Fic: Explosions
Title: Explosions
Author:
angelqueen04
Rating: PG
AU:
wildwest_lantis
Character(s): Jacob Carter
Pairing(s): Sam/Jack, Sam/Pete
Summary: The thoughts of an ex-sheriff in the late-afternoon heat.
Jacob Carter was used to loud noises. Being a sheriff for twenty years and living to tell about it in retirement was probably enough to explain it, but there was also a small shed behind his home where his daughter was prone to experiment with various pieces of machinery.
So, when he was out in the front of the house checking on his flowers and he heard muffled cursing coming from out back, he didn't even flinch. Sam had obviously found something that either worked better than she expected it to, or something that did not work at all.
He sighed and glanced at the flowers that sat in the planter on his porch, a batch of daisies, his departed wife's favorite. Even after more than a decade, Isabelle's loss was still exceptionally painful. Having a daughter that was almost a mirror image of her was a double-edged sword.
Of course, it was at the physical resemblance that the similarities between Samantha and Isabelle ended. Sam had been a tomboy even before her mother's death. Afterward, well, growing up in a house with only two men for company certainly did not encourage her to develop feminine tendencies, especially when one of those men was the town's sheriff, and the other her own brother.
There were times, in fact, that Jacob wondered if his reputation as a sheriff had caused Sam's problems in matters of love. The men in Atlantis knew he could easily take them down if they so much as blinked incorrectly at his daughter. Perhaps that was why her relationships with men seemed so fraught with difficulty. Though, Jonas Hansen had been crazy even before he'd met Sam, so that one was no fault of hers. Then there was Pete Shanahan. He was a good man to be sure, a dependable man with a good head on his shoulders. Still, Jacob could see he was wrong for her the moment he saw them together.
Sam's life in Atlantis had left her what some would consider an eccentric. Hell, it had left them all that way. Pete, on the other hand, came from Denver. He was a friend of Mark's, the two having known one another ever since Mark had arrived in Denver after leaving Atlantis; Mark had thought that his friend would be a good match for his sister.
Pete was definitely a good man; Jacob didn't dispute that. He just wasn't right for Sam. Sam needed someone who wouldn't patronize her or belittle her strange ways of thinking, not to mention her remarkable ability to make any piece of machinery she touched work. Pete had thought it amazing, most people did, but he only saw it was a spectacle, something to be fawned and complimented, but never really taken seriously. That was how Jacob knew the relationship would never last. And it hadn't, although he had never thought his own ailing health would be the final straw.
Retirement had left him with more time on his hands than he knew what to do with, giving him ample opportunity to take in certain details that had often been left overlooked due to his duties as the Sheriff. He understood his daughter better now, saw that the brilliance of her mind was far, far ahead of its time. Still, he also knew her brilliance would be better appreciated in the wilds of the West than it ever would anywhere else. Here she could use it to make the lives of others better, to protect the people from the Wraith whenever possible.
But while he understood all of that, he also saw the hints of loneliness within her blue eyes. His company could not fill the void entirely. Perhaps that was why he tolerated company far more than he had in the past. During his days as Sheriff, he had greatly disliked having visitors, preferring solitude with his family on the occasions he was at home. But now, Jacob had come to see that it wasn't so bad. Janet Fraiser had always visited, no matter what he thought, and he had never felt inclined to stop her. There was good reason not to get in that woman's way, but now there were others. Elizabeth Weir had slowly become a friend to Sam, if only through Janet, as both women had found a kindred spirit in one another.
Rodney McKay had also taken to calling on occasion. While Jacob wouldn't put it past him to have some sort of romantic intentions if only for the sake of his ego, he doubted they were serious. He guessed the quirky inventor enjoyed talking about various things that went right over the head of the rest of the town's population. Sam could easily keep up with his prattling about scientific things.
Then there was Jack O'Neill. Jacob had known him since he'd first come to Atlantis, a man hardened by the terrible loss of his only son and his wife in a fire. Though he didn't know the details and he doubted he ever would, Jacob was very much aware that Jack would probably always blame himself for their deaths. He could understand that. Not a day went by that he did not blame himself for the wagon accident that had claimed Isabelle's life.
Jack and Sam had seemed to form an understanding from the beginning. It was Sam who had encouraged him to take the offer to become the area's official Indian Agent, given the close friendship he had with so many of them. In turn, Jack endured her frequent babble about the inventions that she worked so diligently on, probably not understanding a word, but providing an ear all the same.
Jacob was willing to bet that their feelings for one another ran far deeper than either one was willing to let on. Jacob's health may have been Sam's official reason for breaking her engagement with Pete, but Jacob was no fool and neither were most of Atlantis' residents. Sam had never been able to have a steady relationship with any man in the years she had known Jack O'Neill.
Jacob sighed and shook his head. The heat was getting to his flowers and his head. Both needed water. He turned around and moved to enter the house, glancing down at the dog who was lying on the porch, panting heavily.
"Come on, Selmac," he instructed the black and white animal. "It's probably cooler in there than it is out here." Immediately, the dog jumped up and scuttled forward.
Following in Selmac's wake, Jacob heard another dull bang come from the back followed by more frustrated yelling. He laughed quietly and began making plans for dinner. Sam would no doubt come storming inside soon enough, a veritable thundercloud. She was like her father in that.
