Dealing with the Enemy
Dealing with the Enemy
by Katmellie
Summary: It's time he became the diplomat, and got over his fear, sorting out all the mess.
Category: Future Story
Episode Related: 101 Children of the Gods, 104 The Broca Divide, 105 First Commandment, 113 Hathor, 405 Divide and Conquer, 420 Entity
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: PG
Warnings: minor language
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: 10/30/03
Title: Dealing with the Enemy
Author: Katmellie (Katmellie17)
Email: Katmellie@AOL.com (Katmellie17@Yahoo.co.uk) Category: It's a work in progress, there could be anything thrown in there. Spoilers: Might be some, depending on whatever pops into my head. Season: Future Season
Rating: PG
Summary: It's time he became the diplomat, and got over his fear, sorting out all the mess. 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. Website: http://www.geocities.com/katmellie17/index.html
With the smooth open road in front of him, he drove at a calm pace even though his mind was telling him, to get back to her before anymore ridicule from the press, was put onto her. On the off chance of a reading the paper, Geoff had gone into town to get some supplies, returning back to the cabin, over looking lake Tahoe, Jack learnt about what she'd been going through all by herself, feeling she was able to handle it without him. He didn't believe it for one second. Geoff had fallen asleep some time ago, letting Jack get on with his calm but mad dash across state lines. Reading the first article of many, about how she'd flaunted herself around the SGC, having a history of moving up the ranks quicker than other officers, had enraged him to the point where he couldn't make a coherent sentence anymore. He hadn't even phoned her, or any of them, over the past two months, laying low from the media frenzy that was using their relationship, to sell a few more papers. What gave them the right, to go through their relationship with a fine toothcomb, and prattled on about stuff that was private to them and that was long ago sorted out?
He could feel himself pushing the car that extra bit, his anger growing heavy on his foot, driving his foot and the car forward, on his every beckon call. According to the papers he and Sam, fought the night of their engagement party, well... okay so there'd been his speech and he'd left her standing in the road. But the way they were describing it, they'd gone full out in the street, cursing and shouting at one another, coming to blows before he zoomed off in his truck. Somehow, they'd even got eyewitnesses, saying they'd seen him slap Sam back after she'd slapped him. Seems they also had a pictured of his face, with her perfect hand mark on his face, when he was filling up the gas while Geoff got some coffees, when they had stopped for supplies. Every time he thought about it, the more his anger course through his veins, invoking him to hit anything close by just to release some of his anger.
Geoff mumbled something in his bored induce sleep, his head held up by the seatbelt, the older man twisted in his sleep, snuggling up to the door interior. Signalling to turn off the highway, Jack took the exit that would take him to the vehicle transportor, saving all those miles he'd have to drive to get to her. Wondering what his friend could be dreaming about, he coasted to a stop behind an SUV, in the back of it was two kids, arguing over something like they always did. He rolled his eyes at the menacing kids, drumming his fingers on the rim of the steering wheel, snooping in the various open compartments, searching for something to bide his time with. Picking out a stick of gum from the neutral compartment, seated between his seat and Geoff's, he slid the shiny-foiled candy from its yellow wrapping, looking up when he heard the voices of the kids, die all of a sudden.
Sat in front of him in the back of the SUV, the two kid's faces were plastered up against the window, their noses squished and their eyes wider than the Pacific. He sunk down in his seat slightly, hoping the only thing they could see, was the ends of his frantically mused hair, hiding from the shocked kids, in the back of the SUV. Folding the stick of pliable gum into quarters, he began to chomped down on it, listening to the excited babble of the kids, telling their parents, 'COLONEL O'NEILL'S IN THE CAR BEHIND US!' and the SUV's engine roar, moving the car forward in the line up, entering the transportor to be sent to their location. Shifting back up in his seat he didn't know what to do, apart from move the car forward, ready to be put onto the transportor's plate. The kids were slamming their hands against the back window, helplessly trying to get their parents to turn and look, to believe their claim of seeing him. The SUV was engulfed into a flash of light, taking the family to their destination, far away from him and his well-known face.
Carefully he rolled the car onto the plate, pressing down a button to wind his window down, he keyed in their destination, going to join them all in Colorado, where she was going to have the press conference. He needed to go, to give her his support and tell the media what he thought of their allegations. In a flash, they were sat in down town Colorado, with the Stargate Complex, sat across the road from their car. Driving out of the housing of the transportor, he merged into the traffic, reaching across to wake Geoff up, knowing it would only be a ten minute drive to Sam's house, if there wasn't any queues or media sat in front of her house.
Geoff woke up with a startled, grabbing hold of Jack's hand and onto the dashboard, unfamiliar as to where they were. "Jack, where are we?"
