What Should Have Been - Something that Should Have Happened a Long Time Ago
What Should Have Been - Something that Should Have Happened a Long Time Ago
by Katmellie
Summary: After two months of organising, Jack finally works up enough courage, to ask Sam to marry him.
Category: Future Story, Humor, POV, Romance
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: 09/30/03
Something that Should Have Happen a Long Time Ago
I don't know which is worse, finding baby sick on my shirt in the morning, when I'm half way to the academy, or having strangers tell me, my grandson is a hansom boy. Granddad? I'll have them all know, I can run circles round most of them, kill them with a flick of my finger and that can all happen, without my morning coffee, flowing through my veins. I can out run most of my cadets, my stamina built up over the years, from running for my life. So the grey hair might make me look that old, and Sam may call me Santa Claus from time to time, now that I've grown a beard. But I'm not that old. Half a century and a bit, does not make me an old timer. My mom... wasn't even that old, just nineteen years older than me. My dad was only twenty-one years older than me too. And the two of them were never called old timers. So how come I get called old. Though I did catch some ladies, the other day, walking passed me, with Sam pushing Malachi beside me, and I was holding Linole's hand, saying I was cute.
Marking another essay on some topic, Sam said, would be good for them to do. Checking with the list she gave me, telling me if they were mentioned in the essay, give them a mark for it. This marking business has to be the most boring bit, of my whole day. Lunchtimes spent marking and writing reports for this and that, wanting to go home for lunch and see my baby boy and Sam. She's still slightly in disarray from Christmas. Instead of us doing the rounds this year, everyone came to us, camping it out on the floor in some cases. The kids all slept in Linole's room, Alex and Jacob slept downstairs in the game's room. Mark and Wendy commandeer Jacob's room, James and Barbara slept upstairs in one of the guest bedrooms, and Rob and Ann took the other one. Kate roughed it out on the living room floor, still suffering from nightmares of the accident, so we'd spent most of the night up together, when I'd gotten up to sort Malachi out.
Liberating my hand of the red pen, casting it down onto the pile of papers like it scalded me, pivoting on my chair to the window, over looking the parade ground, I rubbed at my fingers, watching the cadets mingled outside. The only time the academy's quite is when I've left. There's never a minute without voices or without the sound of clicking shoes, trampling their way down corridors to their lessons. I'm still not used to the whole academic life, teaching eight hours a day, somehow never getting home till seven. When Sam's back at work permanently, Sarah's going to come in very handy, looking after Malachi during the day and then swinging by our place in the evening, watching over Linole till either Sam or me get home. Linole's been arguing about it, now she's nine years old she thinks she can take care of herself, and of Malachi when she gets home. Nothing against Linole, but I wouldn't leave Malachi with Sarah, unless it was really necessary. And it is.
Checking my watch against the one, ticking away on the wall above the filing cabernets, I groaned at how slow this day was going. I wondered if they'd notice me, slipping away at this early hour, forgetting the next two lessons, I had to do this afternoon. It would nice to be home when Linole got home, spending some real quality time with her, when she's actually awake. Instead of sitting at her bedside, rocking Malachi back to sleep, watching her sleep. I lose track of time, forcing Sam, to come in and get me out of there. I'd like to spend some quality time with them all, but by the time I get home, I'm ready for bed. Getting up during the night to see to Malachi, fighting with Sam to do it this time, locking her out of nursery when we've ran across the landing, beating her in first. Some mornings Linole finds us, fighting on the floor, pinning the other, attempting to submit the other with kisses and luring promises. Never works, our morning races to the nursery, are something we laugh about during the day, paying in those promises when I get home and everyone's gone to bed.
It's not unusual to come home to a house full of people, dinner set out for six instead of three. On the odd occasion seven, when Jacob's home, or when Jones popped out of the woodwork, meeting the new arrival and commenting on how he looks like me. I can actually come down in the morning, pour myself a cup of coffee, count down the seconds to either Daniel or Janet, or both, walk in through the side door. They invite themselves over some nights, or days when they're on downtime. Daniel complains about Teal'c's leadership skills, and the other two members of his team, pleading with Sam to come back sooner than later. When he's feeling especially low, he'll beg me to come back for the day, kissing my feet like it'll persuade me, to come back. (Okay, so maybe he's not kissing them, but he's come close). I leave about that time, kissing everyone goodbye apart from Daniel, Janet gets a peck on the cheek with a secret message, to sort her boyfriend out.
