Jonathan “Jack” O’Neill was lying on his bunk staring at the ceiling. It was three days after his promotion to captain, and the second full day of his two-week leave. Jack would have normally jumped at the chance to return to Minnesota, but with his grandfather’s recent death, the cabin was the last place the young Air Force officer wanted to be. His grandfather, Patrick O’Neill, was the only one in his family who supported his decision to join the Air Force, the only one who cared that Jack was climbing the ranks and doing well. That wasn’t a huge surprise though; Patrick had always been the supportive one in Jack’s life. It wasn’t that his parents didn’t care, but they never really understood him as they did his brothers. The best times in Jack’s memories were those summers spent at the old cabin with Patrick. He hadn’t even told his parents about the upcoming promotion when he saw them at the funeral the weekend before.

Jack was trying to think of something he could do for the next two weeks when he was pulled from his thoughts by a sharp rap on the door. He rolled his lanky 6’2” frame off the bed, his dog tags clinking together as they swayed with his movements. Jack grabbed a t-shirt from the back of the chair and pulled it over his head as he made his way across the small room to the door. When he opened it, the young officer was surprised to find a Brigadier General waiting for him on the other side and immediately snapped to attention.

“At ease, Captain,” the General said with a slight smile. Jack knew the General, it would have been hard not to, the man had been his commanding officer until his own promotion three days ago. Jacob Carter had been Jack’s CO for almost two years now, and the two had grown as close as a CO and subordinate officer are able. Jacob had taken the younger man under his wing, treated him almost as a son; while they were off-duty of course. He had noticed how depressed Jack looked during the promotion ceremony and recalled that he had just returned from his grandfather’s funeral. When he heard that Jack was still on base two days after his leave started, Jacob knew something was wrong.

When Jacob didn’t say anything further, Jack spoke up. “Is there anything I can help you with, Sir?” A brief look of confusion passed through his eyes before it was gone again.

“I was just wondering, Captain, why you’re still on base two days into your leave. Care to enlighten me?”

“Ah… no particular reason, Sir. I didn’t feel like heading to Minnesota, and I don’t really have any other place to go, so here I am.” Jack shrugged his shoulders lightly.

Jacob nodded his head. “I thought as much.” The general thought for a moment before continuing. “Captain, you have ten minutes to pack your kit and be ready to go.”

“Sir?” Jack wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Are you questioning a direct order, Captain?” Jacob gave Jack a hard look and the young officer snapped back to attention.

“Sir, no, Sir. Just asking for clarification on what to pack and where I will be going, Sir.”

“Civvies and something formal, either your dress blues or a suit will do if you’ve got one here.” Laughter danced through Jacob’s eyes. “As to the destination, I’m afraid it’s need-to-know, which you don’t at the moment.” He glanced at his watch. “You have eight minutes left, Captain, if I were you, I’d be packing. We’re leaving whether you’re ready or not.” With that, Jacob turned on his heel and headed towards his own quarters to retrieve his duffle.

Exactly eight minutes later, Jacob came back down the hall. Just as he was about to knock on O’Neill’s door, it opened and the young man stepped out, duffle and garment bag in his hand.

“Excellent, right on time, Captain.” Jacob flashed a brief smile. He waited for Jack to lock the door behind him before continuing down the corridor. He didn’t say anything to the captain, just expected the younger man to follow him, which he did.

They walked to the parking lot and stopped by the General’s car. Jacob unlocked the boot and the two officers tossed their bags in the back before climbing into the car themselves. Jacob started the engine and left the base without a word. While Jack liked his old CO, and respected him a great deal, he still wasn’t sure what was going on, and didn’t know what was appropriate to say when you were basically being kidnapped by a superior officer while supposedly on leave; so he too stayed silent.

They drove for a while, neither man talking. However after nearly half and hour, Jack couldn’t take the silence any longer. “Sir, is our destination still need-to-know?”

Jacob smirked at the younger man. “I’m afraid so, son. But don’t worry; we’ll be there soon enough.” Jack muttered something unintelligible under his breath and lapsed back into silence. Jacob saw how frustrated O’Neill was getting and couldn’t help but enjoy his suffering.

Ten minutes later, Jacob turned the car off the main road into a cul-de-sac and parked the car in front of a modest two-story house with a decent front yard and well-maintained garden.

“Here we are.” Jacob turned off the motor and got out of the car. Jack followed him around to the boot.

“Sir?”

“Our destination, Captain, is my house. You will be spending the remainder of your leave with my family and me. Don’t look at me like that; I’m still your CO until you get assigned a new one.” Jack schooled his expression so it didn’t show the shock he was feeling, still trying to come to terms with what Jacob had told him, but Jacob wasn’t waiting for Jack’s brain to catch up, and continued talking. “My son, Mark, just finished his junior year at San Diego State and is home for the summer. Samantha is getting ready to enter the Academy in the fall… I’ll warn you now, call her anything but Sam and you take your life in your hands.”

The two men grabbed their duffels out of the car and made their way into the house. From what Jack could see, it was a decent size and well cared for, even if not new. Jack knew his CO’s wife had died some years back, but didn’t know the circumstances of it. He had never asked and felt if Jacob wished him to know, he could bring it up himself; Jack would never broach the subject with him.

Jacob led him upstairs and showed him where the guestroom was so he could drop his stuff before getting a tour of the rest of the house. Jack’s room was directly across from Jacob’s and next to Mark’s, with Sam’s kitty-corner across the hall. There was one bathroom upstairs and one and a half on the first floor. Jacob showed Jack the rest of the house and the two were planning on grabbing some beers and sitting out on the deck for a while when the front door opened and Mark arrived home. He hadn’t noticed his father’s car out front, so was surprised to find him home with company.

“Hello, Mark, how was your day?” Jacob asked politely. Mark grunted a response and grabbed his own beer from the fridge before sitting down at the kitchen table. Jacob bristled, “Mark, can you come out here for a moment, please?” Mark sighed and made his way to the door.

“What?” His response was surly and rude and Jack couldn’t see this young man as the son of General Jacob Carter.

“I want you to meet someone.” Mark joined them on the deck. “This is Jack O’Neill; he’ll be staying with us for the next two weeks.” Jack stood and extended his hand to the younger man.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Mark took the Captain’s hand half-heartedly and returned the greeting. He may not have believed the words, but he had been raised properly and knew that if he failed to make a guest feel welcome his hide would receive a tanning, regardless of his age.

“Would you care to join us for a while, Mark?” Jacob sent his son a pointed look, indicating it wasn’t really a request. Mark shrugged his shoulders and sat down in one of the empty chairs next to Jack. There was a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence before Jack turned to Mark and asked what he was studying in school.

“I’m majoring in Poly-Sci with a minor in German language.” He took a sip of his beer. “How do you know my father?”

“Air Force. He was my commanding officer until the promotion a few days a go.” Mark scowled slightly. Figures Dad would bring home a lackey.

The three men finished their drinks in silence, the Carters unwilling to get into the inevitable row quite yet and Jack feeling overwhelmed by Mark’s clear dislike of the military. When Mark finished his bottle, he asked, out of habit, if he could get anything for the others. Both officers declined, saying they were fine. Mark nodded to Jack and made his way inside.

Jacob and Jack sat for a while longer before the General started to speak quietly. “I’m sorry for his attitude towards you.” Jacob rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Our relationship wasn’t always so strained; there was even a time when he wanted to follow my footsteps and join the Air Force.” Jack didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t say anything. Eventually Jacob continued. “I tell you, Jack, these past few years have been tough without Liz. I know you’ve heard the basic story, don’t deny it.” Jack just nodded and Jacob kept speaking. “She was returning from a visit with her mother and I was late due to a last minute briefing with my CO at the time, so she took a cab from the airport.” He took a deep breath. “However, the driver of the taxi was a junkie and had come to work that evening high. When the call came to the house, I still wasn’t home yet, so they told Mark about the accident, he was 18 by then, and the two of them went to the hospital, leaving a note for me when I got home. By the time I reached the hospital there was nothing they could more they could do for her.” Jacob stopped speaking here, and Jack didn’t push him to say anything more, there wasn’t any need.

The two officers sat for a moment before Jacob cleared his throat. “Anyway. I didn’t bring you here to listen to my tales of woe.” The older man stood, “Why don’t you go unpack before Sammy gets home, then the four of us will go out to dinner?”