"Colorado" Jack said, peeking in the rear view mirror, changing lanes as he indicated. "Should be at Sam's in a few minutes. Can you get my cell from the glove compartment?"
Washing his face with his hands, Geoff sat forward in his seat, stabbing the button to open the glove compartment, saying. "I need coffee"
"I think both of us could do with some coffee. I've been driving since six this morning, and its now..." Peeling back his sweater from over his watch, his eyes nearly popped out at time. "It's half three now. Do you realise, I've been driving for nearly ten hours straight?" Jack said, pulling to a stop at the intersection, signalling right to go towards Sam's neighbourhood.
"Oh stop being a drama queen. Her press conference isn't till six. Just calm down, would ya?" Geoff said, powering up the black object, watching the green-lit screen come to life, beeping every time a message was delivered. "Aren't we popular"
Speeding off from the traffic lights, he raced down the street away from the cars following him, moving in and out the cars already travelling down the street, reminiscing over the old times when he could happily walked around down town Colorado, and no one would be the wiser to him. He glided through the next intersection, getting through before the lights turned red, leaving the down town district, navigating the roads with his years of experience. Geoff was already searching through the phone's phone numbers, working out why Jack wanted his phone.
Geoff held the phone to Jack's ear while he turned into Sam's neighbourhood, hearing on one side the sounds from engine and on the other the sounds of her phone ringing, till she picked up. "Samantha Carter is not taking any phone calls"
"Teal'c" Jack said, worried as to why she wasn't answering her own phone, gaining some speed in his quest to get there. "It's me"
"O'Neill, it is good to hear from you" Teal'c said while in the background, there were sounds like of a struggled in the background, weak voices barely reaching the receiving, wanting to have control of it from Teal'c. "Samantha wishes to speak with you. Hold on"
Composing himself slightly, it was scary that he hadn't heard her voice in some time, yet at the same time, it was bringing him so much comfort, to know she was there. "Jack!"
"Yeah, Sam. It's me. How are things outside your house?" Jack asked slowing down with her street coming up. "They gone yet?"
"No, they're still out there. Where are you?" She asked, while both him and Geoff sighted the vans and crowds of people outside her house, driving straight on by her street.
"I'll be there in a minute. By the time you've opened a beer, I'll be stood outside your back door" He said, rocking with the movement of the car, turning into the back road, lining down the back of Sam's street, throwing up the odd bit of rubbish that got caught by the wheels.
"Oh! Okay!" She said very excitedly, the phone going dead soon after.
He nodded his head to Geoff, to take the phone away from his ear, coming to a stop in front of Sam's garage, turning off the ignition while he undid his seatbelt. His door was opened before he could even get out, hauled out of the drivers seat into a warm loving hug, her hands clutching his sweater and his hair. He chuckled into the crook of her neck, lifting her up round her waist, milking everything she had out of her, thanking his lucky stars that she was alright. She leant back away from him, trusting him to keep her from falling, spading her hands over his cheeks, stroking her thumbs over his slightly stubble face, from not shaving that morning. Dropping her down a notch, from the height that she'd had over him, their lips met instantly, making up for two months without a touch or a word said between them. They'd missed their first actual Christmas together, so there was plenty that needed to make up to one another.
Breathing in her ever-sweet scent, he set her down on the ground, keeping her tightly against his body, their kiss turned into something more passionate and something the couple should really be doing in doors. He hurriedly pulled at her clothes, delving his hands under her tank top that was beneath her blouse, caressing the soft tender skin of her back. Her groan encouraged one of his own, staggering backwards against the back door of Geoff's car, following her lead, letting her push him backwards.
"Yo! Guys! Cool off!" Geoff ordered from one side of the car, the sound of amusement hidden in the stern sound of his voice. "Not in my car you're not!"
Interrupting their kiss had ended it, but they remained up against the car door, cherishing the feel of the other one's breath on their faces, smiling stupidly at the other, their hands remaining where they'd dug themselves. He smoothed his hands over her lower back, asserting some of his weight, against her, straightening them back up, instead of being inclined against the car. Removing his hands from under her top, seeking out her hand he turned slightly to Geoff, who was rounding round the front of the car, coming to stand beside the two of them.
"Could you unload my stuff into Sam's garage? I've got some calls to make inside" Jack asked, patting Geoff on the shoulder, returning back to old habits of leading, heading towards Sam's back gate, keeping her by his side with their clasped hands.
"Yeah, leave me to do the work. Not much of a change there. I mean, who packed everything up, while you were ranting about the newspaper. Ripping it to sheds which I had to tidy up later" Geoff said, reaching inside to retrieve the keys from the ignition, still grumbling to himself about things he'd had to that morning.
