Wait!” Sam screamed, interrupting his tirade. “Retirement?”
He turned to face her, his eyes no longer vengeful. “I didn’t mention it?”
“No,” she replied succinctly.
“Are you sure?” Jack was being to look skittish faced with her inquiry.
“Quite sure.”
“Huh. I thought you knew. Figured it had leaked out somehow. I thought that’s why you showed up in my room last night.”
“No.”
“Well, consider yourself informed that I will be officially retired Friday after next,” he said smiling tentatively at her.
“Uh, Jack,” Daniel broke in, curious as ever. “When exactly did this happen?”
“I gave Hammond my letter when he was on base for Jacob’s memorial last week.”
“So, now you’re just going to sit on your ass and fish for the rest of your life?” Sam asked and Jack was taken aback by the muted anger in her voice.
“Wasn’t planning on it, no,” he responded calmly. “I’ll still be attached to the program as a civilian consultant. Y’know, for when my little buddy shows up and stuff.” He turned to his cousin who had been silently observing. “I was actually thinking about calling you up, Bud, after I had taken a little time to relax and get some things sorted out. ”
“That’s why I’m here,” Mac told his cousin. “I was in Washington day before yesterday and heard that you were retiring. I came to offer you a position with the Phoenix Foundation if you want it.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Excuse me,” Sam broke in. “I think I’m going to take a little walk.” And with that she was out the door.
Jack stared after her, his heart sinking. While his retirement wasn’t solely for her, it was a large part.
“You want me to go talk to her,” Daniel asked quietly, now concerned that his friends’ moment of happiness would turn out to be just that, a moment.
“No, give her some space. She needs to think this through. She’s been through a lot lately.”
-------------------
Sam felt like a kid that had run away from home. She was sitting in a tree house reading comic books. Sam had never been a big fan of running away. Actually, she would be lying to herself if she really believed that. She had run away this morning. Just like she had been running away from her feelings for Jack O’Neill for about the past five years. She didn’t deal well with feelings and emotions. They weren’t easily scientifically analyzed. They confused her. Especially when they involved Jack. She didn’t like to be confused. She couldn’t even say why she was upset by his retirement news. So she had fled. And now she was hiding. Physically and mentally. Physically she was hiding in the coolest tree house she’d ever seen. Mentally she was hiding the world of the comics she’d found stashed in an old footlocker in the tree house. Another one held an archive of pulp adventures and detective novels, but she was really more interested in the comics. They brought her back to her childhood. Some of the comics dated back to the fifties and sixties and she figured they must have been Jack’s. Others were newer from the late eighties and early nineties. She assumed those were Charlie’s.
Sam had lost track of time, but she knew she must have been here several hours. After she had left abruptly this morning, she thought a nice walk in the woods would be just the thing to sort out her conflicting emotions. She had walked some distance away from the cabin when she’d come across the tree house. It was in a massive ancient tree and looked like something out of Swiss Family Robinson with several levels to it. It was the tree house she would have sold her soul for when she was a kid. There was even a happy little tire swing hanging from one of the branches. She couldn’t resist a couple of swings on it before to the tree house itself beckoned her irresistibly. It had taken her quite a while to find her way in. Apparently, it was designed to keep the unwanted out. Adults most likely.
She managed to find an ingeniously hidden rope ladder and made her way inside. She was shocked to see it had been kept in good repair and seemed to be weather proofed. It had proved to be a treasure trove of boyhood fantasies, along with the footlockers of adventure stories was a small antique brass telescope. She opened the shutter on the window it stood near and was able to see an excellent view of the cabin and lake.
The thing that intrigued her most was the carvings on the trunk of the tree. There was “Jack 1962” and “Bud 1962”. She guessed that Bud had been what Mac’s family called him as a kid and as Jack still did. She supposed it wouldn’t make sense for his family to call him by his last name. Then there was “Charlie 1992”. She could just imagine the fun that Jack and Mac and, later, Charlie had playing here and concocting wild adventures. She would have liked to have seen Jack as a carefree boy and as a loving and devoted father playing with Charlie, before life got hard, before the black ops, the death of his son and all the other things that had made his smiles so rare and his laughter even rarer. It made her sad to think about that. So she ran away from those feelings and sat by the open window to read some of the comics.
She knew she had been there a long time when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked out the window and sure enough there was Jack walking though the woods, looking for her no doubt. She considered calling out to him, but she still hadn’t worked her feelings out so she still didn’t want to ‘talk’. She saw him glance up at the tree house and give the tire swing a little push before moving on. She went back to ‘The Incredible Hulk’. She was immersed in Rick Jones’s wedding when the roof fell in.