Massaging the back of my neck, swivelling back round to my desk on my chair, the door to my office opened slightly, the smothered chatter from outside in the hallway, increasing with volume as the door opened. Freezing with my hand about to slip down my neck, Alex's head popped round the edge of the door, smiling at me he came in, his hat flapping in his hand, the blueness of his shirt hitting me like a wake up call. Sitting back into my seat, Alex closed the door behind him, gliding a hand over his hair, ruffling it up for it to fall back into place. Wherever I go, Alex is always there behind me, noting down whatever I say, memorising the way I do things, so he won't get it wrong. Sam thinks he hero-worships me. The whole class worships me. Coming back from trips to the SGC, someone tells them to ask me about such-such, pinning me to answer their questions. One of them can, word for word, tell me exactly what I put in my report, on the very first mission through the gate.
"Alex" I said, fiddling with my tie, loosening its constrictive hold round my neck. "What can I do for you?"
Waving his hat round a little, wafting the small piece of material through the air, he said. "Aunt Sam sent me to come get you. She's sitting out by the warehouse. She wants to talk to you about something"
Surprised by Sam's unannounced visit, I check my timetable taped to the table, seeing my next lesson was tactics, in the warehouse. I shouldn't really be that surprise, my timetable is stuck onto the side of my computer at home, highlighted with various colours so I remember which are which. Hasn't worked so far. I have a copy in my wallet, a copy in the glove compartment of my truck. A copy stuck to the front of the fridge. One on the inside of the bathroom cabernet, so when I'm brushing my teeth in the morning, I can check it. Sam commented, that my timetable is invading the house. Tapping my finger on top of the piece of paper, marked with my timetable, I wheeled my chair back from my desk, standing up to meet Alex in height.
"Could you go tell her, I'll be along in a bit after you've got changed. I've gotta go get change myself, when I've stopped by the mess" I said, coming out from behind my desk, picking up the papers I'd marked last night. "Oh...and can you hand these out for me"
"Sure, sir" He said, hugging the papers to his chest, stepping out of my way, letting me get to the door.
Unhooking my jacket from the coat stand, I searched in the pockets for my sunglasses, finding them in the inside pocket. "I shouldn't be long. Have everyone get warmed up"
"And keep Rachel and Louise away from Malachi. Remember the last time, Aunt Sam brought Malachi in? It took forever to get them back to the lesson" Alex said, holding the door open for me, struggling with the limp papers, putting his hat on his head while I hook my jacket back on the coat stand.
Rolling my eyes at the memory, the two of them, Rachel and Louise (Thelma and Louise to me), would not, even when ordered, stop talking to Sam when she'd sat in, on one of my lessons. Seeing if I was having any trouble with the teaching, and ready whisk me away, when I'd finished, home and then to Linole's Christmas play. Then they wouldn't give Malachi back, saying he was the cutest thing, they'd ever seen. It can really get depressing, this whole cute baby thing. They'd only given him back, when I threatened then with an hour with Teal'c. No talking, just a staring match. The two of them could out talk anybody, but no one can out stare Teal'c.
Sliding my sunglasses into my breast pocket, I waited for Alex to shut my door, walking side by side down the wide clean corridor, our shoes clicking against the shiny floor. Scratching at my beard, I nodded my head to the passing cadets, all of them smiling and saluting, saying their hello's as they passed. It's like I'm at school again in some ways or what I do remember, when I was actually at school. The other lecturers think, I think I'm part of the cadet body, while some of the cadets consider me a friend. I don't care as long as my cadets, get through this year and get good places at the SGC. That's all I care about, until I get my next batch next year.
Deterring from Alex, who carried on going down the corridor, saying hello to one of his many friends here, I pushed opened the door to the locker room, unfastening my cuffs buttons, hearing the sounds of a shower in the distant. Tugging my tie undone, I unlocked my locker, banging it open against the one beside mine, flinging my tie inside onto the top shelve, placing my sunglasses on top of them. Unbuttoning the buttons on my shirt, my eyes are immediately drawn to the photos, I have plastered on the inside of my door. Sam's pictures at the top, her smiling kind face, looking up to the camera, one of her technobabble note books, laid in her lap with her pen posed, ready to write something. The next one below is a copy of the picture, taken on my birthday. Sam knelt behind me, racking my hair over my head, Linole stood between my legs, laughing at Daniel.
The two baby pictures, stuck carefully together, Charlie on one side with Malachi on the other, show my two baby boys to me, so I can see their smiling faces. When people our passing behind me, they ask me sometimes if we had twins, or 'didn't Major Carter have just the one', because the similarities between the two are so close, it looks like the same baby. Different eye colour is the only thing, that separates the two babies, but on the pictures I have of the two, their eyes are too small to see the colour. My two baby boys, linked together by me and by their pictures, next to each other in my locker. One day I'll tell Linole about him, she knows of him from seeing a picture in my bedroom, at the cabin. But she doesn't know what happened to him, or what his favourite sports were. If Charlie hadn't died, and somehow in this complicated world, things had still gone the way they've gone, and I ended up with the love of my life, Sam. I think Charlie would've love Sam, Linole and Malachi.