Jack nodded and followed his host inside and continued upstairs to his room of the next two weeks. He grabbed a change of clothes and a towel and headed to the bathroom down the hall. He hadn’t planned on leaving his quarters today, so the last shower he had had was the previous morning; he figured he was okay to wait until the next day to shave, his stubble wasn’t that bad. Freshly showered and mostly dressed, he made his way back to his room to finish changing. He had on a pair of khaki slacks and dark blue button down open over a white t-shirt; he completed the outfit with his well-loved leather jacket. One last glance in the mirror to make sure he looked respectable, and he headed downstairs.

As Jack couldn’t find anyone in the kitchen or living room, he figured they must still be upstairs, so he pulled a book off the shelves and started reading. The captain had been reading about ten minutes when he heard the front door open and someone enter the house. The footsteps came towards the living room, but Jack didn’t look up from his book until he heard them stop. When he did glance away from the text, his eyes met those of the young woman standing before him. Both were unable to look away and just stared at the other for several long seconds. Finally, Jack gathered his wits about him and rose gracefully to his feet, setting the book on the table beside the chair, and extended his hand to the girl.

“Hi, I’m Jack O’Neill; you must be Sam.” She shook his hand but had a rather confused look on her face.

“Yes, I’m Sam… who are you?” Jack couldn’t hold back his laugh.

“Jack O’Neill. I work with your father—and apparently will be spending the next two weeks here while I’m on leave.”

“You’re Air Force?” As she took in his appearance and posture, Sam could see that he was indeed military, and her heart sank a bit. He was obviously older than her, but she still couldn’t help but find him attractive; he was tall, a good five inches above her own 5’9” height, with honey-brown hair and deep chocolate eyes. However, regardless of their age difference and despite the fact that she herself was entering the Academy in the fall, Sam knew Jacob would never approve of her even having a crush on a military man.

Just then, Jacob came downstairs and spotted the two in the living room. “There you are, Sammy,” the girl scowled at the hated nickname. “I see you’ve met Jonathan,” the young officer’s scowl matched Samantha’s. “Mark should be down in a few minutes, then we’re going to out to dinner. Why don’t you run put your school stuff away before we go?” With that, he turned and left the room. As soon as he was out of earshot, Sam turned to Jack again.

“You even think about calling me ‘Sammy’ and I’ll beat you so hard your buddies at the base will not be able to recognize you. Got it?” Jack swallowed nervously and nodded.

“All I ask in return is that you call me Jack, the only person who calls me Jonathan is my mother, and only when I’m in trouble… so about half the time.” Sam gave him a doleful look, “Okay, most of the time. Would you expect anything less?” He grinned at her and Sam just shook her head ruefully.

“Not from someone my father brought home with him.”

“You make me sound like a stray puppy!”

Sam just smiled at Jack’s indignant response and turned to take her books upstairs. Jack stared after her as she left the living room and, for several moments after she was gone, before shaking himself mentally. Wow there, boyo, what’s up? She’s just a kid!

As Sam was walking to her room she couldn’t keep her mind off the man downstairs. Get a grip, girl! You’ve met attractive, funny, officers before; why are you flirting with this one? What makes him so special?

Soon the three Carters all came back into the living room. Jack did a double take when he saw Sam; she had changed out of her school clothes into something nicer. Luckily for Jack, Jacob and Mark’s attention was on her and they didn’t notice his reaction. Sam was dressed in a black, knee-length skirt and a red, short-sleeve V-neck sweater with black sandals and a pink pearl necklace; Jack couldn’t help noticing how the clothes accented her long legs and slim waist. Jacob eyed his daughter for a moment, taking in her outfit, then nodded; her clothes were tasteful and appropriate, she was allowed out of the house.

The four piled into Jacob’s car and set off for dinner. At the restaurant, an Italian place with good food and great service, they had a ten minute wait to be seated. As there were only three seats on the bench, Jack motioned for the Carters to sit while he would remain standing. Sam, however, wouldn’t hear of that and forced him to take her spot. When he was finally seated, after much argument, she plopped herself down in his lap and made herself comfortable. Jack couldn’t believe her audacity and, fearing for his life, risked a glance at Mark and Jacob. They were laughing at him.

“Something you want to tell me about your relationship with my daughter, airman?” Jack’s face turned bright, lobster-red and he began stammering incoherently. “I see; your intentions are completely honorable, I trust?

“Intentions?” Jack croaked.

“Dad! Stop tormenting poor Jonathan.”

Jack poked Sam in the side for that; she squeaked and shifted away from his hand. “Come on, Sammy, we might as well come clean about our affair.”

Sam’s eyes bugged out and she hit him on the leg. “Jack O’Neill! You promised under threat of near death that you wouldn’t call me that!”

“I figure since you called me Jonathan, I got one free chance to call you either Sammy or Samantha.”

While the pair was talking their table had been called, but they were so focused on each other that neither of them would have noticed a nuclear bomb detonating in front of them.

“Hey, lovebirds!” Sam and Jack looked at Mark with identical flushed faces. “Our table’s ready.” With that, he turned and followed the seating host to the table.

During dinner the conversation roamed from topic to topic, at one point Mark asked Jack why he had come with Jacob for the two week leave. Jack’s hand paused mid-bite for just a second before he recovered his calm.

“I normally would have gone to Minnesota to visit my grandfather, but he passed away last month, so I didn’t really know what to do with myself.” Having less tact than a bull has grace, Mark inquired as to why he didn’t go see his parents. “We’re not close,” was all Jack would say on the subject. Sam kicked her brother under the table and changed the direction of the conversation by asking her father about the new command that came with his promotion to general.

When it was time for dessert, Jacob was in the middle of telling Mark and Sam about his first meeting with then Lieutenant Jonathan ‘Jack’ O’Neill.

“I walked into my office to read over the file of the new man I was getting on the team, only to find said man sitting in my chair, feet propped up on the desk, flipping through his own file. Before I could blink, he looks at me with the most innocent expression in his eyes and says, ‘I think you’d best watch out with this O’Neill character, Sir. He looks to be a handful.’ Then, quick as lightning, he was on his feet saluting me as if nothing had happened.”

Jacob shook his head at the memory. “Those first few weeks were some wild ride; never knowing what crazy stunt O’Neill would pull next.” He paused for a moment, “I guess nothing has changed, huh Jack?”

By now Jack’s face was a funny shade of purple and he burst out, “Hey now, Sir, be fair! Admit that half the things I got blamed for were actually the work of the other guys on the team.”

Mark watched the two Air Force officers banter back and forth, remembering when he used to do that with his father. Since his mother had died three years previously, Mark’s relationship with Jacob had suffered. Now Mark understood that Jack had stepped into the roll that he himself had forsaken and he found that he was jealous. The young captain managed to fit better into the Carter family than he did. Jacob liked him, Sam obviously liked him, and Mark was fairly certain that, if she had been alive and here to meet him, his mother would have adored the young officer. Mark couldn’t understand how this man was able to mesh so well into a family he had only known for a few hours. The more he watched the interaction between Jack and his father and sister, the more upset he became, until he was unable to bear it much longer.

When it came time to pay the bill, Jack went for his billfold before Jacob stopped him. “Dinner’s on me tonight, Jack.” The Captain started to protest but Jacob held up his hand to stop the words. “Jack, you’re going to be staying with us for the next two weeks, there will be plenty more chances for you to foot the bill. Tonight’s on me.” With that he handed his credit card to the waiter, ending the discussion.

As soon as the check was taken care of, Mark stood up from the table. “I’m going to meet some buddies; I’ll catch a ride home from one of them. Thanks for dinner, Dad.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way out of the restaurant. The other three watched him go without commenting, but each having their own reaction to Mark’s abrupt departure. Sam couldn’t understand why her brother continued to drift farther and farther away from her, they had been so close once. Jack still didn’t get how the General’s son could be so rude to his family; he never would have gotten away with that behavior at home. Jacob was saddened by the evidence that his relationship with Mark was probably now beyond repair.

As it was still early, the two remaining Carters and Jack decided to take a walk around the small town before heading home. While they were walking, they bumped into an old friend of Jacob’s. He wanted to catch up with his friend, so he told the other two that he would meet up with them in a little while. Sam and Jack continued to stroll down the street at a leisurely pace. For a while they walked in silence, just listening to the sounds around them, but Jack wanted to get to know the young woman better and soon started a conversation.