Heading up the garden path together, he stuffed his other hand into his pocket, staring at her beside him and she was staring at him in return, smiling like lovesick teenagers. They flew up the porch steps together, the voices becoming louder with their ever closing steps, shadows moved about inside. Entering into her kitchen through the French windows, he smiled at everyone in the room, not surprised to find their close and dearest friends there. One not so very happy looking ex-General and ex-Tok'ra, stood in middle of Sam's sitting area, with a steaming hot cup in his hand.
"Now not all of yer's, coming rushing at me all at once" Jack said, holding his free hand up at them, shaking his head while his smile remained the same. "There's enough of me to go round to everybody"
"Jack? Where the hell have you been? I thought you were with Thor?" Daniel said, moving round the kitchen top, using some of that quickness he'd acquire, from running for his life back to the gate. "Do you know what Sam's been going through, while you did a disappearing act?"
"Daniel, leave it. We decided we needed some time apart. It doesn't matter where he was, I knew where he was and that's all that matters. He's back now" Sam defended him, stepping in front of him, warding off anyone of them that thought about questioning where he'd been. "Let's concentrate on what's happening in two and a half hours time"
Easing her out of his path, Jack squeezed passed everyone, venturing deeper into the house, pilfering her house phone from its cradle, smiling 'hello' at Cassie, sat on the other side of the breakfast bar with Teal'c sat beside her. He waved an uncertain hand at Jacob, feeling back about lying to Sam's dad about their relationship, though the older man had seen it coming miles away, now it was official, he was bound to have some misgivings about the two of them. Moving though the dining room into her study, he closed the sliding door, beginning to dial up an old friend of theirs, who hopefully wouldn't be in any meetings, with the president later on that evening.
Scratching his stubble ridden chin, he listened to the experienced words being told to him down the phone, staring at Sam's desktop on her computer, trying to figure out where she had gotten that picture of him from, sitting in the middle of no where, in the middle of a green field, looking off into the distant. He grunted at the General on the other side of the line, dozing slightly with his hand supporting his head, staring at the hypnotic green of the grass, in the picture on the screen. Shifting his eyes down to the clock in the corner of the screen, he yawned at the forty-five minutes he'd spent on the phone, finding he needed something to do or he was going to fall asleep. A cup of hot coffee floated down into his view, being placed on a drinks mat by the slender arm, the smell of her perfume slowly enveloped him. She peered down into his view for a second, his eyes followed her, watching her leaned towards him, whispering into his ear that she was going to get ready for the press conference, and kissed him on the temple, her hand trailing off his back as she left.
He hooked his fingers round the handle of the cup, preparing himself for the hot liquid, sipping at it while Hammond came to end of his lecture, on 'how to behave in front of the cameras and reporters' and 'Don't lose your cool, Jack'. Placing the cup steadily down on the place mat, he licked at his lips, congratulating Sam in his mind, on making the perfect coffee. The right amount of coffee. The right amount of sugar. She was amazing. Tracing his fingers over his forehead, he sat back into the swivel chair, turning 180 degrees on it, slouched down into the cushioned seat.
"That's my problem though, sir. I can't keep my cool with them." Jack said, annoyingly scratching at his chest, distantly hearing the reporters and camera men outside on Sam's lawn. "They're worse than the Goa'uld were. Always hounding people for a story. It makes me sick"
The exasperated sigh on the other side of the line, seemed to calm Jack slightly. "Jack, you can do it. You can talk to them. Hell, if I'm able to deal with the press, I'm sure you're able to deal with them. Just don't let them get under your skin"
"They must be distant relatives to the Goa'uld" Jack said, vaulting himself out of the swivel chair, almost forgetting his cup of coffee. "Can't I just take a P90 to them? I'm sure the president wouldn't mind"
"Jack, you cannot shoot them. Just follow Samantha's lead. The two of you together, will make a better front than you being by yourselves. Samantha can deal with the press. She has to everyday. You on the other hand, hiding away from the limelight, haven't been able to adjust to it." The General said while Jack travelled through the house, joining everyone else in the kitchen/seating area. "Jack, you can do it. Just believe in yourself"
"So kinda Peter pan, think happy thoughts and I can fly?"
The deep Texan laugh made him grin, sitting down in an armchair, across from Jacob, who was watching the news on the TV. "Something like that Jack. Anyway, I've got to go. But I'll try and be there. Though I don't think you'll need me"
"I think we will, sir. I'll see ya later, sir. Bye" Jack said before greedily drinking some of his coffee, glancing to the TV, to see Sam's house.
"Bye, Jack" The line went dead but Jack didn't noticed, he was gob smacked at the image on the TV, listening to the reporter give a detail description of a car, they believe he was riding in some time earlier, reported to them by two kids in an SUV. He killed the endless screaming of the phone, chucking it to the couch beside Cassie and Jonas, his blood boiling at the news reporter. Someone placed a strong hand on his shoulder, securing him to sit in the armchair, stopping the very angry retired Colonel, from going out the front door and causing even more of a scene. Grinding his teeth together he swore he was going to lose it with her, and all her friends, camped out on the front lawn.
