(no subject)
Title: Sweethearts
Rating: PG
Author:
writerrising
Beta:
angelqueen04
Summary: The Sweethearts' Dance
A/N Janet and Ronon will have a story all to themselves. Watch for Mother Hen to follow soon.
The Sweethearts' Dance had begun as a few mothers’ desperate attempts to find their daughters suitable mates, but it had become such a tradition in town that nobody, not even Elizabeth Weir, could escape.
“Stop fussing,” Laura Cadman scolded from her position in front of the mirror. Elizabeth had been patting her chestnut hair again, as though expecting it to be made of snakes.
“I don’t know why you insisted on pulling it up like this,” Elizabeth sighed, “I don’t see anything wrong with a simple braid.” After the Fourth of July dance the year before, she wasn’t eager to draw anymore attention to herself. The talk of her dress hadn’t abated for weeks.
“I never said there was anything wrong with a braid,” Laura replied. Giving her strawberry-blonde curls one final fluff she stood and turned, hands on her hips. “But there’s nothing wrong with looking nice once in awhile either. I spent an hour on that hair, and somebody other than me is going to see it if I have to drag your dead body to the town hall.”
“I don’t think even my dead body could distract Carson tonight.” Elizabeth gave a mental sigh of relief when she was her assistant blush. Maybe the younger woman would let her be now.
“What about your man? Will he be there?”
Elizabeth winced. Apparently her diversionary tactics needed some fine tuning.
“John,” she put emphasis on the name, “won’t be back until later this week.”
“But you don’t deny he’s your man.” Laura pointed a knowing finger at her.
Elizabeth sighed. She couldn’t deny it, but she couldn’t really confirm it either. It seemed the town gossips knew more about her relationship with John Sheppard than she did.
***
Samantha Carter stared at the mirror with malice in heart. The reflection it showed her wasn’t what she wanted to see. A freak accident a week before had left her with significantly less hair than she was used to. Kate Heightmeyer had done a decent enough job of salvaging what hadn’t been burnt, but Sam’s hair now hung only to her shoulders. Not that it mattered; it wasn’t as though there was anybody she wanted to be pretty for. For all she cared, Jack O’Neill could go hang himself. He scared off any man who managed to get past her father, but didn’t even have the manners or guts to ask her to a silly little dance.
With a cry of frustration, she tore the pins from her hair; it refused to stay in a bun atop her head. She was glad her father wasn’t home to hear her scream as one pin snagged and ripped several strands out by the roots. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to bring her temper under control. It had gotten her into trouble more than she liked to admit.
When she had calmed down, her eyes fell on the baby-blue dress lying across her bed. It had belonged to her mother and had been a little small for Sam, but Kate had done a wonderful job in tailoring it to fit her. You couldn’t even tell several inches had been added to the gown.
Buttoning the dress on her own was more of a hassle than she’d anticipated, but Samantha Carter was nothing if not determined. It wasn’t long before she was ready to go to town. Giving her hair a final disgusted look she went outside to prepare the buggy for the trip. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jack O’Neill hitching his horse to it.
***
Elizabeth and Laura were just stepping out of the Mercantile when Carson Beckett and Daniel Jackson appeared out of the growing dusk.
“Good evening,” Carson nodded at Elizabeth, but his eyes barely left Laura. He held out his arm. “May I escort you to the dance, Miss Cadman?”
“Yes, Dr. Beckett,” she smiled indulgently, laying her hand on the crook of his elbow. “You may.”
“I’m thinking we should just lock them in a supply room and be done with it,” Daniel whispered in Elizabeth’s ear.
“Daniel!” Elizabeth exclaimed under her breath, fighting a blush. Sometimes her schoolteacher friend surprised her.
He chuckled, sounding too much like Jack O’Neill for comfort, and took her arm. “I’m just saying.”
***
Samantha Carter wasn’t sure she’d ever felt the urge to murder someone quite so strongly as she did at the moment. Of all the things… Taking a deep breath, she picked up her skirt and marched out into the yard.
“Thank you,” she said, snatching the reins from Jack’s hand. She pushed herself up onto the seat, ignoring his offer of assistance, and snapped them over the horse. She was already out of the yard before he caught up with her, mounted bareback on one of her father’s horses.
“Sam!” He exclaimed, clearly put out by her behavior.
“Mr. O’Neill,” she acknowledged without removing her eyes from the path ahead.
“Hey, that’s Deputy Mayor O‘Neill.”
“Deputy Mayor O’Neill,” she corrected herself in a tone that made Jack flinch. It reminded him of a night spent without shoes in a blizzard on a muddy battle field.
“Come on Sam. What’s going on?”
“I’m going to the dance.” She answered in a voice that would have sounded perfectly civil to anybody who didn’t know better.
“I was under the impression we’d be attending that together.”
“Under the impression? Why you, you…” Sam sputtered. “You were under what impression exactly? Poor Samantha Carter can’t keep a man to save her life? Poor Samantha Carter could never find an escort to the dance because she’s not a proper lady? Well, I’ve got news for you, Jack O’Neill! There are any number of men who’d be perfectly glad to dance with me!”
“What? Now wait just a darn minute. I asked you to this stupid thing a week ago!”
“You asked if I was going with anybody!”
“And you said no!”
Sam took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and then explained to him as patiently and kindly as she could what an idiot he was.
***
Elizabeth leaned against the wall of the town hall with a contented smile. All around her people were laughing and stomping their feet. Paul was twirling Vala to the steps of a dance that probably didn’t exist, and Daniel had dragged Kate out on the floor despite her protests.
At first the dance had been a little awkward, tense even, as though people were waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then, Mayor Hammond’s granddaughters had convinced him to break out his fiddle; Jonas had plunked himself down in front of the piano, and the night had quickly become one to remember. Elizabeth wished John was there to see the people he’d spilled his blood for so happy and carefree, but she’d known it would be a long shot that he and Ronon would return in time.
Lost in her thoughts, it took her a moment to realize that Teal’c stood in front of her with his hand extended, but he only smiled knowingly once she did realize, and asked the honor of a dance.
***
Sam couldn’t seem to catch her breath as Jack twirled her around the dance floor. It hadn’t been in her plans to forgive him so quickly, but when he’d realized exactly what he’d done, or rather, hadn’t done, he’d been truly sorry. He’d even gone so far as to remove his hat from his head, place it over his heart, and ask if she’d allow him the honor of escorting her to the dance. She’d almost laughed, because it was Jack after all, but the look in his eyes had stopped her. She wasn’t sure anybody had ever looked at her quite that intensely before. She’d allowed him to tie the horse to the back of the buggy, and climb up next to her. The silence had been awkward for a time, but then Jack had made some inane observation and things had been back to normal.
“I’m too old for this,” Jack wheezed when the song ended, bracing his hands on his knees and taking deep breaths.
“Would you like me to get you some lemonade, old man?” Sam smirked, completely unapologetic when he glared up at her. Any reply he would have made was cut off when Mayor Hammond’s youngest granddaughter, Kayla, tugged on his sleeve.
“Grandpa wants you to play now,” she giggled.
Sam’s smirk turned evil as she pulled Jack upright and began pushing him towards the front of the hall.
-End
***
Elizabeth’s Story To Be Continued In: Nobody
Elizabeth laughed as she saw Sam Carter and the little girl pushing a terrified deputy-mayor to his doom. Then, a voice behind her startled her so badly she jumped.
“It’s nice to hear you laugh.”
“John!” She put a hand over her wildly beating heart.