“So Sam, your dad mentioned that you would be starting at the Academy in the fall. That means you must be graduating within the next few weeks, right?”

“Yeah, I’m actually graduating next week, but I’ve been taking classes at the local university for the last two years, so it’s really just a formality at this point.”

Jack looked over at the girl beside him. He could not believe she was real; kind, funny, drop-dead gorgeous, super intelligent, and 100 percent jail-bait. He noticed her shiver slightly in the cool June night and wrapped his leather jacket around her slender shoulders. At her questioning glance he just shrugged.

“You looked cold,” was his only explanation until she tried to protest and give the jacket back saying she didn’t want him to get cold. “Ach, Carter. Keep it. I grew up in Minnesota; I’m used to the cold.” She smiled thankfully at him and Jack found himself wishing she would smile like that more often.

The pair continued to chat as they walked, taking about Sam’s academic interests, physics and math, Jack’s time at the Academy, “I wasn’t a hellion… okay, so maybe I got into a little bit of trouble,” they even touched on Sam’s mother and Jack’s grandfather, but neither said much during that part of the conversation. Gradually they could hear the sound of a crowd approaching. When they could make out faces in the group, Sam instantly tensed and unconsciously shifted closer to Jack. He felt her reaction and put an arm around her shoulder to guide her around the crowd. The pair was almost past when a voice called out to them.

“Samantha? Samantha Carter, is that you?” Sam cringed and slowly turned around to face the girl who had cried out.

“Yes, Evelyn, it’s me.” Jack tightened his grip on her, reminding her that he was there if she should need him for anything.

“It’s been forever! Where did you disappear to?” The rest of the group stopped chatting so they could hear her answer.

“I’ve been taking classes at the U. for the last two years.” Her reply seemed to disappoint them.

“Is that all?! We all thought you’d gotten pregnant and been shipped off to military school after the abortion.” Sam was too shocked to speak. How could they think that? That’s the rumor about my disappearance? Some friends, they never even called to check! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Jack noticed and decided it was time to step in.

“Sammy,” he tapped her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention off the girl in front of them. “We should really be going; your dad’s probably waiting for us and ready to head home now.” With his eyes he begged forgiveness for the use of the hated nickname; she understood, it was for the group behind her.

“Alright Jon,” she turned to Evelyn again. “Nope, not pregnant or military school. But, as Jon said, my dad’s waiting, so we’ve got to run. It was nice seeing you again.” The pair turned back the way they had come before Evelyn could ask about Jon, as she hadn’t really noticed him before that moment.

When Jack and Sam rounded the corner, he pulled her around to face him. “Are you alright?” The concern was evident in his eyes.

Sam took a deep breath and let it out again before she answered. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. It was just a shock seeing her again. We were best friends in grade school but drifted apart after my mom died. When we entered high school, she became a cheerleader and I joined the math club. We were still friends, but it was hard. After the accident, I started handing out with the wrong type of people; she stopped talking to me. That’s actually how I ended up leaving the high school; after I got picked up by the police one night too many, Dad gave me two options: use my super brains and get my act together, or boarding school.”

Jack cut in here, “Would boarding school have been so bad?”

“All-girls, in Ohio.”

“Never mind. Super brains were a much better choice.”

“When Dad gave me the ultimatum, I figured it was time to get out of the high school. So I went to my councilor and we talked with a guy in admissions at the university and found a way to get in without actually having my high school diploma. I had all the credits I needed to graduate, but I didn’t want my classmates to know what I was doing.” Sam shrugged, “I guess I realized that if they knew I had graduated, they would have tried harder to find me, which would have landed me in boarding school, diploma or not.”

“So if you’re actually a college student, what are you studying and why even go to the Air Force Academy?”

“Math, and this was really just a way to kill time before I could enter; you have to be 17.”

“Will your credits transfer to the Academy, or will you have to start over?”

“I’m actually only six credits shy of my degree here, so when I start at the USAFA, I’m going to focus on physics. The math was really just something I wanted to do while I had the time because I knew once I entered the Academy; I would want to spend all my extra energy on physics and flying.”

“Physics and flying, interesting combination; what do you want to do with that?”

“NASA. After my four cadet years, I hope to go for my PhD in Astrophysics, then work at NASA as an astronaut.”

Jack smiled at the dreamy expression on her face. “You seem to have your life all planned out, Samantha Carter. I hope it works out for you.”

They turned back to where they left Jacob, only to bump into him as they rounded the next corner.

“There you are. Ready to head home?” Jack and Sam nodded; they had had enough excitement for one evening.

After they arrived at the house and Sam had bid the two men goodnight, Jacob turned to Jack with a serious look on his face. “I wanted to thank you for how you handled the situation tonight. Sam hasn’t had a lot of people she can talk with in the last two years, and I know she’s needed it.”

“How did—”

“I was coming from a side street; I heard what that girl said about Sammy being pregnant and shipped off to military school. If you hadn’t stepped in there, I would have. No one tells lies about my little girl and gets away with it.” Jacob sighed and shook his head, “Anyway, thank you, Jack. Goodnight, son, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Neither man noticed the figure silently fuming in the hallway. Mark had returned home a few minutes earlier, just in time to hear Jacob’s thank you to Jack. She trusts him more than me already?! When was Sam in trouble? I didn’t know; why didn’t they tell me? He’s not your son, dammit! I am! Mark! Remember me? This is my family, Jack O’Neill, not yours; go find your own.

Meetings
Chapter II
Disclaimer: I don't own either Stargate or the characters

The next morning when Mark awoke, it was to the smell of breakfast and sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. Curious as to what all the commotion was about, he got up and made his way downstairs. When he looked into the room, all he could do was gape stupidly at the scene before him. Sam was sitting on the counter—covered in flour—giggling, and Jacob sat at the table drinking coffee, while Jack—also covered in flour—stood at the stove flipping pancakes and frying bacon. Half the kitchen was coated in a thick layer of white flour, making it obvious that Sam and Jack had gotten into a flour fight.

Mark couldn’t believe it; Jacob could have been furious if he himself had ever done something like that. Before he could say anything, Jacob spotted him lurking in the hallway.

“Good morning, Mark. Would you care for some pancakes?” He looked to the man standing at the stove. “Jack graciously volunteered for KP duty this morning, so all you have to do is grab a cup of coffee and join me at the table—or your sister on the counter—and breakfast will be ready shortly.” Jack muttered under his breath. “What was that, Jack?”

“Nothing, Sir. Pancakes should be finished in just a minute, how many would you care for?”

“Three please, Captain.” Jacob glanced at his son, “And the same for Mark.” Jack nodded to show he had heard and looked at Sam.

“And how many for the ghost sitting on the counter?” She hit him. “Ouch! I thought it was ‘kiss the cook,’ not ‘kill the cook!’” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he froze. “Er… that is… I mean—”

“I’ll have two, please,” Sam cut him off before he could dig himself any deeper. Then she hopped off the counter and ran up to her room to change out of her flour-covered pajamas. When she came back down, sans flour, Jack was putting plates on the table in front of Jacob and Mark.

“Do you want bacons, Sam?” She nodded and he handed her a plate and flatware. “Butter and syrup are on the table.”

As Jack was serving his own breakfast, Jacob eyed him critically. “Jack,” he started, “I forbid you from eating at the table unless you change out of those clothes first.” Jack glanced down and grinned sheepishly. Instead of answering the general, he just set down his plate, perched himself on the counter where Sam had been earlier, and picked up his plate again.

“Can some one pass me the syrup?” Sam and Mark had to stifle their laughs; the look on Jacob’s face was priceless.

When they were finished eating, Jack collected their dishes; he had to clean up the kitchen anyway, he might as well do the dishes while he was at it. Truthfully, the young officer didn’t mind doing some chores; he didn’t want to be a freeloader for the next two weeks. Besides, this might give him a chance to participate in his second favorite activity: people watching. By giving the Carters the chance to relax, he could catch a glimpse of how they interacted when they didn’t know they were being watched.

While Jack started to clean up the flour-covered kitchen, Jacob turned to his children and asked the timeless question, “What are you two going to do today?”

Mark’s answer was mumbled and unintelligible; something about hanging out with friends. Sam, however, fairly bubbled with excitement. “Nothing much this morning, but I’ve got classes this afternoon, Advanced Calculus and student teaching the Professor Cao’s Calc I class. I don’t really care so much for the student teaching, but my advisor suggested it to me for the credits.” She shrugged, “It’s alright, but I get some flak because of my age.”