“
Crap,” the crumpled form of Jack O’Neill muttered.
“Sir! Jack!” she rushed over too him. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah,” he gave her a sheepish look and held up a piece of frazzled rotten rope. “Guess I shoulda checked the rope before I used the secret elevator.” He pushed himself into a sitting position and held out her jacket to her. “I brought your jacket. It’s getting chilly out.”
She accepted it with a grateful smile and slipped it on. It was getting chilly out. He got up and walked over to the stack of comics by the window and picked one up a yellowed issue of ‘Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD’. “Wow! The Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine. She was hot,” he reminisced and began flipping through. He paused on a page and showed her a picture of Nick Fury lounging in the ultimate hopelessly cliché bachelor pad complete with zebra rug. “My first apartment looked like that, back when I was a hot young lieutenant.”
Sam smiled, imagining the cocky “hot young lieutenant” he must have been. “I would’ve liked to have seen that. Did you have a flying Porsche too?”
“No, I had a ‘57 T-Bird.”
“Red?”
“You bet. Man, was she sweet.”
“What happened to it?”
“I sold her when I did my first extended tour in England. The bastard that bought her ended up trashing her trying to impress some girl.”
“That’s a shame,” she said as she sat down by the window again and stared out it.
“Yeah.” Jack sat next to her with a groan and nudged her shoulder with his. “You okay?”
“Sure.”
“Carter…” he began in the warning tone that he used when she was lying to herself.
“I’m fine. Really. I just needed to think.”
“So watcha been thinkin’ about?”
Sam still didn’t want to have this talk so she gestured to the tree house around them in hopes his attention would be diverted. “This place is amazing. Tell me about it.”
He gave her a knowing look that said he was aware of her tactic but he gave in anyway. “I used to spend my summers up here with my grandfather and my Uncle Charlie and his wife. Bud would stay sometimes too. My grandfather and his grandmother were siblings. Anyway we spent one summer helping Uncle Charlie build this tree house for us. We modified it some over the years. Put in all the trap doors and secret entrances.”
“I bet you had fun.”
“We did. I tried to keep it in pretty good shape in case I ever had a kid. Charlie loved it too,” he smiled sadly. “I guess I still keep it up just for the memories. I like to come up here to think sometimes.”
“It is nice for that,” Sam agreed.
He nudged her shoulder again and asked overly casually, “Soooo, watcha been thinkin’ about?”
“Do we have to talk about that?”
“Well, no, I suppose we don‘t,” he conceded. “We could keep ignoring things like we’ve done for- oh, how many years now?”
Sam huffed, “Fine.” She turned to face him. “Why are you retiring?” she asked bluntly.
“I’m old,” he quipped, shrugging.
“Jack,” She glared at him. “You’re the one that wanted to talk.”
“Okay. Okay. Old habits, y’know.” He took a deep breath, “I’m retiring because I hate being ‘The General’. I hate all the paper work. I hate sending people into danger when I have to sit behind a desk. I hate not being out there with you, Daniel and Teal’c. I hate playing gracious host to alien dignitaries. I hate sitting through briefings about rocks, not artifacts, *rocks*. I hate that I end up sleeping more on base than I do at home. And let me tell you the general’s quarters aren’t any better than my colonel’s quarters. I hate how conversation stops when I enter a room, because I’m ‘The General’ and he’s no fun. I hate that being something I hate keeps me from being with who I want. I was going to retire after thawing out but George said give being ‘The General’ a year and I did. So this is it. I’m done being ‘The General’. Does that answer your question?”
“I had no idea you were so unhappy. I thought you did a wonderful job.”
“Yes, well, it was all smoke and mirrors really. And ‘pay no attention to the man behind the curtain’. Trust me.”
“I was going to resign,” Sam told him quietly.
“Why? You love the Air Force.”
“Because Dr. Carter always got to be with Jack O’Neill.”
“I would never ask you to give up your career,” he said sounding very much like the delusion she had several years ago.
“I know. I wouldn’t ask you to give up yours either.”
“You don’t have to. It’s done. Shoulda happened a year ago,” Jack sighed. “So, the intent to resign was why you crawled into bed with me last night?”
“Well, I was cold,” she gave him a little grin. “And then I figured if I was going to resign anyway what did it matter.”
“So are we okay?”
She lost her smile and whispered, “I hope so.”