Author:
angelqueen04
Rating: PG
AU:
wildwest_lantis
Character(s): Jacob Carter
Pairing(s): Sam/Jack, Sam/Pete
Summary: The thoughts of an ex-sheriff in the late-afternoon heat.
Jacob Carter was used to loud noises. Being a sheriff for twenty years and living to tell about it in retirement was probably enough to explain it, but there was also a small shed behind his home where his daughter was prone to experiment with various pieces of machinery.
So, when he was out in the front of the house checking on his flowers and he heard muffled cursing coming from out back, he didn't even flinch. Sam had obviously found something that either worked better than she expected it to, or something that did not work at all.
He sighed and glanced at the flowers that sat in the planter on his porch, a batch of daisies, his departed wife's favorite. Even after more than a decade, Isabelle's loss was still exceptionally painful. Having a daughter that was almost a mirror image of her was a double-edged sword.
Of course, it was at the physical resemblance that the similarities between Samantha and Isabelle ended. Sam had been a tomboy even before her mother's death. Afterward, well, growing up in a house with only two men for company certainly did not encourage her to develop feminine tendencies, especially when one of those men was the town's sheriff, and the other her own brother.
There were times, in fact, that Jacob wondered if his reputation as a sheriff had caused Sam's problems in matters of love. The men in Atlantis knew he could easily take them down if they so much as blinked incorrectly at his daughter. Perhaps that was why her relationships with men seemed so fraught with difficulty. Though, Jonas Hansen had been crazy even before he'd met Sam, so that one was no fault of hers. Then there was Pete Shanahan. He was a good man to be sure, a dependable man with a good head on his shoulders. Still, Jacob could see he was wrong for her the moment he saw them together.
Sam's life in Atlantis had left her what some would consider an eccentric. Hell, it had left them all that way. Pete, on the other hand, came from Denver. He was a friend of Mark's, the two having known one another ever since Mark had arrived in Denver after leaving Atlantis; Mark had thought that his friend would be a good match for his sister.
Pete was definitely a good man; Jacob didn't dispute that. He just wasn't right for Sam. Sam needed someone who wouldn't patronize her or belittle her strange ways of thinking, not to mention her remarkable ability to make any piece of machinery she touched work. Pete had thought it amazing, most people did, but he only saw it was a spectacle, something to be fawned and complimented, but never really taken seriously. That was how Jacob knew the relationship would never last. And it hadn't, although he had never thought his own ailing health would be the final straw.
Retirement had left him with more time on his hands than he knew what to do with, giving him ample opportunity to take in certain details that had often been left overlooked due to his duties as the Sheriff. He understood his daughter better now, saw that the brilliance of her mind was far, far ahead of its time. Still, he also knew her brilliance would be better appreciated in the wilds of the West than it ever would anywhere else. Here she could use it to make the lives of others better, to protect the people from the Wraith whenever possible.
But while he understood all of that, he also saw the hints of loneliness within her blue eyes. His company could not fill the void entirely. Perhaps that was why he tolerated company far more than he had in the past. During his days as Sheriff, he had greatly disliked having visitors, preferring solitude with his family on the occasions he was at home. But now, Jacob had come to see that it wasn't so bad. Janet Fraiser had always visited, no matter what he thought, and he had never felt inclined to stop her. There was good reason not to get in that woman's way, but now there were others. Elizabeth Weir had slowly become a friend to Sam, if only through Janet, as both women had found a kindred spirit in one another.
Rodney McKay had also taken to calling on occasion. While Jacob wouldn't put it past him to have some sort of romantic intentions if only for the sake of his ego, he doubted they were serious. He guessed the quirky inventor enjoyed talking about various things that went right over the head of the rest of the town's population. Sam could easily keep up with his prattling about scientific things.
Then there was Jack O'Neill. Jacob had known him since he'd first come to Atlantis, a man hardened by the terrible loss of his only son and his wife in a fire. Though he didn't know the details and he doubted he ever would, Jacob was very much aware that Jack would probably always blame himself for their deaths. He could understand that. Not a day went by that he did not blame himself for the wagon accident that had claimed Isabelle's life.
Jack and Sam had seemed to form an understanding from the beginning. It was Sam who had encouraged him to take the offer to become the area's official Indian Agent, given the close friendship he had with so many of them. In turn, Jack endured her frequent babble about the inventions that she worked so diligently on, probably not understanding a word, but providing an ear all the same.
Jacob was willing to bet that their feelings for one another ran far deeper than either one was willing to let on. Jacob's health may have been Sam's official reason for breaking her engagement with Pete, but Jacob was no fool and neither were most of Atlantis' residents. Sam had never been able to have a steady relationship with any man in the years she had known Jack O'Neill.
Jacob sighed and shook his head. The heat was getting to his flowers and his head. Both needed water. He turned around and moved to enter the house, glancing down at the dog who was lying on the porch, panting heavily.
"Come on, Selmac," he instructed the black and white animal. "It's probably cooler in there than it is out here." Immediately, the dog jumped up and scuttled forward.
Following in Selmac's wake, Jacob heard another dull bang come from the back followed by more frustrated yelling. He laughed quietly and began making plans for dinner. Sam would no doubt come storming inside soon enough, a veritable thundercloud. She was like her father in that.