Jack was surprised by his reaction when he heard Sam’s last statement. He found himself wanting to beat the crap out of those ill-mannered college preps for treating Sam badly. He wasn’t surprised by the fact that he was upset at people’s poor manners, that happened all the time, but by how strong his desire to protect Sam was. I’m just looking out for the daughter of a man who treats me as his son. There’s nothing wrong with that; I’m sure Mark has had the same reaction.

Jack was correct to some degree; Mark did want to protect his little sister from the jerks who ragged on her, but, unlike Jack, he didn’t feel the need to pull her into his arms and shield her from all the evils of the world.

Luckily for Jack, Jacob made a suggestion before he could open his mouth and say something he would probably regret thirty seconds later. “Want me to sic O’Neill on them? He can be pretty intimidating when he’s in the mood.”

“Dad!” Sam’s indignant shriek elicited a chuckle from her father.

“What about one of my other officers?” Sam just hit him on the shoulder. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then, shall I?”

“Dad,” Sam’s voice had switched from indignant and over-emotional to wise and calm, “please don’t do anything rash. I honestly don’t care if those guys can’t figure out that intelligence has nothing to do with age.” Her response made Jack pause a moment in his cleaning. Somehow he knew she was only being partially honest with her father; she didn’t care if they mocked her age, but it clearly bothered her that this prejudice was affecting their ability to learn the material from her.

Jack listened to the Carters—well, Jacob and Sam mainly, Mark barely participated—as he finished washing the dishes. After the kitchen was clean and all evidence of the earlier flour fight was gone—himself excluded—he made his way upstairs to change out of his dirty pajamas.

As Jack reentered the kitchen, Jacob turned to him and repeated the question he had asked his children, “So, Jack, what are you planning to do today?”

“I’m not sure, Sir. I don’t know the area or what there is to do around here and, as you kidnapped me from the base, I don’t really have a way to get around town.” Jack suddenly realized what he had said and to whom he had said it, and began stammering excuses. “Sir, I mean… err… well, I was not meaning to be disrespectful—”

“Oh, you yes you were, Jack.” Sam smirked at her father’s words. “You have every intention of being disrespectful—maybe not quite so blatantly—but disrespectful, nonetheless.” Jack’s mouth dropped open briefly before it morphed into a sheepish grin. “However,” Jacob continued, “you do have a valid point: I did basically kidnap you from base. Therefore, I have a solution for you also; in the garage is an old Triumph motorcycle, it hasn’t worked in years. If you can get it running again, it’s yours while you’re here. Sound fair?”

Jack nodded enthusiastically, “Yessir, very fair. I think I’ll spend the morning working on the bike.”

Sam thought for a moment, that might be a fun way to spend her morning before classes. “Would you like some help, Jack?”

He looked at her, “You know your way around an engine?” Jacob laughed.

“She took small engine repair and metal shop instead of home-ec in junior high; she’ll make sure you get that bike up and running.”

“Alright, but you might want to change into jeans and a junky t-shirt. I would hate for you to ruin your ‘cute’ clothes while helping me.”

Sam glanced down at her shorts and tank-top, Jack was right; they would get destroyed. “Give me five minutes; I’ll meet you in the garage.” With that, she jumped from her chair and dashed upstairs.

“So, Sir, where do you keep your tools?”

A few minutes later Jack and Sam were setting up a work station in the driveway. Tools were quickly piled around them and the engine was being pulled apart. As the pair worked, they made small talk. “So, Sam, ever been to a hockey game?”

“Yes, actually,” Jack looked at her in surprise. “What? Dad was stationed at Eielson in Alaska when I was little; there isn’t much else in the way of spectator sports.”

“Makes sense… you follow any teams here”?

“Yeah—pass me the 10mm socket? Thanks—the Canucks, but I’ll watch the Ranger games when nothing else is on.”

“The Rangers?! I’m afraid I can’t talk with you any more.” Jack’s self-imposed silence lasted all of about ten seconds, “Can you toss me the manual?” Sam looked at him in shock. “Just because I’m a guy doesn’t mean I don’t use manuals. Have you ever managed to rebuild a carburetor without the diagram?” As Sam opened her mouth to reply Jack cut her off, “Don’t answer that, Genius-girl, I really don’t want to know.

Sam snickered and went back to the engine part she was tinkering with. “If you’re so against the Rangers, who do you follow?”

“Red Wings. So, really, my conflict should be with the fact that you support the Canucks, but there’s just something about the Rangers that I don’t like.”

Sam nodded, “At least it’s not the Blackhawks, right?”

Jack shuddered, “Yeah, I would have to defy your father and go back to base if you were a Blackhawk fan.” The pair laughed and continued to work on the old bike’s engine.

Jacob watched them from the living room window; it was good to see Sam smiling again. Things had been better since she had gotten out of the high school, but they were still pretty bad. He was a little concerned about how quickly his daughter had taken to Jack O’Neill, but didn’t worry too much; he would only be here a short while, and then she would be leaving for the Air Force Academy. Even if they did end up becoming close friends, there was enough of an age difference that Jacob was fairly sure that he would only see her as a younger sister, and he would end up being a mentor to her. At least, that’s what I hope will happen.

After Jack and Sam had been out there for a few hours, they had managed to get the bike to start a couple of times, but they couldn’t get it to idle. Every time they tried to turn off the choke, the engine would sputter and die. Jack was checking the manual to see what the needle jets should be set at when Sam noticed the time.

“Shoot! I’ve got to get changed.”

Jack looked up from the book in his lap, “I thought your classes weren’t until this afternoon?” It was only 1100.

“Yeah, but I’ve got to pick some graduation stuff up from the high school,” she wiped her hands on a rag, “and if I want to get to campus on time I need to be on the 1235 bus.”

“How long does it take to drive from the high school to the U’s campus?”

“Not that long, maybe 15 minutes, but the bus route takes almost 50.”

Jack thought for a moment then got an idea. “How about you help me get this bike running—it should only take a few minutes—then I’ll give you a lift to the high school and the U?” Jack looked at her with large, puppy eyes, “Please?”

“And if we can’t get the bike working in time?”

Jack shrugged, “Then I explain the situation to your father, and that it was my fault completely, and beg him to let me borrow his car so I can drop you off.”

“And if you won’t let you borrow his car,” Sam said smirking.

“I’ll hotwire the neighbor’s, no biggie.”

Sam burst out laughing, “Alright, just a few more minutes.”

As it turned out, a few minutes and some minor adjustments were all that were needed to get the bike to idle properly. Jack and Sam grinned foolishly at each other before Jack pulled on a helmet so he could take the bike for a test ride. As he pulled out of the driveway, it sputtered slightly, but a few revs of the engine and it was fine again. Soon enough, Jack rode back down the street and into the driveway; there was a huge, shit-eating grin plastered across his face.

“How’s she run?” Sam asked as he cut the engine.

“Perfectly. Thanks for helping me.”

“It was no trouble, I had fun.” Sam glanced at her watch, “We’ll need to leave in about 40 minutes so we can still stop by the high school.”

“I need to get some gas, so why don’t you go clean up and get ready while I do that, then when I get back you can get some lunch while I change.”

Sam nodded, “You know how to get to the gas station?” Jack shook his head. “Head right on the main street, take the second left, there will be one about three blocks up on the left or five blocks on the right. Got that?” Jack assured the young woman that he wouldn’t get lost and started the bike again. As she turned to go inside, he revved the engine and sped off down the street.

When Sam got inside, she found Jacob in the kitchen. “Where’s he off to?”

“Needed to get some gas for the bike.”

Jacob nodded then spotted the clock on the wall. “Shouldn’t you have left for campus by now?”

“Jack’s giving me a lift; we wanted to get the Triumph working before I left, so he offered to drive me.”

Jacob replied with a sigh and a slight shake of his head, which Sam took as reluctant acceptance and dashed upstairs to get cleaned up. Several minutes later, as Sam was stepping out of the shower, she heard the old motorcycle pull into the driveway and its engine shut off. Jack was home; he heart sped up a little before her mind could remind it that he was off limits. Sam heard his muffled greeting to her father and realized that she should probably get back to her room before he came upstairs.