Heels clicked down the hallway from Sam's bedroom, everyone glanced to the archway, watching her picking off some bits from her skirt, mumbling to herself about something. He sighed outwardly, sinking down into the armchair, Teal'c's hold on his shoulder became loose, seeing his old commander was calming down. Jack was ready for war but her near presence, was bringing an extraordinary calming affect over him. Too bad it wasn't so apparent when they were in the restaurant and the night of their engagement party. Everyone went back to watching the TV, but he carried on watching her, propping his head up with his arm.
"Jack, do you want to get change? I've still got your suit from that function, we went to together, in my wardrobe" Sam asked, feeding her earring though her ear, her feet clicking against the wooden floor, coming to stand behind his chair.
"No, thanks. I'm staying like this." He said crooking his head back, to see her behind him, smiling up at her but she was watching the screen.
Looking to the TV he watched the restaurant footage be played, his quick exit of the restaurant, was played over and over again, the reporter telling the viewers, her thoughts on what happened that day. "I believe Colonel O'Neill, finally realised that Dr Carter had used him, to get onto SG-1 and to get her promotion to Major. We've had similar stories from other CO's of Dr Carter, stating that she performed favours and sometimes, sexual favours, to increase her rate of climb up the military ladder" Jack slowly sat forward in his seat, his hands tightening into fists. "Colonel O'Neill has probably been hiding out, at the secret location of his cabin. To him I offer my sincere sympathy, after finding out this woman has been playing with..."
He was out of his seat evading the hands trying to grab him, bulldozing Geoff out of the way, on his way to the front door. They couldn't talk about her like that. He wouldn't let them talk about her that way. Neither one of them, were playing with the other ones feelings. He loved her and she loved him. And he wasn't going to allow this go on any bit longer than it had to. Yanking open the front door, it slammed against the wall of the hallway, he'd thought he'd smashed the glass but he carried on, leaving it to be sorted later. The pack of wolves hurried from their vans, fighting with the others in their pack, to get onto the lawn or at least, get in tape recording distance of him.
They all backed off when they saw the look on his face, his 'I'm a bad ass Colonel, who wants to mess with me first' look, told them it wasn't a good idea to get near him. Footfalls were heard rushing out of the house, chasing him down the garden path to the wall, where he'd come to his sudden stop.
"You lot make me sick!" He yelled at them, his eyes filled with hatred and annoyance at these people, who stuck their noses into peoples private business. "Sam and I are in love, and no matter what you people say, that's the truth. I have spent seven years of the nine that I have known this woman, loving her. There was nothing going on between us, while we at the SGC together. And those allegations, from her past CO's, is baloney. She's work her whole life to get to where she is today. God, we wouldn't have most of the things we have today, if all she cared about was her career and herself. Is this the thanks we get, for saving this planet and your worthless butts?!"
A few of the reporters took a brave step forward, he was pulled back from several pair of hands, Sam came to stand in front of him, pushing him backwards with the group. "Colonel O'Neill, did Dr Carter ever offer you, sexual favours at your whole time at the SGC?"
"What did you just ask me?" Jack asked pulling the eight people, trying to take him in the opposite direction, with him, over to the reporter hanging over the wall. "Ask me that again, pal. I'll rip your face...!"
"Jack!" Sam shouted at him, recognising he was too wound up, to get back into the house, in this sort of state. "Calm down!"
"Calm down! I'm calm" Jack spat out, still fighting against whichever of their friends, still had a hold on him. "Just give me five minutes alone with this character, and I'll be just peachy"
Turning her back onto him, Sam addressed the reporters. "I have never in the whole of my military career, or in my scientific career, ever offered or done any sexual favours for anyone. If you want scandal, go talk to Monica Lewinski"
"Dr Carter, are you saying you believe, something did happen, between Mr Clinton and Miss Lewinski?" Another reporter, amongst the mix, asked.
"Just leave us alone!" Jack shouted at them, breaking free of the hands that were holding him captive, wrapping his arms protectively round his only care, glaring at the reporters, forcing them to take a step back. "There's no big story 'ere. We're just two people who are in love, and want to be left alone. Now get in your vans and go away, before I call the local authoritative and have you all removed. And I don't mean the police"
"Jack, you and Sam go inside and I'll sort this out." Jacob said, getting a cell phone out of his pocket, keying in some number he knew.