He'd always wanted a baby brother or sister, wanting to be like his friends, who'd an older/younger brother or sister. Someone he could play with, when his friends couldn't come out. I felt bad that Sara and me, never gave him what he wanted, but the spark that was there, when we'd... (Well you know), wasn't there anymore. Sure we still did it but it wasn't like, how it used to be. I got too comfortable that was the problem. I was used to disappearing for weeks, to come home, have a roll in the sack, play with Charlie and then disappear again. With Sam I don't do the disappearing act, if anything we spend more time together than we do apart, clinging to each to other when we're at home, always occupying the same room at the same time. I mean she's always there, and there's no other way I want it to be.
Hanging my shirt up inside my locker, I kicked my shoes off into the bottom of it, thudding against the metal tin can, falling on top of my boots. Emptying my pockets onto the top shelve, my keys and change, my wallet next to my sunglasses. Tracing the tip of my finger over the faces, adding that bit of overtime to trace Sam's face, a face I saw whether I was asleep or awake. The shower was shut off in the other room, wet feet padding over the tiled floor, my belt chinked with my every movement, fighting against my hands, undoing my pants. Glancing to the doorway to the shower room, Major Hogston came out with a white towel, wrapped around his lower half, fiercely drying his thin hair with another white towel, vanishing behind the rows of lockers.
Checking round that the close was clear, I dropped both my pants and my boxers, quickly exchanging them for the clean briefs, fitting me very snugly and giving me some support down there. Playing with the elastic around my waistband, I reached inside for my BDU pants, a nice traditional green pair of pants. I've spent most of my adult life in a pair of green BDU pants than I have in a pair of jeans. Flicking them out, clutching onto the waistband, I put one leg in first and then the other one, pulling them up to sit round my hips, giving them a slightly bagginess to them. Unravelling my belt that went with them, I looped it through the belt loops, wandering round in a slight circle, listening to Hogston get dressed a few rows down. Zipping and buttoning my pants up, feeding the tail end of my belt through the other end, I cast my eyes over my locker, spotting my black t-shirt, folded up behind the other things on the shelve.
Fishing it out from the back, I draped it over my shoulder, collecting my sunglasses and boots. Slamming the door shut, I sat down on the bench behind me. Loosening the laces on one of my boots, I straightened my sock, shoving my foot into the boot, tugging them on and tucking the bottoms of my pants into them, tightening the laces. Doing exactly the same thing with the other boot. Putting on my t-shirt I headed for the door, stuffing the end of it into my pants I opened the door, propping my sunglasses on top of my head. Digging my hands into my pockets, I turned left out of the locker room, striding briskly down the corridor, checking how late I was.
Breaking into a quick jog, I ran along the corridor, turning one corner and then another, running through the mess, pinching a sandwich from the counter. Mora, one of the servers, waves her hand in recognition, of me running through the kitchen, exiting out onto the car pack, which led onto the assault course. Ripping open the packaging, I juggled with the sandwich, avoiding the tires as I tried to take a bite from my sandwich. Chewing up the chicken and sweetcorn sandwich with mayo, I jogged round a corner, taking another hurried bite from my sandwich. Green and black blotches, bending and stretching, surrounded the front of the warehouse, where they stood. Sam stood out from all of them, sat on the grass with the pram beside her, her hand waving at the cadets to do something.
Slowing my pace down to an ambled walk, crossing the stretch of green, consuming most of my second sandwich I reached the outskirts of the warehouse. Knocking my sunglasses off the top of my head, I popped the last piece of my sandwich into my mouth, scanning over the kids, checking to see if they were all here. Wiping down the sides of my mouth, I crunched up the plastic packaging, signalling for one of cadets to come to me. Handing Pollard the rubbish, he looked at it for a moment, traipsing over to the bin, trying to see the hidden message in the sandwich container, struggling to find the test that might be behind it. Shaking my head at him, I brushed down the front of my t-shirt, cleaning the crumbs from my t-shirt.
"Okay, get into the teams, you were in last lesson." I said, watching the busy bees rush round, some running into one another, lining up in their teams.
Malachi was talking as usual, or trying to, gurgling on about something. Thelma and Louise were discussing how cute he was, raising their voices so everybody could hear. Ignoring them and Malachi, I paced up and down in front of them, assigning each of them a role to play in my lesson. Stopping half up the line up, I stepped back a few paces, pointing to Kang's team at the beginning of the line up.