Soon enough they were both clean and fed. Sam gathered what she needed for her classes that afternoon and they took off towards her old high school. When they arrived at the school, Sam indicated to Jack that he should just pull in front of the building. He cut the engine and Sam told him that she would only be gone a few minutes and he should just wait there with the bike.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come inside with you?” Jack asked, remembering what she had told him the night before.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks, though.” She tossed her helmet to him and opened the door. Sam hesitated briefly, then flashed Jack a shaky smile and stepped into the building.

While Jack was waiting he was leaning against the bike staring at his shoes. He sensed someone approaching, but didn’t look up from the pavement, figuring that he wouldn’t know the person. He was, therefore, surprised when they cleared their throat and said his name.

“Jon?” He glanced at the young girl standing in front of him. “That’s your name, right?” It was the girl from last night; Sam’s ex-friend, Eleanor or something. Jack eyed her before giving a short nod. She was slightly taken aback by his attitude, but didn’t allow it to stop her. “You’re friends with Samantha?”

“We’re family friends, yes.” There was no need to tell her that they had only met the day before.

“So you’ve known her for a while then?

“Long enough.” If she wanted to interrogate him for information about his relationship with Sam, he wasn’t going to make it any easier for her.

She gazed at him speculatively, “Are you in school?”

“Air Force.” His minimalist answers seemed to finally be getting to her. As the girl had her back to the school, she didn’t see Sam approaching from behind her. Jack caught Sam’s eye and, without words, they had a plan to get rid of the irritating girl.

“Thank you for waiting, Jon.” Sam walked to Jack’s side and kissed his cheek before tangling her fingers with his. “Oh, hi, Evelyn. I didn’t see you there.”

Evelyn scowled briefly before plastering a fake smile across her face. “Hello, Samantha.”

“Evelyn?” The girl nodded. “Evelyn was just asking how we knew each other.” Jack smirked, “Old family friends, right Sammy?”

Sam ducked her head and giggled lightly. “Yeah, it feels as if I’ve known Jon for forever.” She glanced at her watch. “We should get going, my class starts soon.”

Jack grabbed her wrist and looked at the watch for himself. His eyes widened for a moment as if the watch had told him something horrible. The pair said their goodbyes quickly and took off; leaving Evelyn standing dazed on the curb.

Jack dropped Sam off at her class and said he would pick her up at 1830. Before Jack could kick the engine over, Sam grabbed his arm. “Thanks, Jack.” At his questioning look she continued. “I mean for dealing with Evelyn. You could have told her you just met me, then you wouldn’t have had to put up with her grilling questions.”

Jack smiled, a real teeth-showing smile, “It’s okay Sam; I don’t mind. We’ve all known people like that. If I can help you with handling the demons of your past, I’ll do it gladly.” Somehow Jack knew he would do anything to help this girl, it didn’t matter that they had only been introduced 18 hours ago.

O’Neill reassured her that he wouldn’t get lost on the way home, and shooed her towards the building. When she was inside, he kicked the engine over and started back to the Carters’.

When Jack arrived back at the house, he found Jacob pulling a lawnmower and other assorted garden tools out of the garage. He parked the bike and walked over to the older man.

“Hey, Sir. Planning on an afternoon of yard work?”

“Son,” Jacob started exasperatedly, “you’re going to be here for the next two weeks, are you really going to call me ‘Sir’ every time you speak with me?”

“Yes, Sir, probably,” Jack replied cheerfully.

Jacob sighed, “Jack, leave the Sirs at the base; call me Jacob while you’re here.”

“What about ‘Jake’?”

“If you must, but I won’t promise to acknowledge your existence if you do.”

Jack grinned at him, “So, Jake, want some help?”

The General scowled but wasn’t fool enough to turn down assistance with the manual labor. The two officers hauled out the remaining tools out to the yard and got to work.

Jack grabbed the lawnmower while Jacob took control of the hedge trimmer. As the two men worked, Jacob took the time to observe the younger officer. Jack was cocky as hell, and while he had the abilities and accolades to back it up, Jacob wanted to know if it was actually just a cover. The two were close but, as well as he knew the young captain, Jacob didn’t know much about his life before he joined the Air Force. From what Jacob had seen, Jack had a softer, more caring, side than the attitude he usually projected. When Jack was dealing with Sam’s old friends the night before he was protective and sweet, not something Jacob had ever seen in him before. He watched Jack push the mower around the grass and noticed that he seemed less tense than he had the previous day. It hadn’t been obvious, Jacob only saw it because he had been the man’s CO for two years—it was his job to notice—and something had been troubling the young man since he returned from his grandfather’s funeral a few days ago. Jacob wanted to confront Jack about it, but knew he wouldn’t want someone prying into his life; Jack would talk when he was good and ready, and not a moment sooner. As things seemed to be getting better, Jacob would leave it alone, but he was going to watch and if it, whatever it was, came back, he would do something.

As Jack and Jacob were doing yard work, Sam was sitting in her Advanced Calculus class, completely unable to focus. While her professor was droning on, Sam’s mind found Jonathan O’Neill a much more interesting topic. A voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Miss Carter?” Sam looked up from her notebook. “Do you have the answer?”

Sam panicked for a second then glanced at the blackboard and her notes—it seems her hands were listening even if her brain wasn’t—and rattled off an equation. The instructor gave her a stern look but, thankfully, didn’t say anything and continued with the lesson. Sam let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that the professor hadn’t brought up her inattention. She gave herself a mental shake and focused on what the professor was saying—for a few minutes, then her mind was off on another Jack related tangent.

When the class was dismissed, the professor asked Sam to remain for a moment. She walked to the front of the room and waited while he packed up his briefcase. He requested that they walk together, as they were headed to the same building. As they were walking, he brought up her lack of attention in class. “You’re usually so attentive and focused; is everything alright?”

Sam immediately relaxed; he wasn’t angry with her. “No, everything is fine. It’s probably just the stress of graduating in a few weeks and getting ready to start at the Air Force Academy. I’m sorry about class today; it won’t happen again.”

“Samantha, you’ve got your whole life in front of you, don’t burn out now. It’s okay to have an off day every now and then. In fact, you’ve probably earned one; graduating college at 17 is no mean feat.” He smiled kindly at her. “I’m sure Professor Arndt will understand if you want to take off.”

“But I’m stud—”

“I’m finished for the day;” He interrupted, “if Arndt won’t cover the class, then I will.”

Sam looked at the man next to her; not many professors would make that offer. “Thank you, Professor, but I really—”

“Samantha, go home. I’ll tell Professor Arndt that you weren’t feeling well.” Before she could even open her mouth to launch another protest, he continued. “Do you really think you could teach Calc with your mind wandering the way it is today?”

“No,” She eventually mumbled. Sam agreed to take the remainder of the day off and the two parted ways at the door to his office. As Jack was not supposed to pick her up for several hours yet, Sam decided to take the bus home. It would give her a chance to think. Sam had had crushes before, so the constant presence in her thoughts was nothing new, but there was something more than a silly school-girl crush when it came to Jack. Sam knew there were many reasons why she shouldn’t like Jack: the age difference, first and foremost, he was almost a decade older than her; he was a military officer, soon a relationship between them might result in a court martial, not to mention her father had been his commanding officer for the last two years, it’s a bad idea to date the general’s daughter, but neither Sam’s mind or heart were listening to this list of reasons.

While Sam was thinking, the bus arrived at her stop and she noticed just in time to hop off before it pulled away. As she was walking the three blocks from the bus stop to her house, thoughts of Jack still filled her mind. All the while a little mantra in the background was quietly chanting, “Older Brother, off limits. Older Brother, off limits.” She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn’t notice that anyone was in the yard. She was, therefore, taken by surprise when the first thing she saw when she looked up was a shirtless Jack O’Neill chopping the wood that had been piled in the back corner of the yard for over a year. However Sam had managed to convince herself she saw Jack as an older brother figure was torn to shreds, doused in gasoline, and lit on fire when she saw him; his chest glistening with sweat and his muscles rippling with every swing of the axe. Sam stood, staring at the man in front of her, until someone behind her cleared his throat and she turned to face him.

“Oh,” Sam started, “hi, Dad.”

“I thought you had two classes today?” Jacob’s words were innocent enough, but the tone of his voice suggested that Sam had better have a damn good reason for being home so early.