Nodding his head at Jacob, Jack and Sam made their way towards the house, their arms locked around the others waist, they went back inside while the reporters went into a craze and the camera's flashed. Leaving the door open behind them for their friends, they sat down in the seating area. Sam muted the TV, letting the image of her father carry on, with his mouth was going ten to the dozen about something. They settled down together on the couch, their friends moving round to keep an eye out in the back yard, and watching over the fateful couple, while they sat in each other's arms.
The contentment that had fallen over the house, hadn't been lived long with the shrilling of cell phones and the house phone, pagers had been going off and the attention from the newspapers and news channels had increased to the point, where military checkpoints had been set up, at either end of Sam's street, preventing any unauthorised access. She was sleeping in her bed, a slight smile tugging at her lips, but she was alone in bed. Jack couldn't sleep, knowing that danger, even though it was news reporters, was lingering near by. With them increasing at either end of the street, the less Jack was able to settled. The shadows hid him whilst he sneak a peek, at the camera crews and reporters, standing on side of the checkpoint, and the soldiers, patrolling that checkpoint. He knew this whole situation was being taken out of proportion, the reporters were out for blood and only his and Sam's blood, could cure their thirst for it.
In his own mind, he couldn't see, a way for them, to get out of this situation. He wasn't able to just blow them up and then call for a retreat back to the gate anymore, the only way he could fight this enemy, was with words. The words he wanted to use though weren't allowed to be on TV before the nine o'clock watershed. With a car being let through the checkpoint, Jack let go of the curtain, sighing to himself and to the room, his eyes wandered over to the sleeping figure in the bed, happily sleeping away in a peaceful dream. Probably dreaming of a future, she may wish for them to have but when she woke, the realism would destroy that dream. He was lucky. Lucky to have her in his life, to survived all the punishment life had thrown his way, and to live to this very day, with her and their friends by his side if they were needed.
Ambling over to the bed from the window, he lay down beside her, watching her as she slept, wrapping the sheet over him. He knew if this whole fiasco carried on, it was going to be the end of them or drive them away from their home. There had to be away for them to be able to sort this out, to prove to everyone that Sam had worked for everything she had, just like everyone else had, and that their was nothing going on between them, while they were both at the SGC. Though he knew they didn't need to prove themselves to anyone, it was the only way he could see now, where everyone would forget about them or at least, give them a moment of peace. He stroked his fingers down the side of her face, amazed by how she reacted to his touch during her sleep, groaning in her sleep she wriggled over to him, pressing herself up against him. Cocooning her into his arms, he took a deep breath of her in, almost passing out from his senses being overloaded, unable to stand his overdose of her.
He swore at himself for almost forgetting how good she smelled. It was bad enough she'd haunted him in his dreams for two months, but when he was sat by the lake, fishing his thoughts out of the lake, he almost cried once because he couldn't remember how good she smelt. In his dreams though, every detail was noted down, going over everything in detail. The way the sunlight came in through his cabin window, delicately caressing her skin as she woke from her slumber, taking it easy on her eyes when she finally awoke. He loved the way, in the mornings when she woke up, she'd put his t-shirt on or his dressing gown, something that was that his, and would paraded around his cabin, pretending not to notice how the t-shirt hiked up at the back, when she bent over to get something out of a cupboard. Realisation, dawn upon him when he realised, they wouldn't be able to do things like that anymore. Sooner or later the reporters were going to find out the location of his cabin, and they'd be cameras pointed at his cabin 24/7.
Gently kissing her forehead he settled down to sleep, telling himself that he was going to take it as it come because tomorrow, the war began. SG-1 and co were going to be taking on the media. He hadn't liked Jacob's idea but what else was there. His training helped him to beat the black box, so they couldn't give him and Sam lie detectors when they went to the press conference, the General had set up for tomorrow, calling all the newspapers and News channels to an end with their story. Jacob had gone to the Tok'ra home world, to get one of Anise's Zadee things. Oh what history Jack and Sam had had with that machine. It'd put them into some shit in the past, ironic how it was going to get them out of it. He chuckled to himself, drifting off to sleep into a peaceful dream.
He stood in the shadows of the backstage, watching the reporters and audience members that had been invited, take their seats in the studio while Jacob and the other two Tok'ra, set up the unbeatable box. They'd already plugged their new toy into the side of his head, but it wasn't so new to him. Once before he'd had this modified 'memory recall' device, attached to the side of his head, projecting his memories onto a screen. It hurt like hell. Sam though was fine with it, she was off getting her make up sorted and having an injection, that prevent some memories, neither of them would want to be shown on TV. Only the two of them needed to know what went on in their sex life. Though Jacob had warned him, after giving him a shot that would relax him, seems as though Jack was the only one, getting wound up over everything. The two shots they had given him, the shot they had given him, to prevent certain memories, could be annulled by the other shot they had given him. As long as they got today over with, and things went back to being somewhat normal, he couldn't care what was shown on the screen.
