Another old fic: As Circumstances Have it 1A (PG15) light Sam/Jack, old Sara/Jack
By Indus
Pairing: Sam/Jack, Sara/Jack
Summary: The SGC is beginning to change.
Warning: My stories are always full of Jack angst and whumping. But this one has some disturbing subject matter, i.e. cancer. I tried to treat it sensitively but if anyone has an objection to reading anything about it, please ignore this piece. I had to write it, it helped me get a little grief out of my system, both then and now, seven years later as I post it here.
Spoilers: Umm, Entity and maybe the Enemy Within. The only exposure I got while writing this in 2002 was to Showtime in its free preview weekends, so if anything I have written contradicts with newer episodes, I apologize. I don’t think there are any more, and even those two are hinted at, not really mentioned. Then again, maybe the episodes that introduce Cassie and Kinsey.
Rating: PG15-R. There is nothing obscene, just a hint of sexual situations and Jack angst. But there is a mention of cancer so if that bothers you, please don't read this. Some Sam/Jack.
Disclaimers: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate SG-1 Productions Inc, Showtime/Viacom Networks Inc, MGM/UA Worldwide Television Productions Inc, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This story is for your entertainment only and no one paid me to write it, and I didn’t intend any copyright infringement when I wrote it. Any original characters, situations, and stories do belong to me, and you can’t use them without asking me. But feel free to ask. I’m pretty open to the idea of sharing fictional people.
Special Thanks go out to Chrisbod and Tanya for the WAM “Circumstances” which inspired this story. And I hope Aunt S knows that I miss her and am praying for her.
It makes sense to read Broken before this
Sam brushed her hand through her hair, peering into the mirror over the sink. As a Major, and an astrophysicist, she knew how to concentrate on two completely different tasks at the same time. So while her hand did not stop brushing until her reflection looked appropriate at the briefing, part of her mind was miles away. I wish it were a year, nine months, even six months ago…
“Sam, are you decent?” called a voice, Daniel’s, impatient as always. There was some great discovery on the last planet they had visited, but for the life of her Sam couldn’t remember what it was. She stepped out of the bathroom into the locker room, and for a minute, her gaze swept the nameplates. Teal’c, Ferreti, Carter, Jackson, Garrello, James, Martinez, Ahmed, Patel, Connor, and so on. But she couldn’t find the one she was looking for, because it wasn’t there any more. Instead, there was a shiny new plate, for the new recruit who Sam hadn’t even met yet. In fact, the nameplate was not even engraved, as the recruit had not yet arrived at the SGC. General Hammond was the only one who knew his/her name, and was claiming that it would be a great surprise. He/she would become a member of SG-2 to replace Garrello, who in turn had become team leader when Ferreti became CO of SG-1…
She controlled her expression as her eyes met Daniel’s, but he was too far-gone to even see her. “You have to hurry, Sam. Jack and the General are waiting for our report, and this is going to be big.”
“Yes, Daniel,” she softly replied. On the way to the briefing room, their Jaffa teammate and Colonel Ferreti joined them. The team walked together, and laughed together, as the friends and coworkers they had been for years. Ferreti was not Makepeace, he had been on the original mission and through the years he had proved to be a loyal friend to them as well as the man he was replacing. However, Sam and Daniel often wondered if they accepted Ferreti, Richard, for his sake, theirs, or because he had been Jack’s friend for years before they had even met O’Neill.
Despite their bond as a team, when they walked in and saw Jack his former teammates could only feel regret at the loss of SG-1 as it had been before their friend was diagnosed with cancer. He looks thinner. Is he thinner? But excited, to see me, although I’m not supposed to think that way, on the base. My rules. But there are no rules when we’re home. ‘Home.’ That sounds funny. It’s ironic how ‘they’ are so Ok with Jack and me living together when he’s dying of cancer. Oh God, I’m not supposed to THINK like that.
“Major?” Jack looked at her, his face relaxing into a grin. It was almost an effort, considering the amount he had smiled the last few months. How are you doing, Colonel? Fine (with a smile). How are you feeling, sir? Oh great (with a smile). Congratulations, sir! It must be wonderful to be a General. Nothing better, Corporal (with a smile). Sometimes he had the urge to tell everyone that he knew he was dying, they knew he was dying, and he knew they knew he was dying. So did they really think the new rank meant that much? And how did they think he was enjoying sharing command with General Hammond? Sure, now he was handling battle strategies and team formations while Hammond handled the bureaucratic part of the SGC, but that was nothing compared to leading SG-1. But he was thankful for many things. This time, his team was in good and capable hands. After all, he had trained Ferreti. After Kawalsky, there was no one better. His ex-wife had come back into his life, in the position of best friend, and although she would never again be his lover, he needed the friendship more at a time like this.
Which brought him to another bright side to the mental and physical pain he always felt these days. He was finally going to see those that left him behind. His son, three of his closest friends, his brother, Sha’re, and so many more. But then he squashed that thought, knowing it would make those around him upset.