She nodded, “I generally do, but my Advanced Calc professor told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was to take the rest of the day off.” She gave a little shrug, “He noticed I wasn’t really able to focus in class today and figured the last thing I needed was to try to teach Calc to people who didn’t want to listen in the first place.”

Jacob sent a worried look towards his daughter, “Everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. It’s probably just stress or something.” She smiled to reassure him. “Don’t worry; I just need to stop thinking for a few minutes.” Jacob laughed slightly and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

When Jack had finished splitting the logs, he came over to where the two Carters stood. “You’re home early,” he addressed Samantha. “Was your class cancelled?”

“No, one of the other professors is teaching for me today.” She didn’t elaborate and he didn’t press for more detail.

The silence pressed around the trio, and Jack glanced down at his feet. He noticed something wasn’t quite right and went through a mental checklist. Shoes, yes, socks, check, shorts, yup, shirt, no, shirt is missing. The young officer shot a look at the woodpile; his traitor shirt was resting casually on top of the logs he had just chopped. Jack’s face flushed beet red as he mumbled an excuse and dashed over to retrieve the errant clothing item. He pulled his shirt over his head and made his way back to the others; Sam was giggling and Jacob had a smirk on his face. Jack glared at the two.

“Couldn’t either of you have mentioned, or indicated, or done something to let me know I’d forgotten my shirt?” His voice was slightly higher than normal, clearly strained with embarrassment.

“No,” Jacob said, “I was waiting to see how long it would take you to notice.” When Jack looked at Sam she coughed and glanced away without giving her excuse.

Jack muttered something under his breath and stomped into the house, leaving the two on the porch, one giggling and the other highly amused with the younger man’s reaction.

Jack O’Neill flung his arm across his face and rolled over with a groan as the morning sun shined merrily in his eyes. He cursed whatever gods made him forget to shut the blinds the night before and tried to go back to sleep. Several unsuccessful minutes later, Jack figured he might as well get up. He risked uncovering his left eye long enough to glance at his watch. He regretted that action instantly; it was 0520 and he had just blinded himself for that depressing tidbit of information.

The Captain was not, by nature, either a morning person or an early riser; however, the Air Force had trained him to wake up quickly and completely at ungodly hours of the day. Yes, thanks to time spent in the military, Jack was able rise and stay awake regardless of the hour. As he knew that sleep was no longer an option, Jack figured he should probably get out of bed and do something productive with his time—like work out or go for a run.

O’Neill pulled his lanky form out of the bed and dressed quietly in running gear before heading down the stairs to the kitchen. He put a piece of bread in the toaster and searched for a pad of paper and a pen. He didn’t think anyone would be up before he got back, but figured it would be better to leave them a note just in case. Stuffing the last few bites of toast into his mouth and leaving the note in the middle of the kitchen counter, Jack made his way out the front door and sat down on the sidewalk. After running through some stretches, he picked a direction and set off down the street at an easy jog.

Jack had always been athletic; at least one sport every season in high school, sometimes two. Yet, however much his coaches made him run for training; he never grew tired of it. He had never competed in track or cross country, but running had always been one of his favorite activities. Unlike most other sports, running allowed Jack the time to deal with the errant thoughts meandering through his head. When he was out there, it was just him and the pavement; there was nothing to distract him or any outside influences to take his focus from the problems or things he was thinking about.

This particular morning, Jack’s thoughts were all centered on family, or, more specifically, the Carters’ and his own. Jack had always been an outcast in his family; the oldest of four, and the only one to ever think about entering the armed forces. Jack was much closer to his grandfather, who had been a Major in the Air Force before his retirement, than his father or siblings had been. He had not spoken to his two youngest brothers in years and had only heard from the other because of Patrick’s death. Jack was convinced that Michael had drawn the short straw and had been forced to call him. His reception at Patrick’s funeral was a sharp contrast to the welcome he had received from the Carters. Well, Jack thought absentmindedly, from two of the Carters at any rate. In his mind, Jack tried to compare Jacob and his own father, but the harder he tried, the more he found that Jacob had much more in common with Patrick O’Neill than his son Sean. Jack figured that was part of the reason he got along so well with the older man. Thinking about Jacob Carter inevitably brought Jack’s thoughts toward Sam.

Samantha Carter. There was a problem if Jack ever saw one. He knew he was attracted to her, which scared the crap out of him; Sam was fun, cute, smart as hell, and ten years his junior. Jack wasn’t worried about the age gap, he wouldn’t try anything with the General’s underage daughter; he wasn’t completely stupid. However, he had this strange feeling that he and Sam were supposed to have something more, and he was worried that he would never get the chance to find out because she would undoubtedly find someone to sweep her off her feet before they could meet again. Jack sighed and shook his head; it wouldn’t do any good to dwell on that particular subject.

While the young Captain was making his way around the neighborhood, Mark Carter was just returning home. He had lost track of time the night before and had ended up staying out all night. Mark glanced at his watch and grimaced; if anyone was awake he was dead. As soon as he entered the kitchen, Make knew there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that there wasn’t anyone up yet. There was a pot of coffee brewed and at least one cup’s worth already missing from it. Sam didn’t drink coffee, so that left his father or O’Neill. As the Air Force had a tendency to ingrain an unnatural habit of getting up before dawn within their members, it could be either of the officers. If it was O’Neill, Mark might be able to keep his absence last night from Jacob—but only if the younger officer would cover for him. Mark doubted that would happen. While he was contemplating whether or not he should try to get upstairs without alerting his father, the man himself walked into the kitchen.

Jacob glanced at his son before moving to the coffee pot. “Where were you last night?” Mark didn’t respond. “I’m not going to repeat myself.”

“Out with friends, I told you that last night.” Mark poured his own mug of java.

“You didn’t mention being gone all night or that you were going to try to sneak back in at 0545.” Jacob stood looking out the window, his back to Mark.

Mark glared at the back of his father’s head, “What? So I’ve got a curfew now? Is that it?!” Mark slammed his fist against the counter, “I’m not a child, dammit!”

"A child, no, but you are my son and will follow the rules of this household.” Jacob didn’t raise his voice, but the steel in his tone was as clear as day.

“Rules?” Mark shook his head, “More like commands. I’m not one of your damn flunkies, Dad, you can’t order me around!”

Jacob turned his head just enough to eye the younger man. “You want to stand down, Mark.”

“No! Not this time!” Mark squared his shoulders, “I’m not an officer under your command; I’m your son!” He visibly deflated and muttered under his breath, “Maybe you should just keep O’Neill and forget I ever existed.”

Jacob spun on his heel, “What did you just say?”

“Come on,” Mark’s voice was full of scorn, “he would be the perfect son, wouldn’t he? He’s athletic, funny, an officer in your precious Air Force, a good role model for Sam; how could I ever hope to compete with that? I must seem like such a disappointment.” Without another word, Mark stomped out of the room, not even noticing his little sister standing in the shadows.

Jacob followed his son, seeing Sam but not stopping. When the two men were both upstairs, Sam stepped out of the shadows and into the kitchen. She spotted Jack’s note on the counter and figured she would go out to meet him; she really needed to talk to someone. Sam added her own note to Jack’s, pulled on her running shoes and slipped quietly out the door.

Sam jogged to the end of the block and glanced in both directions to see if she could discern which way the captain had gone. When she looked to the left, she saw a tall figure jogging towards her and guessed it was probably Jack. The young woman took off at a sprint in that direction, mentally breathing a sigh of relief when she was close enough to confirm that it was Jack. When she reached him, Sam launched herself into his arms and buried her head in his shoulder, shaking with the tears she was no longer able to control.

“Whoa there, what’s happened to cause such tears so early this morning?” Unable to stop sobbing, Sam just tightened her grip on his shirt. Jack rubbed her back gently and led her to the curb to sit down. “Want me to go get Jacob?” Sam shook her head furiously. Jack, unsure as to what to do from there, just held her tightly while she tried to stop crying.

Eventually she reined her emotions in and hiccupped a few times. Jack handed her a clean bandana and Sam wiped off the remaining salt tracks. “’m sorry.”

“No sweat, feeling better?” Sam nodded into his shoulder. “Wanna tell me what caused it?” Sam hesitated slightly, suddenly unsure of her need to tell Jack about what she had over heard. “Hey, no pressure. If you want to tell me, I’m here.” Jack’s reassuring words helped Sam make up her mind.