Flexing his hands out in front of him, a calming hand moved over his shirted back, he looked down at his side to see Sam stood beside him, taking a look pass the curtain, to see what he was looking at. Encircling his arm round her back he sighed, wanting the whole day to be over with. Someone to other side of the stage called her, everyone was ready to get the show on the road while Jack had been ready all morning. It was a hell of job to get him into the shower and get dressed, before he went shooting out of the door. His temper had gotten the better of him, when he'd drawn the curtains, finding a photographer outside their bedroom window. It took both Teal'c and Daniel, to stop him climbing out of the window, cursing the bastard for invading his and Sam's privacy. He'd noted Sam just stood next to the bed, laughing at him, asking what would he have had done, if he'd been there, when there'd been a photographer at every window. This only seemed to wind him up even further, forcing Teal'c to follow him out of the window, falling into a pile onto the grass, on the other side of the window.
Glancing to the man on the other side of the backstage, who'd called Sam, he switched from him to Sam, stooping down to kiss her briefly, having his own man pull him to the curtain entrance, leading out onto the stage. "Don't take any crap from them, Sam" He said, watching her disappear round the corner, hoping she'd heard him.
He took a few deep breaths, the stage lights dimmed down, Jacob hurried off stage with his Tok'ra buddies following him, drawing his attention to Sam on the other side of the stage. Giving her a crooked smile and a slight wave of his hand, she returned them with the best thing ever. A flash of a smile, which had brought him hope, in their bleakest of hours, and brought him sunshine, on the most miserable of days. The presenter introduced the segment; Jack was nudged in the back to go on, blinded by the bright lights of the stage.
"Colonel Jack O'Neill!" The presenter said, indicating towards Jack with his hand, holding his cue cards. "And Major Samantha Carter!"
The crowd and reporters were shouting questions and cheering, Jack crossed over the stage, joining Sam on the other side, protectively putting his arm round her. One of the Tok'ra came out, taken his position at the controls of the Zatarc detector, the presenter explained to the audience what was going to happen.
"Because of what has been said, in the news and in the newspapers lately, General Hammond has ordered this special segment, so all of the allegations against Miss Carter, can be proven wrong, and any other claims made against the Colonel and the Major's relationship" The presenter said, moving to stand in front of the Zatarc detector. "This device is more precise than a lie detector. They'd tried to explain it to me, but to summarise it, that's all it is"
Jack sneered at the presenter's comments, knowing the Zatarc detector was more than just a complex lie detector. This machine could ruin people's lives, take those life's away from people and turn everyone else's worlds upside down. The damn thing set him and Sam back in their friendship. Walking round like they hardly knew one another, pretending the feelings that were below the surface, didn't matter to either of them. Feelings that had twisted up his insides when he'd watched her morn Martouf. Mourning him for two people. He had to sit back and pretend his feelings, hadn't gotten in the way, when she'd stood in that corridor, the entity having full control over her body. The damn thing knew, he wouldn't dream of harming her, and he wouldn't ever if he had the chance again. But at the time, he knew what she would've wanted him to do. She cared more about the SGC than anything at the time, they both did. The old SGC was her little baby, her dream of what the gate could hold for everyone.
Unbuttoning and rolling up his sleeves, Jack nodded his head at whatever Sam was saying to him. 'Stay calm', 'Don't let them get to you' and 'Don't go running after reporters again!' The presenter carried on while she whispered things to him. "One at a time, Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, will sit in this seat and confess all to everyone. I believe Colonel O'Neill will be going first. Yes?" Sam nodded her head to him. "Okay. Would you take a seat please, Colonel O'Neill?"
"Yeah, I'll take a seat" Jack mumbled to himself, scowling at the reporters in the audience, all thirsty for blood, for his and Sam's blood.
Sliding into the seat he glanced up to Sam, the other Tok'ra and Jacob came out, linking him up to the detector, unfastening his shirt to place a sensor over his heart, linking the modified memory recall device to the machine. He could see her recalling the memories from previous encounters they'd both had, with this machine. When he'd locked his eyes with her, when she'd been stood beside Anise, it killed him to see that emotion in her eyes, and relive the torn emotion, he'd seen in her eyes on the other side of the force field. God knows what she'd seen in his eyes, but he was sure it was nearly the same thing he'd seen her eyes.
"Jack" Jacob whispered to him, fidgeting with the microphone battery pack, hooked onto Jack's waistband of his pants. "I just want you to know, I'm happy for you and Sam. I understand why you didn't want people to know. But I swear, if at the end of all this, you and Sam split, I'm gonna kill ya. Understand?"