“Major, are you ready to debrief?”
At once, nasty thoughts circled in the brains of all the humans present. Sam and Daniel blushed red and the General, as he was still known throughout the base, suspiciously glared at O’Neill, who was obviously trying not to laugh.
“Would you prefer me to rethink those regulations I relaxed two months ago, General?” Hammond asked sternly, but his eyes were soft as he noticed the first genuine smile his friend had shed in the compound for longer than he cared to remember. “And Major, I would prefer it if you would TELL us about the machine you and Dr. Jackson found before we have to leave for Cassie’s birthday party. Dr. Fraser has already called four times to remind me.”
Sam spoke at length about a machine that would probably make using the Stargate ten percent cheaper. There was a lot of excitement, and the hour passed before anyone realized. Colonel Ferreti clutched his new birds as he discussed how easy it would be to scavenge for more machines amidst the collection of artifacts, until Daniel asked if any of them wondered what happened to the original population. That, as always, prompted a few seconds of reflection, until Jack gave them a few extra safety guidelines and recommended that they go forward with the return mission. They went on talking about possible dangers until they were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Ten bucks it’s the doctor!”
“General O’Neill, perhaps you are forgetting that this is a military facility and we don’t support gambling on a military base…”
“Yes, sir!” was the respectful and enthusiastic reply, while Daniel signed his acceptance of the bet by putting a ten on the table to match Jack’s.
“Come in!” Hammond said in exasperation.
The door opened to a harassed-looking Doctor Fraser. “Sirs, Major, Teal’c and Dr. Jackson! It is very late and the party is starting soon. I need to get back and Cassie won’t forgive me unless I come with all of you…”
The group sighed and gave in. They walked out to sort out their paperwork and get ready to exit the base, leaving the doctor to lean against the briefing room door and struggle not to cry. It had been two days since she had last seen Jack, and her medical training allowed her to see how he had deteriorated in such a short time. She knew it had to have been a greater shock on Sam, who had seen him in the Gate room after returning from a weeklong mission to P3RY226. Janet decided to advise General Hammond, who would always be the general, to make the next few missions for SG-1 shorter. There was not much more time left. Slowly she shut off the light, closed the door, and wondered how she could prepare her daughter for more devastating loss.
*
“Jack! Jack!” A happy fifteen year old voice shrieked from the driveway as Cassandra saw her hero, and one of her best friends, get out of his jeep. Her mother had called ahead, and she knew better than to show the grief she felt on seeing his weakness and his obviously impending death. Why him? He’s always been so loud, so alive! And he knew to give me Red, the best dog in the whole world. For that alone I could love him. But there is so much more… Mom and Sam make me feel so loved, Teal’c makes me feel respected and mature, Daniel always understands, but Jack… he makes me feel like a kid. But in a good way, ‘cause he’s such a kid himself.”
She ran into his arms, and for a minute was surrounded by the love and protection that she could barely remember feeling with her father. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sam get out of the driver’s seat of Jack’s car, and smiled. At fifteen, Cassie was perfectly able to recognize the look of someone who had been well kissed recently. She would have thought it was impossible to be so happy and so sad at the same time. But then, that was vintage Jack O’Neill. As was the warm smile that was somehow more affectionate than a kiss on the cheek. “Wow, Cassie! You’re looking good. Wait… is that a pierced belly? Janet, I can’t believe you let our girl do that! And her clothes… Dammit, she’s growing up on us, isn’t she?”
Laughing, the group walked into the house and into Janet’s warm, comfortable living room. That evening, the only time they discussed the Stargate was when they mentioned people they had met on other planets. It was like old times, except that now all of them snuck glances at Jack when they thought he wasn’t looking. The only one who actually got away with it was Teal’c, since Jack was Special Ops trained to feel observers, and Teal’c was the only one who was trained to give nothing away. But Jack had learned not to resent their treatment of him; it was wonderful how dying could make a man more able to tolerate the small things.
“Oooh, Jack! You have to see what Eric taught Red!”
“Who’s Eric?” Jack asked as Cassie left the room to find her dog.
“Jack!” Sam murmured warningly. “Don’t start with her or she’ll avoid telling you.”
“Sam, I know what you mean, but this is the way I am going to treat her. She needs a father role in her life. Now, everyone knows Daniel is the nice one and Teal’c is the one who she relates to on the whole Earth-is-cool-but-weird thing. Janet is her mother and you, Sam, are her guardian angel and one of her closest friends. So that leaves me, the only one here that is capable of being strict with that girl, and of stopping her with making a big mistake with some pimply-faced, hormone-controlled boyfriend.”
The room erupted with noise as Daniel insisted he didn’t have to always be nice and Sam and Janet defended Cassie’s wisdom. None of them knew that the girl they were discussing was standing outside the room, crying. But you’re not going to be my father for too much more time, are you?
Part b