“No, I want to talk about it, I need to talk about it, I’m just not sure where to begin.” Sam took a deep breath, then started to relate her story. “When Mark and I were little, Dad was away a lot, always off on missions and the like. For a while, he was Mark’s hero; he wanted to be just like him, but that eventually died away as Mark grew up and began to understand what Dad missed while he was away from home.

“By the time Mark was sixteen, he had begun to resent Dad and his position within the Air Force. When Mom died in that accident, Mark and I both blamed Dad—he was supposed to pick her up. I’ve since forgiven him as much as he’ll let me, but Mark’s resentment continued to grow.

“Apparently, Mark didn’t come home last night. And, although Mark is in college, he is still supposed to call when he isn’t going to be home. It’s one of the only rules still enforced in our house.” Sam paused a moment before turning to Jack, “Was your father in the Air Force?”

“No, but my grandfather was an officer.”

“Did you want to join because of him?” Jack nodded his response.

“Mark never wanted to follow Dad into the service.” Sam stopped talking, unable to explain to Jack how Mark felt threatened by the younger officer’s presence in the house. However, while the man sitting beside her pretended to be stupid; he understood what her silence was saying.

“I can return to the base if you think it would help.”

Sam thought before answering. “No. This isn’t your fault. The tension has been building for years.

“Mark just needs to grow up and learn that not everything revolves around him and his feelings.” Sam sighed and looked at her watch; they had been sitting there for while. “We should probably be getting back. I left a note, but Dad might start to worry if we’re out too long.”

Jack stood and offered a hand to help the girl up. She hesitated before grasping his out-stretched fingers and pulling herself to her feet. The two started jogging back towards the house, gradually picking up speed as they went. As they turned onto the Carter’s block, they were both at a dead sprint; each trying to reach the driveway first.

“Loser has to be the winner’s slave for the rest of the day?”

“Alright, Carter. You’re on.” Jack took advantage of his longer legs and lengthened his stride just that much more, pulling ahead of Sam. However, she wasn’t about to become his slave so willingly and put on a burst of speed. Sam caught up with him and they passed the driveway at the same time. As they slowed to a walk, each tried to claim victory over the other.

“I beat you fair and square.” Jacob heard them arguing as the front door opened. “You have to be my slave for the day!”

“Uh-uh. I clearly won, which means you’re my slave.”

“I crossed the driveway a step ahead; I won, you’re my slave.”

“You’re delusional, Carter, there’s no way you beat me. I’m faster, and my legs are longer. I won.”

Jacob couldn’t contain himself any longer and burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the two. They had positioned themselves on either side of the counter and were so focused on their argument that they hadn’t noticed the older man’s presence in the kitchen.

Chapter III.2: Evening Storm

Sam and Jack spent the afternoon tinkering with the old Triumph they had fixed the day before. It ran well enough, but Sam was convinced she could get it a little faster and running with a smoother engine stroke.

The rest of the day passed in a flash and too soon for their liking, Jacob was forcing the pair to stop for a dinner break. Although they had left it sitting in the driveway, the motorcycle was all they talked about while inhaling their food. It is doubtful whether or not either of the two actually paused long enough to find out what they were eating.

As soon as their food was gone and the plates were in the sink, the duo was back outside making the adjustments they had discussed over dinner. However, despite their enthusiasm, Sam and Jack were only able to get in another hour or so of work before the skies darkened and the first flash of lightning was seen.

“Damn.” Jack glanced at the sky as the thunder boomed in the distance. “I guess that means we should call it a night and get the bike and tools inside.”

Although she was disappointed at having to stop for the night, Sam was not foolish enough to continue working with metal tools during a lightning storm. The tools were quickly gathered and put away. It was soon fully dark outside.

They watched the lightning from the kitchen window for a few minutes before Jack grabbed Sam’s hand and dragged her out onto the deck.

“Jack?” Sam wasn’t quite sure what the young Air Force officer had planned.

He sat down, “C’mon, Sam,” pulling her onto the bench beside him. “The view’s better out here.” With that, he leaned back and drew her against his chest so they both had an awesome view of the storm.

Slightly stunned, it took Sam a few minutes to gather her wits and realize they were outside. During a thunderstorm. “Jack? Shouldn’t we be inside?” He just shook his head and slipped his long arms around her waist so she couldn’t escape. “It isn’t safe to be out here, Jack, we should go inside.” She tried, unsuccessfully, to pry his arms loose and get off the bench. Jack just held her more tightly. With a sigh, Sam gave up and relaxed against his chest. Out of her sight, Jack smirked. Above their heads, the storm began to rage.

As the two sat outside, Jacob watched them from the living room window. Since starting at the university, Sam had thrown herself into her studies. Jake had noticed she never spent time with friends or classmates other than study sessions. So, while he wasn’t sure in what direction her relationship with Jack O’Neill was headed, Jacob was glad to see her relaxing away from her books.

Meetings

Chapter IV: La Conner

In the morning, it was clear the storm from the night before had passed. The sky to the east was a pale orange-pink that promised a beautiful day ahead. As Jack O’Neill started his stretching, he heard the front door slam.

“Mind if I join you on your run today?” Jack looked up to see Samantha Carter dressed in shorts and a tank, obviously ready for a run.

“What would you do if I said ‘no’?”

“Follow at your heels until you got so fed up with a shadow that you changed your mind.” She smirked a little.

“I figured as much.” Jack motioned to the patch of grass beside him. “Better stretch. We don’t want anything to stop you from getting into the Air Force Academy.” Sam dropped to the ground next to him and started her own stretches.

Soon enough the two were making their way down the street at a comfortable pace. They ran in companionable silence, neither one feeling the need to say anything. As the sun continued to rise, a plan formed in Jack’s head. It would need refining, and Jacob’s advice, but Jack was sure it was a good plan.

When they again reached the house, Jack dashed upstairs before Sam could even remove her shoes. She sent a confused look at her father, who could only shrug his shoulders in response. She grabbed a cup of tea and joined Jake at the table, accepting a section of the newspaper as she sat down.

“How was your run?” Jacob asked, turning to the next page in the paper.

“Good. It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous day.” Jake grunted in agreement.

Moments later, Jack came down the stairs rubbing his hair with a towel. “Shower’s free.” Sam rolled her eyes and headed upstairs. Jack waited until he heard the shower start before turning to Jacob. “Do you know if Sam has any plans for today?”

Jake shook his head, “None that I know of. Why?”

“I was thinking today would be perfect to take a trip somewhere.” Jack grabbed the older man’s mug and refilled both their coffees.

“The weather is supposed to be nice today. Is there any place in particular you thinking about going?”

“Well,” Jack started as he sat down again, “although I’ve been stationed at McChord for a while, I don’t know much about the area other than Seattle and Tacoma. So I was hoping you would be able to recommend a place.”

Jacob thought for a moment. “I’d say you have three main options for a day trip. First, there’s Leavenworth, a Bavarian tourist-trap up in the mountains. There are some cutesy restaurants and shops, over priced for the most part, but all-in-all not too bad. There are also some really nice hiking trails around that area, if that’s something you wanted to do. Leavenworth is about a three hour drive from here, without traffic.

“The second choice is to head to La Conner. It’s about two hours up I-5. More small shops and restaurants, but it’s not as pricey as Leavenworth, and if you’re in the mood for seafood, La Conner is near Skagit Bay and on the Swinomish Channel, so it’s fresh.

“Option three is to take the ferry over to Bainbridge and spend the day in Winslow. Again, it’s more of the same small shops, but you have to deal with the ferries. There will also probably be more people in Winslow as it is the most accessible to out-of-town tourists.”

Jack pondered his options. “La Conner, I think. There’s a reason I joined the Air Force and not the Navy, and it’s closer than Leavenworth.” He gathered up his dishes and took them into the kitchen. “Has Sam ever been to La Conner?”

“I don’t think so. But even if she has, La Conner is one of those places that will never really get old.” Jake stood and went to the bookshelf. “I think I have a – yes,” he pulled an atlas from the shelf and put it on the table. “Here it is.” Flipping to the right page, Jacob showed the younger man which exit he wanted to take on I-5. “It’s not that hard to get there. And once you leave the freeway, there are signs telling you which way to go.”

“This is great, just what I needed. Thanks.”

Just then, Sam came into the living room. On seeing her father and Jack huddled over something, she immediately started to worry. “What are you guys up to?”

