No Good Deed
No Good Deed
by Jackie W.
Summary: I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve, I wish I was with you.
Category: Challenge
Holiday: Christmas
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 01/07/04
Title: "No Good Deed"
Author: Jackie W.
Email: jackiesfic@aol.com
Rating: PG
Classification: Christmas Challenge response. S&J romance
Season: Future
Spoilers: Absolutely none, just general knowledge of the show.
Summary: I've just one wish on this Christmas Eve, I wish I were with you. (Song title: Merry Christmas Darling)
Author's Notes: This was my answer to the SamandJack 2003 Christmas challenge. So blame them.
Challenge: Fic must include: Christmas off-world Sam and Jack holding hands Summary must be a line from a xmas song
Lt. Colonel Sam Carter kicked the leg of the large, sumptuous bed in disgust. For all its luxury the room she was in was basically a prison cell. One she was stuck in on Christmas Eve, millions of miles away from her team and the man she loved. The SGC would be dialing Arteya to see where they were in a few hours, but in the meantime and realistically probably until morning, she and SG2 were stuck here. She swore she would never again offer to help out in a pinch at the holidays. Especially not when she had plans to spend the holiday with Jack O'Neill.
She'd offered to take a duty shift on the morning of the 24th when Colonel Schwartz's mother had suddenly taken ill. She had no plans until later in the evening when Jack was going to come over to help her put up her tree. She smiled at the thought. By mutual agreement they had been taking things slowly since his promotion to General and temporary assignment to the Alpha site five months ago. Surprisingly their long distance courtship had been going much smoother than they had anticipated. Jack spent a four-day weekend on Earth each month, one day of which was spent in meetings. Hammond had been generous in his scheduling of SG1's downtime to coincide with his visits, so the other three days had been spent together, either just the two of them alone or with the team. Sam had also managed a couple of trips to the Alpha site, going through with the scheduled weekly deliveries, and spending a day or two working on any technical problems they were having there. They slept in separate quarters, but it was nice to just spend time together, share a meal, and sit out under the stars talking.
Thank goodness they were no longer sleeping apart when Jack was on Earth. Which he would be in six hours and 23 minutes, Sam realized with a grin. She shook her head thinking that she really had it bad. It was hard to believe that she had been celibate for over seven years and now was feeling totally frustrated after just a month with no warm body in her bed. Of course it had to be a very specific warm body. They were looking forward to their first Christmas as a couple, both knowing that it would be special just because they would be waking up to the day together after years of each spending a lonely morning until it was time to meet up with their friends for Christmas dinner.
First though she needed to get through her duty shift. Other than Jack's arrival, only SG2 were due back. Because of the holiday no teams were going out until the 26th. So Sam settled into Hammond's office with the latest gate logs to get started on her monthly review. Several hours later she looked up at the clock with a frown. SG2 had not returned yet, and they were overdue. She set aside her report and headed down the stairs to the control room. It was disconcerting to see another tech besides Sgt. Davis at the main console. The man seemed to be a permanent fixture, but even he had managed to swing some downtime this holiday.
"Sgt. Benson, what time was SG2 due back?" Sam asked.
"Almost an hour ago, Ma'am. We were going to wait five more minutes before we disturbed you," the young tech informed her.
"Let's dial up P7X-623 and see if we can get a hold of them, Sgt." Sam ordered.
Several minutes later, Captain Klein's face appeared via Malp.
"Captain, where is the rest of you team?" Sam inquired.
"They are in town, Colonel. We're all fine, we just can't get the DHD to dial out. We've tried several addresses," he reported.
"Maneuver the Malp around so I can get a good look, Captain," Sam instructed him.
It took about ten minutes of Sam guiding the Captain through checking out various connections before she found the problem. It presented her with a dilemma. She checked the duty roster and discovered that she was the only one on base qualified to fix the problem. She could either go through the gate and fix it herself, which would take about an hour, or she could send through equipment and try to walk one of the members of SG2 through the fix. That however could take quite a bit longer, and would require her to keep an open wormhole for the duration at quite a hefty charge to the taxpayers. She decided to call Major Thomas who was scheduled to relieve her in two hours. If he could get in early she would go through and fix the DHD herself. With any luck she would be back in plenty of time to get cleared and be ready to greet Jack when he came through the gate.
Of course it didn't work out that way. When she stepped through the gate and hour later onto P7X-623 she was greeted by quite a crowd. Major Griff and the rest of SG2 had returned from town when Captain Klein had radioed that help was on its way. A large group of Arteynians had tagged along to see the magical gate in action. They were oohing and aahing as the gate snapped shut behind her.