“That didn’t sound very confident.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?”
“How can it not?” he asked in disbelief. “By all accounts we were very happy in two out of two alternate realities encountered.”
“Do we really even know each other, Jack? I mean on a personal level. What if it’s been built up so much that there’s no way it can be good as we imagine? What if my icy feet at night drives you nuts? What if the way you fold towels drives me nuts? What if it irritates you how my bookshelf is alphabetized? What if-”
“My bookshelf is alphabetized too,” Jack said cutting in. “Sam, stop it. We’ve know each other nearly a decade and we’ve spent more time together than most people that have been married that long. We’ve both seen each other at their best and worst. If we haven’t been scared off by idiosyncrasies by now, I don’t think it’s gonna happen. I don’t want to play ‘what if’. Sam, I’m sure we’ll have our problems. I’m not an easy man to live with. You know that, but what counts is that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you if you’ll have me.”
She looked like she wanted to believe that’s all it would take to make them happy, but she had to get all her worries out. “But what about kids, Jack?”
“What about ’em?”
Sam turned away from him and looked out the window, “It’s highly unlikely I’ll able to have them.”
“So,” he shrugged. “We’ll get a dog. And a cat.”
She looked back at him and shook her head. “Jack, I know how much you love kids. I know you would love to be a father again. Keeping this tree house up is proof of that.”
“Look, Sam, I won’t lie. I would love to have another kid, a whole passel of ‘em in fact. But if I just wanted a kid I coulda had one with any number of random willing women. In fact, I’d probably be a farmer on Edora right now. But it’s you I want and if we have kids, fine. If not, that’s fine too. I just want you.”
“But-”
“No, stop it, Sam,” Jack said as he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to get his exasperation under control. He knew this was a big issue and they needed to hash it out now. “I told you last night that I wasn’t going to let you go and I meant it. If this kid thing is bugging you. We’ll get Thor to look into it. If the Asgard can clone me they ought to be able to splice our DNA together or something. Hell, there are probably millions of orphans on other planets that need a good home. Whatever you want, we’ll do it. Okay?”
She nodded her head, “Okay, Jack.” She breathed deeply trying to get her agitated thoughts together. “Oh god, Jack, I’m sorry. I know I sound like a complete psycho,” she laughed a little, but the laugh turned into tears. “This is ridiculous. I’m coming completely apart at the seams lately. So much is changing and I miss Dad and-”
“Hey, it’s okay. I know. I miss him too,” Jack tried to pull her to him, but she was resisting him and wiping away her tears, still trying to put on her brave face. “Let me take care of you, baby,” he said softly, still gently but forcefully pulling her to him. “You don’t have to be strong all the time, baby. Let me take care of you.” Finally she gave up and she buried her face in the soft fleece of his pullover and began to sob in earnest. He held her, rocking back and forth, and gently stroking her back and hair until she finally quieted.
Finally, her tears disappeared and her breathing eased. She lifted her head and kissed his cheek, “I don’t deserve you, Jack.”
“Now that’s crazy talk, baby.”
She tried to look irritated, but her smile ruined the effect, “You might not want to wear out that ‘baby’ thing, flyboy.”
“Why? I got a quota?”
“Yep.”
“Well as long as we’re laying out ground rules. I got one.”
“What?” she asked suddenly tensing in his arms.
He pulled down his raised fleece collar to show her his neck, “No hickeys on exposed skin. While you have been hiding out having fun reading comics I have been mercilessly teased by three very big pains in the mik’ta.”
Sam flushed bright red, “I’m so sorry, Jack.”
“I’m kidding. I’ll just have to invest in some turtlenecks.”
“It’s not like I came through completely unscathed either,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but I put those in strategic places.”
“Well, I’m glad to see that Academy education wasn’t wasted,” she sighed contentedly and leaned back against him. “So civilian consultant to the SGC, huh? How does the Phoenix Foundation fit in?”
“Things are looking pretty peaceful out there now. I figure the SGC won’t need me too much and you know how easily I get bored. I’m not going to just sit on my ass and fish for the rest of my life.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Mac tends to get in a lot of trouble, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah, but I’m me,” he grinned confidently.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of especially without me, Daniel, and Teal’c watching your six.”
“Aren’t you confident in my abilities?”
“Yeah, I’m confident in your abilities to piss people off.”
Jack was about to respond when he heard Daniel yelling like a madman. “HEY! Jack! You and Sam up there?”
The both stuck their heads out the window to see Daniel looking slightly frantic.