Both men had ‘who-me’ expressions on their faces when they turned toward her. “We’re not up to anything, Sammy.”

“I’m not stupid, Dad. What are you planning?”

Jack stepped forward, “Let me ask you—what are your plans for today?”

Sam shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I have some studying to do, and some reading to catch up on. Why?”

The young Captain shuffled closer. “Well, I was thinking that despite how long I have been stationed here, I haven’t seen as much of the area as I would like to,” Sam gave him a doleful glance. “So, because today is supposed to be nice,” he inched a little closer, “what would you say about taking a day trip to La Conner with me?” As he finished his question, Jack hit her with his most beseeching look.

“I have work I need to get done.” Jack continued the puppy-eyes and shifted so close that he would be able to nuzzle her arm and cheek should it become necessary.

Jacob cut in, “You really don’t need to leave right away. How about working for, say, two hours and leaving at 0930?” Jack nodded enthusiastically at Jake’s suggestion.

Sam sighed. “Alright, but that is two hours, uninterrupted. Every time you bother me, I’m going to add five minutes.”

Jack did a small victory dance before grabbing Sam in a hug and shuffling her toward the stairs. “Go, go, go get working. Your two hours starts now!”

Although it seemed to take a lifetime to Jack, the two hours passed quickly and before Sam could protest, Jack had her outside and was handing her a helmet. “We’re taking the Triumph?” Jack thumped the helmet onto her head in response; Sam sighed.

Jack grinned at her exasperation and tossed her purse into a backpack with a few other items before handing it to Sam. “Are you ready?” Sam indicated that she was, and the two set off.

The traffic was light, not surprising for so early on a Sunday morning, and soon they were north of Seattle and halfway to La Conner. Jack pulled the bike off at one of the next exits to get some coffee and a stretch before continuing on their journey. Around an hour later, O’Neill spotted the exit number Jake had shown him and left the interstate for the country highways. Just as the older man had said, there were signs pointing the way to their destination. With little difficulty—Jack only had to go through that roundabout twice, thank you very much—they were soon cruising through the sleepy streets of La Conner.

Jack found a spot to park on one of the side streets and cut the engine. Digging around in the backpack, he produced Sam’s purse and two pairs of sunglasses. Jack then tossed his jacket into the bag and slung it over his shoulders. “Where to first, Carter?”

Sam replied, “Lunch, I think,” slipping on her sunglasses. They walked down to the main drag and started scoping out restaurants. “What are you in the mood for, Jack?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really care; I’ll eat just about anything.”

They passed by several places without stopping and then paused to check out the menu at Palmer’s At the Lighthouse. While the selection of choices seemed decent, the prices were a little on the high side for lunch. The pair continued their search and stopped again a block or so down from Palmer’s outside La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib.

“What about this place?”

Glancing at the menu posted outside the door, Sam answered, “Looks okay to me; what about you?” Jack nodded and guided her into the restaurant.

“Hello. Just the two of you today?” The seating hostess greeted as they entered. At their assent, she grabbed two menus. “Would you care to sit out on the deck?”

Sam looked to Jack, who gave a little half shrug. “That’s fine.”

The hostess led them out to a table overlooking the channel. “Your server will be out shortly.”

As Jack and Sam perused the menus, their conversation fell to sports. “You can talk about it all day, but I’ll never understand how sitting on a dock with a stick in your hands is considered a sport.” Jack was trying to explain his love of fishing—poorly. “I mean, if you were talking about fly fishing, I might allow it to be called a sport, as it at least forces you to walk around.”

“Someday, I’ll convince you fishing is a sport.” Jack was positive that day would come, eventually. They paused to give the server their drink orders, an iced tea for Jack and a diet Coke for Sam—what? She liked the taste. “So what is Sam Carter’s favorite sport?”

“Favorite to play or favorite to watch?”

“To play.”

Sam thought for a moment. “Rowing.” At Jack’s confused glance she continued. “I love it because it’s not just about strength. In order to win you also have to be able to use your muscles in the most efficient way; it’s physics.” Jack didn’t look convinced. “Alright, say you have two men of equal height and strength. One of them knows and understands that to get the boat moving he has to put the oar in the water the split second before he changes direction on the slide.” Jack nodded. “The other doesn’t know this and puts his blade into the water during or just after he has started the drive. If they are rowing at the same stroke-rate, the first man will quickly pull ahead of the other because he has greater leverage with the oar.

“In a different scenario, say both men are placing the oar in the water at the same point in the stroke. The first man is rowing at a stroke-rate of 40, his recovery barely longer than his drive, a ratio of 2:1. The second man is at a 36 and his recovery to drive ratio is 4:1. The first guy is pulling himself to the catch and slamming all of his weight towards the stern, effectively stopping any momentum the boat may have had. However, by rowing at a controlled pace, the second man is allowing the boat to move underneath him. In this instance, the first man might pull ahead at the start, as he is taking more strokes in the same amount of time, but he would eventually be passed because he won’t be able to continue to pull with the same force as the other guy, who isn’t wasting his energy during the recovery.” Jack looked vaguely dazed. “Just trust me, it’s physics.” By this time, their food had arrived and both were content to switch topics.

When they had finished their meal, Jack paid and they walked back out to the street. “Thank you for lunch, Jack.” Sam gave him a small hug.

O’Neill just mumbled something and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Placing an arm around her shoulders, Jack steered them toward the small area that overlooked the channel. When Sam wandered over to the railing to look at a passing boat, Jack pulled a camera from the backpack and took several photos of her. Once she noticed what he was doing, she tried to get the camera. After a brief struggle, she retaliated by taking several pictures of him. An older couple nearby smiled and offered to take a picture of them. Jack grinned and pulled Sam to stand next to the railing. Just as the woman was taking the picture, Jack wrapped his arms around Sam so she looked at him over her shoulder. The photo captured was of the young pair staring into each other’s eyes.

As Jack didn’t feel a distinct need to visit any shops in particular, he let Sam control their wanderings through town. She pulled him into store after store, it was all a giant blur of clothing and jewelry to the young officer. At one shop, however, he finally found something to do. While Sam was trying on various bracelets and rings, Jack spotted a display case half hidden at the back of the store. Making sure Sam wouldn’t notice his absence, he went to check it out. On display were several silver cuff bracelets with varying cuts of lapis stone on them. Jack had noticed that Sam never really wore much jewelry, but what she did wear tended to be silver. Before Sam could notice what he was doing, he picked one of the bracelets and took it to the counter. Putting the small parcel in the backpack, he walked back over to Sam.

The next shop they visited was the Olive Shoppe. Both Jack and Sam had fun trying the samples of their products. Here Jack was able to find something to thank Jacob for his hospitality: a bottle of Cheap Red Wine. Sam laughed when Jack showed her the bottle. Jack was sure the older officer would find it funny.

Having exhausted their desire to look in the town’s little shops, Jack and Sam decided it was time to head home. As he had driven up that morning, Jack grabbed the pack from Sam and indicated to the bike. “You want to drive?” Her only response was a nearly maniacal grin. “I’ll take that as a yes.” Sam kicked the engine over and pulled on her helmet as Jack climbed on behind her. “You do actually know how to ride, right?” Jack asked only half joking and seriously hoping he hadn’t signed his own death warrant.

A few minutes after leaving La Conner, Sam pulled the bike into a parking lot just off the highway. Jack pulled off his helmet and shot a confused look at the young woman. “Snow Goose Produce?”

“I overheard a few people in town talking about it. Apparently they have the best ice cream in the area.”

Jack’s confused look turned to one of pure joy. “Ice cream, you say? Lead the way!” Sam laughed at his childishness and walked over to the small market. They found the ice cream counter by following the scent of fresh waffle cones. When they chose their flavors, blackberry and coconut, each was handed the largest ice cream cone either one had ever seen. One of these cones was the size of a triple scoop from anywhere else. Sam bought Jack’s cone, saying that since he had paid for lunch the ice cream was on her. They joined other patrons sitting in chairs provided to enjoy their frozen treat.

The ride home was longer than it had that morning, as people were returning from weekend trips. However, despite the traffic and how exhausted they were from over four hours of drive-time, Jack and Sam both thought it had been a day well spent and wouldn’t have changed a thing. When Jake asked them what they wanted for dinner, all they could do was groan. Both had managed to finish their ice cream and were still slightly regretting it even two hours later. Sam was sure she wouldn’t need to eat again for several days.