"Colonel, thanks for making a house call, "Griff greeted her. "I'm afraid to ask what your holiday rates are."
"Just remember this the next time SG1 needs backup," she replied with a smile.
"You need to quickly meet the Regent Sam, or he'll be insulted. Then you can work your magic and get us all home in time to greet Santa," Griff told her leading her over to where she could see a man in opulent robes surrounded by what was obviously an entourage.
"Regent William of Arteya, may I present Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, one of our most revered scholars," Griff stumbled through the formal introduction making Sam smile. At the same time she removed her hat out of respect as she stepped forward to greet the Regent.
"You are a most beautiful woman," William exclaimed in delight, causing warning bells to go off in Sam's head.
Griff must have been thinking along the same lines because he closed ranks to protect her. "Yes, she is," Griff acknowledged. "She is also very important on our planet," he warned.
"Beautiful, intelligent and revered. You would make an excellent life partner. Samantha, you must meet my sons, surely you will find one of them to your liking," the Regent proclaimed and before they could protest or raise a weapon they each found themselves surrounded, disarmed, and being escorted with great fanfare back to town.
Now Sam was waiting for Griff to come back from trying to talk some sense into the Regent. She checked her watch. Jack should just about be getting back to Earth. She kicked the leg of the bed one more time in frustration.
The light was fading by the time the Major returned. The good news was that the Regent had no intention of keeping them here indefinitely. They could leave after he had introduced Sam to his sons.
"I even lied to him Colonel, told him you already had a 'life partner' back on Earth. He still wants us to stay for dinner, in case you prefer one of his sons to your current partner," Griff explained. "We could probably break out of here with ease, but without a working Stargate there is no place to go. I think our best bet is to meet his kids, politely say you're not interested, then head to the gate so you can fix it," he lamented. "Lt. Ford says the planet is rich in naquada, so I really don't want to kill a bunch of them in order to get us home."
"It's ok, Griff. We might as well relax and get a meal and a night's sleep. I doubt I can make the repairs in the dark anyway," Sam sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Sam, you have nothing to be sorry for. This is our mess. I'm really sorry we dragged you into it. We had no indication that the Arteynians were anything but friendly," he apologized.
"They are very friendly," Sam chuckled. "A bit too friendly!"
An hour later flanked by the Major Griff and Lt. Ford she pasted a smile on her face as she was introduced to the last of the Regent's eight sons. No wonder the poor man had been so desperate she thought. It wasn't as if any of the young men were hideously deformed or anything. They were just totally unremarkable both in looks and in personality. 'As dull as Daniel's rocks' she thought uncharitably. Thank god for Griff who was keeping a smile on her face with a string of whispered comments. Several times she'd had to stifle a chuckle. She'd always known he had a sense of humor almost as bizarre as Jack's.
The two other members of SG2 were at the gate waiting to report in when the SGC finally checked back for a progress report. After discussing the situation for several minutes the wormhole was shut down and they headed back to town. Captain Klein radioed ahead.
"Is Colonel Carter there, Sir?" he asked.
"She's sitting right next to me, Captain," Griff responded.
"Tell her we're bringing her some Christmas presents," the Captain reported.
Sure enough twenty minutes later (during which time Sam had done her best to explain Christmas to the Regent and his sons) Captain Klein and Lt. Shane entered the dining hall and stepped aside to let Teal'c and Daniel enter. Those two then moved aside and the two officers snapped off a smart salute as the final surprise guest stepped through the door.
Sam was already on her feet, shock at seeing her teammates having caused her to leap up. On seeing General O'Neill enter, Griff and Ford also hauled themselves out of their seats and saluted. Sam straightened her shoulders and gave a salute that was rendered slightly non-standard by the huge grin that accompanied it. She barely waited for Jack to snap off a sloppy response before she was moving across the room to greet them. She quickly hugged both Daniel and Teal'c, only half listening as Daniel explained that SG1's newest member, Captain Hadley, had already left for his sister's in Arizona when they discovered she was MIA.
Her attention at that point was totally focused on the man standing just inside the doorway. Having quickly checked her over to ensure that she was ok, he was now scanning the room with a glare that boded ill for anyone who tried to stop him from leaving with his people. Since she knew that they weren't in any serious danger, she thought she should diffuse the situation before he shot someone out of frustration.