Placing a hand on Jacob's shoulder, Jack said. "If that happens, I'll kill myself Jacob"
Nodding their heads in agreement to one another, Jacob joined Sam on the chairs that had been put on stage for people. Jack shifted restlessly in the seat, his hands gripping onto the arms of the chair, glad they hadn't tied him down to it. The presenter moved to stand behind the Tok'ra, who was going to be working the machine. All Jack wanted to do was wipe that cheesy grin from the guys face.
"Colonel O'Neill, are you ready to begin?" The Tok'ra asked in a neutral voice, pushing some buttons on the machine.
"Let's get this over with shall we"
Bowing his head in recognition, the screen, showing Jack's memories, opened up, displaying nothing but blackness. "When did you first meet, Major Carter?"
"Well back then she was Captain..." He was amazed by how quick his memory was displayed onto the screen, even before he'd had to think about it, it was up there on the screen. "I met her the first time in the briefing room, where she challenged me to an arm wrestling competition"
The audience was silent which scared Jack, he heard the bleeping, that was in time with his heart, increase, when he suddenly heard his own voice, but instead of it coming from him, it came from the direction of the screen. "Oh, here we go, another scientist. General... please"
It looked as though, the camera was his eyes, seeing everything though his eyes, and where his eyes kept being drawn to in the room. "Theoretical astrophysicist"
He started to smirk, his eyes wandering over to Sam; unsurprisingly she was looking at him, smiling in her own little way. Mouthing that he loves her, his past self carried on. "Which means...?"
The bleeping of his heart rate went up again, reading her lips, telling him that she loves him too. "It means she is smarter that you are, Colonel" A few members of the audience laughed, breaking the spell over Sam and Jack and the memory, to fade into blackness.
The presenter was still smiling, shuffling his cue cards, saying. "So Colonel, at first you didn't like Major Carter?"
"No, I wouldn't say that. Just we can both be as stubborn as the other at times. She'd heard a bit of my reputation and automatically thought I was like the rest of the officers, she'd met in her career. But I proved her wrong" Jack said, chuckling to himself, hearing her quiet giggle over to the side, accompanying his nervous laughter.
The Tok'ra pushed another button on the machine, his eyes constantly reading the readings on the screen before him. "Colonel O'Neill, when do you believe, you started feeling feelings for Major Carter?"
He pondered over the questioned for a minute or two, massaging his tired forehead, mumbling to himself while Sam's voice, came from the screen. "...Lunatic fringe" His view on the screen suddenly dipped, his hand coming up to adjust his hat before looking back up. Everyone looked to Jack sat in the chair, staring at the screen, lost as to why that had come up.
"Colonel O'Neill, what was that then?" The presenter asked, moving round the Tok'ra, to get a better look at the screen, watching the memory carry on, showing them trekking through the woods, to Jonas's encampment.
Scrunching his eyes up at the screen, he'd never thought that was when he started feeling something for her. He would've said it been when they were trapped in Antarctica, but it wouldn't be the first time he was wrong. It had hurt him and spurred him on at the time, now that he thought about it, knowing she'd liked the 'lunatic fringe'. That maybe somewhere out there, a woman want him one day, even knowing about his emotional baggage. But at the time, she was the last person on his mind. Or was she...
"Colonel?" Jack's head shot to the Tok'ra, stood over the controls. "Would you answer the question please?"
"Sure... erm..." He said, stalling for some time. "I would've said I first started feeling something for Sam, when we were trapped in Antarctica, but I guess it must have..."
The screen changed again, he was looking in his locker, replacing something back onto the top shelf in his locker. Something slammed at the side of him, causing him to jump slightly round to his right, finding Sam stood before him in a tank top and her BDU's, plastering herself up the lockers behind her, looking at him like he was her prey.
"Oh Carter..." His sweater blocks the view for minute or two, pulling it straight he knocked his locker door shut. "Sorry, I didn't know, you were in 'ere".
For a moment the screen goes fuzzy, but its plainly seen that Sam has pulled Jack towards her, before his eyes close and then reopen, with his hands slowly moving to push her shoulders away.
"Mmph! Hey!" He says in slightly muffled voice, pulling back from her. "What the hell's going on?"
The image shook slightly, when she put her hands on either side of his face, saying. "I want you"
His eyes closed again, Jack closed his eyes as well. He was actually able to feel her kissing him, the tight grip she'd had on him, urgent to get him to reciprocate to her advances. It was an eye opener to how different she was with him. When they were together, she was gentle, taking her time to do everything. Undressing, touching, everything had its own momentum. She always wants things to last out as long as they can. Opening his eyes he found Jacob and the presenter stood in front of the screen, both blushing and trying to block the view of the screen, from the audience. Sam was blushing with her hand over her mouth, her eyes showing how shocked she was.