“What’s up?” Jack questioned.
“Your stupid health nut cousin hid the steaks for tonight! He says we have to eat tofu! Mac is evil! And Teal’c’s trying to screw with my head.”
Jack laughed, “Daniel, are you drunk again?”
“N-nooo,” he stuttered. “I only had two beers.”
“Daniel’s drunk,” Sam said to Jack.
“I heard that!” Daniel yelled. “Sam, quit giving Jack hickeys and come down. I hate tofu!”
“That’s it, Spacemonkey. You’re cut off for the rest of the night.” He turned to Sam who was giggling at Daniel’s drunkenness, “C’mon, let’s go make the world safe for bloody red meat.”
--------------------
Jack was standing at the podium on the ramp of the Stargate and gazed out over the gathered members of the SGC for the final time under his command. Thank God. Jack took a breath and began speaking, “Y’know, every time I stand up here to give a speech I can’t help but hope Thor will rescue me.” Jack paused a moment and glanced at his watch. “But it doesn’t look like my buddy’s gonna come through for me this time, so I’ll keep this short. It was an incredible honor to serve with you all these past years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I also want to thank you all for making my year in command as relatively easy as possible. I had some big shoes to fill and I’m not sure how well I did. I know General Landry is more than up to all the challenges I found so difficult. So don’t be afraid to give him hell occasionally.” There was some laughter and his friend Hank Landry mouthed ‘Thanks, Jack.’ He grinned and winked at Hank before continuing. “As my first official act as a retired man I thought I’d settle a couple of bets. Colonel Carter please step forward.”
Sam stared up at him in frozen shock and he smiled at her encouragingly. She didn’t move. Then Daniel gave her a little shove and she stumbled forward out of the ranks. She turned and glared at him but he shrugged and grinned. Sam recovered her military bearing and strode to the end of the ramp to where Jack was now standing with his hand extended. The skin of her palm had barely just touched that of his when she felt her entire world shift on its axis. She found herself bent back and completely supported by Jack’s strong arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and closed the distance between their lips.
After sometime Jack broke the kiss and set her upright on her feet. He still kept an arm around her waist. Which was a good thing, because she didn’t know if her legs could support her after that searing kiss. Jack gave General Landry a sketch of a salute. “It’s all yours, Hank.”
Hank grinned along with the rest of the SGC as he took the podium. “I’m sure anything I could say wouldn’t ever be able to follow General O’Neill’s ‘speech‘. So, you’re all dismissed.”
------
Jack sat on the bench running through the center of the locker room. His locker was nearly empty except for a few changes of clothes he might need when he returned for ‘consultations’. He sat rifling through the cigar box that contained his most precious mementoes when he heard the door open. Jack knew it was Sam by the rhythm of her heels on the concrete floor. She stopped just behind him and he could feel her glare burning holes in the back of his head. He smiled to himself.
“I hope you’re satisfied with yourself, General,” she said her voice carrying a slightly angry edge.
“Ack! Retired!” he corrected, not bothering to turn around.
She sighed heavily, but he still felt her glare, “Did you have to be so melodramatic?”
“Yep.” He picked up something out of the box and held it out to her, “You want this?”
Sam stared at the glittering object in his outstretched hand. It was a platinum and diamond Art Deco style ring. Stunned she asked, “What is that?”
“My grandmother’s ring.”
“Why would I want it?”
“I thought we could get married.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
He shrugged and turned around, a smirk on his face, “We could always live in sin.”
She plunked down on the bench next to him and took the ring from his hand. She didn’t put it on, just scrutinized it like she would an alien artifact. She glanced speculatively at him, “Is this how you proposed to Sara?”
“No, actually I did the whole down on one knee thing like she was expecting, but you know how the knees are. I don’t think I’d be able to get back up these days. Besides, I thought we were a little beyond all that cliché fake romance crap.”
“Yes, we are,” she agreed. “And I had enough of that gooey hearts and flowers crap with Pete.”
“I figured that too.” He watched her continue to study the ring. “Sara didn’t wear that, if that’s what you’re thinking. I bought her a new one. She didn’t like old jewelry, but I thought that kind of suited you.”
It did suit her. She liked the modestly sized diamonds and the clean geometric Art Deco design. She slid it on her finger and smiled up at him. “Okay.”
“Cool.” He grinned back and reached out a hand to gently caressed her cheek before sliding his fingers through her hair and slowly pulled her head to his. Their lips met and he murmured against hers, “You make me the happiest man in the universe.” He felt her smile before her lips parted beneath his.