She walked over and stood in front of him until he turned and met her eyes. With just one look she begged him to follow her lead. She watched as his features softened and he gave her a smile and a nod then she took him by the hand and led him over to the dining table.
"Regent William of Arteya, may I present General Jack O'Neill," Sam said with a smile.
"Your life partner," the Regent surmised.
Sam was about to answer when Jack squeezed her hand and replied with confidence, "That would be me." Then he looked around the table with a raised eyebrow. "Anybody got any problems with that?"
Eight sets of eyes skittered away. Only the Regent was bold enough to meet his gaze and answer. "Of course not, General. This is all a misunderstanding, I'm sure," he assured Jack, accepting defeat.
"Good, then my people will all need to get some sleep so that we can be ready to hike back to the gate at first light. We will be leaving as soon as Carter can get the gate working," he declared.
William nodded his ascent and sent a couple of the servants off to prepare rooms.
"We will also need the equipment back that you took," Jack further demanded.
Once again the Regent nodded and signaled a servant. Satisfied, Jack nodded back to William, and still firmly grasping Sam's hand, left the room. Once out in the hall they met up with the rest of SG1 and SG2 and as they were led to their rooms Jack finally dropped Sam's hand and shook his head.
"Nothing but trouble from the day she walked into that briefing room," he mumbled loud enough to be heard, earning him a punch in the arm from Sam and a chuckle from the others.
The rooms were all adjacent to the one Sam had been held in, and after assigning watches Griff, Daniel and Teal'c did some fast maneuvering in assigning quarters. Suddenly Sam and Jack found themselves alone in what Sam had previously considered a prison. Now she could appreciate the beauty of the room, which was dominated by the huge bed.
"I think we've been outflanked, LC," Jack quipped, not at all upset to finally be alone with Sam. "It's probably a good idea to keep up the charade anyway, Mrs. O'Neill."
Still a bit miffed at his comment in the hall, she quickly corrected him. "Carter-O'Neill."
It was hard to tell who was more surprised by her comment, but Jack recovered first, his shocked look changing to a big grin.
"I could live with that," he admitted, causing Sam's eyes to widen even further in surprise. No longer able to resist, he pulled her to him for a long hungry kiss. Eventually they parted and he sighed. "But I think that's a topic for discussion once we get home. At the moment you need to get some sleep so you can get us all out of here in the morning. Cassie will be waiting anxiously for us to make it back in time for Christmas dinner," he told her.
Keeping to their off-world, on duty rules, they slept spooned together, dressed in their BDU's less the boots, belts and vests. Sam fell asleep immediately, but Jack was kept awake thinking for a bit. He'd seen a beautiful engagement ring when he was out doing his Christmas shopping the last time he was on Earth, and impulsively bought it. He figured he would just hang onto it until the time seemed right. Maybe he would give it to her when they got home. He'd be on Earth through New Year's Day. Surely a romantic opportunity would present itself before he had to go back. He was worried that if he left it too long, the USAF would manage to re-ass him right back into her chain of command. Hammond had been hinting at retiring again, and at the fact that Jack would be a natural choice to take over running the SGC. The thought only appealed to him as long as it meant he could spend more time with Sam. His decision made, he drifted off to sleep.
Both were in a good mood when they headed out in the morning, even tolerating the knowing looks from the rest of their group. Despite the assumptions, their smiles were simply because it was Christmas morning, and as they had hoped, neither had woken up alone. An hour later, Sam was attempting to dial out. Once again a crowd of Arteynians had gathered, and when the wormhole formed there was a loud cheer led by the relieved members of SG2.
Griff took charge of bidding farewell to the Regent who was once again present for the magical event, and assured him that there would be another group coming to visit and discuss trade. Then the eight of them headed back to Earth to be greeted by a slightly annoyed, but highly relieved Hammond.
Sam had the grace to look slightly remorseful, but quickly recovered her sense of humor once she realized that the General wasn't really angry.
"Sir, I highly recommend that the negotiating team sent to Arteya be all male," she reported with a small smile.
"Unless of course we are looking to start an off-world dating service," Jack added with a grin.
Hammond shook his head in frustration. "If there is nothing of any urgency to report, I suggest you all get showered and then head straight to the infirmary. We'll debrief tomorrow at 14:00. And I expect ALL of you to be there," he ordered, cutting off Jack's groan with a glare. "Now go enjoy your Christmas."
"Yes, Sir," Jack acknowledged, giving a quick salute in response to Hammond's dismissal. As they headed out through the blast doors he loudly inquired of the rest of the group, "So what exactly does being a life partner entail?"
The end
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