"What's going on?" Jack asked, bending over the side of the chair, to get a peek at the screen.
"Jack, think about something other than Sam, at the moment. Think about Teal'c or Daniel, just anything that will get this image, off the screen" Jacob pleaded, shying away from the screen, able to see it out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh..." Jack began to think about Simpsons, a yellow image was shown behind Jacob and the presenter, who slowly moved away from the screen. "That better?"
Jacob shook his head at him in disbelief, standing to the side of the screen, ready for any more images of his naked daughter, doing something he didn't want to know about. "Carry on, with the questions"
His temper was getting the better of him, they'd finished with him some half an hour ago, putting Sam into the dreaded chair. The questions had been concentrating on her time, at the Pentagon, working on dinky projects 'til the Stargate, was dropped into her lap. Sometime ago, he'd moved one of the chairs on the stage, to sit beside her, so he could hold her hand and see the screen better. When he'd seen Jonas's face come up onto the screen, her hand tightened round his, drawing some comfort and strengthen from him. He'd nearly walked out of the studio, when one of her memories, shown Jonas hitting her. Her ex fianc who was suppose to love and protect her, hit her because she was late home. Now he was glad the man was dead. Otherwise, he'd have gone off himself, hunted the bastard down and killed him with his bare hands. No one would ever hit her again.
Listening to her sigh beside him, he looked to her beside him to see she was getting tired and frustrated, and he hadn't even done anything. He smiled at the thought of it, gently placing his other hand on top of hers, resting in his other hand. Her eyes fluttered to him for a second or two, she smiled briefly before returning back, to looking at the Tok'ra, stood at the controls. The questions finally got from her past before the SGC, onto the SGC. As soon as they mentioned the SGC and the first mission, the first image to come onto the screen is her or her reflection in a mirror. Curious, Jack moved forward on his chair, hearing someone tell her, from the screen, they were ready for her in the briefing room.
On the screen her head tilted down to look at her feet, pulling her uniform straight, she headed for the door, looking up as she crossed the threshold into the corridor, following the airman to the briefing room. His grin was unstoppable. He could see himself on the screen, it was kind of weird to see himself how she saw him, but there he was, leant over the table looking at some file. He'd never realise how good he actually looked in his uniform, but he did look mighty fine indeed.
"Major Carter, did you performed any sexual favours, to a superior officer, to get your transfer to the SGC?" The presenter asked, quickly jumping down off the stage, when Jack suddenly jerked forward in his seat, held back by Sam's hand on his shoulder.
"No" Sam stated strongly looking from the presenter to the reporters, sat in the audience. "I have never performed or offered to performed, sexual favours for any of my superior officers. My life, I have spent working as hard as everyone else. Working my butt off to get to where I am today"
Jack had never felt so proud of her before, knowing without some lie detector or anything, that she was telling the truth. The Sam Carter he knew, worked for everything she got or she had enough patients, to wait for the best oppurturnity, and even then she was thinking of others, letting them step over her. When he thought of Sam Carter, he saw all the things the Air Force wanted in all of their officers. Strong, courageous, intelligent, and tactful and a whole lot more.
But she was also a woman at heart. Sweet, sensitive, loveable and seeking love in return. She was also generous, caring and all those other things people thought were the ideal qualities of a person. In every possible way she was perfect, but he also knew she had her bad points. Nave was one of them. She was a very trusting person, taking people under her wing before she even knew anything about that. That could be seen as a good quality, but when she was in an unknown territory or battle situation, it could be seen as weak and be used against her. Whatever she was, she was Sam Carter, and Sam Carter worked for everything she had to that day.
The presenter smiled at them both, Jack was starting to think he should have slapped that cheesy smile off, when he had the chance, and the presenter said. "Major Carter, drawing this all to an end, to quieten the newspapers, have you found your true love?"
Instantly a picture of Jack appeared on the monitor, this only seemed to swell his head up, chuckling to himself as he sat back with ease into his chair, crossing his feet over one another, clasping both his hands behind his head. Sam quietly prayed for help, knowing after the program had ended he was going to trouble, when they were trying to get home. The two Tok'ra ushered him out of the way, removing the sensors and recall device from her right temple. She winced when the device was removed, Jack was right by her side as soon as he could, checking the small puncture wound, where the recall device had been attached.
The presenter began to wrapped things up whilst some backstage crew, brought Sam and Jack off stage, dragging them through the reporters that had managed to get backstage. Jack really couldn't care, she was safe in his arms, protect from the mob of thirsty reporters, and they were going home. All he wanted was to go home, find out what gone on during his two months of absence, and tell Sam what he'd found out, during their time apart. He loved her more than anything; if she was ever in trouble then he was right there at her side whenever she'd needed him. She was his true love. But she already knew that.
The End.
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