“Ahem.”
They reluctantly pulled away from each other and turned to see Walter standing next to two burly marines carrying lockboxes.
“Yes, Walter?” Jack asked with a questioning eyebrow raised.
“I thought you’d like your winnings, sir.”
“Winnings?” Sam and Jack asked at the same time.
“Yes, sir. Maj-”
“Loose the ‘sir’, Walter. I’m retired,” Jack interrupted.
Walter shrugged before continuing, “Major Kawalsky placed a bet-” he held up his notebook and began reading, “On February 9th 1997, stating that ‘Jack O’Neill will retire again and ‘hook up’ with Samantha Carter.’ He also asked that you,” Walter nodded to Jack, “be given his winnings if anything happened to him.”
“February 9th? That was the date of that first briefing,” Sam said rather shocked.
“Yes, ma’am. Major Kawalsky placed the first bet regarding your- er- situation. Major Ferretti was the second.”
“See,” Jack laughed. “This is what you get for threatening to arm wrestle a superior officer. People talk.”
Walter went into one of the lockboxes and withdrew a small bundle of cash. As he handed it to Jack he noticed the ring sparkling on Sam’s finger. He pointed to it. “Engaged?”
“Yes.”
Walter flipped through a couple of pages in his notebook. “Did he go down one knee?”
“No.”
“Uh huh. Is that his mother’s ring?”
“No, grandmothers.”
“Uh huh. Did he-”
“Walter,“ Jack interrupted in frustration. “Can we save the interrogation for a later date? You’re kinda ruining the moment.”
“Sorry.” He closed his notebook and smiled at both of them. “I think I speak for everyone on base when I say I hope you both will be very happy and we’re very happy for you. You both deserve this.” He turned back to the marines, “C’mon, we’ve got some more bets to settle with this new information.”
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Epilogue
Jack was just stepping out the shower when the phone rang. It only rang once before Sam picked up in the living room. He toweled off and pulled on his jeans. He nearly had his shirt buttoned when Sam called out, “Jack, it’s for you!” He picked up the receiver, “O’Neill.”
“General O’Neill, this is Pete Thornton of the Phoenix Foundation-”
“Ack!” Jack cut him off. “Listen, Pete- I hate that name by the way- I told Bud- uh- Mac that I would get in contact when I was ready to work with you guys.”
“But-”
“No, you obviously don’t understand. Yesterday, I retired and got engaged. Tomorrow, my fiancé and I are going on a two week vacation in Hawaii and the only thing she’s packing is a very tiny bikini. I don’t care if the world is coming to an end. Let Mac save it. Goodbye. Don‘t call again.” Jack shut the phone off and tossed it on the bed.
Jack finished dressing. Then he spent a minute digging around his closet until he found the box he was looking for. When he walked into the living room Sam was curled up on the couch and flipping through the channels on TV. He dropped the box on the coffee table before her. Then he sat down beside her and picked up the beer she had set out for him.
Sam eyed the box curiously, “What’s with the box?”
“Those are all the inappropriate gifts I’ve bought you over the years,” Jack told her taking a sip of beer.
“Inappropriate?” she asked mystified and maybe a little leery.
“Not ‘dirty’ inappropriate, just ‘too personal from a CO’ inappropriate. I think I ended up buying you two gifts for every holiday.”
Sam pulled the box into her lap and opened it to reveal a bunch of brightly wrapped packages. The door bell rang. “Must be the pizza,” she told him and he got up to answer the door.
Jack opened the door to reveal a stout blind man with a seeing eye dog and another younger man who looked unnervingly like him. Jack took a long swig of beer and then addressed the young look alike, “You know a Thor?”
“No.”
“How ’bout a Loki?”
“No,” the man shook his head. “Unless you count Norse myths.”
“Huh. Then who are you?”
“I’m Sam-”
“I already got one of those and I’m satisfied with her.”
“Actually,” the young man said beginning to get annoyed. “My name is Sean Angus Malloy, but I go by ‘Sam’.”
“You’re Bud’s kid?” Jack asked. That certainly would explain the likeness.
“Yeah,” Sam turned to the man beside him. “This is Pete Thornton-”
“Oh, for cryin’ out loud. You people don’t give up, do you? I told your buddy Pete-”
Sam interrupted, “Dad’s missing.”
“Crap. There goes my vacation.”
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The End- For now. May be continued at later date with a series of Mac and Jack adventures, but don’t expect them anytime soon. Thanks for reading.