"Kang, your team is team one." I said, pointing to the next team, going all the way up to six with the five man teams. "One to three will remain out here, four to six will enter the warehouse, taking positions where they like. Doing the same things, we did last lesson people"
They all hurried inside, pushing and shoving there way into the building, through the small door. Some days I wonder why I'm here, I know its not to watch, teenagers whose supposedly grown up enough, to be able to defend this country and planet, push and shove their way like children. Taking off my sunglasses, pinching the bridge of my nose, hanging onto my sunglasses by one of the arms, I gestured to the three remaining teams to come nearer, being surrounded within a few seconds.
"You lot will try and take the building, using the tactics I shown you last week. When you captured a member of team four, five or six. You are to bring them back out here, and to return back into the building" I said placing my hand on my hip, catching Alex smiling at me again. "Go!"
They stampeded towards the door, knocking me around as I was getting out of their way, protectively raising my sunglasses above my head. Sam chuckled at me when I crossed over to her, collapsing down in front of the pushchair, tickling my little buddy's stomach where he lay on the grass. He giggled while I leant towards Sam. Kissing her I shuffled closure to her, leaning back onto my elbows. Carefully I put my sunglasses on Malachi, laughing at how the sunglasses over powered his little face, he played with them while Sam moved closure to me, banking up against my legs.
She stroked a hand through my hair, saying. "How's your day been so far?"
"Okay, but looking exceptionally good now, with a surprise visit from you and my little buddy" I said, tickling Malachi again, my voice changing to the pathetic high pitch voice, everyone uses when talking to a baby. "Aren't ya? Daddy's little boy, aren't ya?"
"Hey, don't use him, to distract your self" She said, snatching my hand away from him, hating it when I'm making more of fuss, of Malachi than with her. "The General called me today, he wants me to come back to work next week"
"Is that a good thing, or would you rather stay at home a bit longer?" I asked when the first team member of either four, five or six, was sent out, coming over to join us, groaning at being the first out.
Retrieving my sunglasses from Malachi's drooling mouth, she cleaned them on her jeans, thinking about my question, her lower lip twisting slightly to the left. "I guess I'm ready to go back. Though I don't want to leave Malachi yet, I didn't go back to work till Linole was about nine months. And even then I didn't want to go back" She said, brushing something off her jeans. "He's wants me to come in on Friday, wants to discuss something with me. Can only mean something bad"
"No, it doesn't. He might want to just chat with ya, see how things our going. Tell you not to go missing again, so I don't go nuts and force him to put me on a team" I said, caressing the side of her face, her cheeks reddening like they always do, when she hears what stupid thing I've done or said.
Friday isn't something bad. It's actually something good, very good if you ask me. Seven years a bit too late, they're finally giving her the promotion, she earned years ago and the respect she's already got, from getting ideas out of her butt. (Head, out of her head). The General's already spoken to me about it, wanting me to do the speech I should've done, when she was promoted to Major. I'm scared once I start my speech, Thor's gonna beam me up and tell me something strange. I wasn't too impressed. When he'd beamed Sam up while we were... doing it, having someone criticized are cultures, need for sex. Not all of us can clone ourselves. And I'd just come back from Minnesota, at the time when we weren't living together. So we weren't just having sex, we were showing each other how much we missed each other. It didn't work when I told him that, he just cocked his head to the side and Sam laughing underneath me hadn't helped either.
Another cadet, was thrown through the door, kicking at the dirt she joined the other one as Sam said. "Do you think I should go back now? Or wait a few more months?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. You're the one, who's got to decide whether you're ready. Sarah's quite happy to take Malachi, when you go back and I can have him here some days. I'll have Thelma and Louise, watch him during lessons, they'll shut up for once then" I said, messing with Malachi's socks, pulling his little pant legs down over them, smiling at my little buddy.
"It's Rachel and Louise." She said, dragging her hair back with my sunglasses, using them as a hair band in her short hair. "And you can't really have him here all the time. You'll teach him bad habits"
"Me? Jack O'Neill teach his son bad habits? I don't know what you're talking about" I said, playfully shoving her backwards, shuffling my legs over from behind, letting her fall backwards onto the grass. "Why would I do a thing like that? Anyway, we're talking about you, not me and bad habits"
Climbing up my legs, she glared at me with a piece of grass, sticking out from her blonde hair, my sunglasses slightly stuck up in the air. Sorting herself out, picking off the grass and taking my sunglasses off, from the top of her head, she said. "Well, just tell me what you think I should do, because I don't know"
"Why don't you go back to how it was, when you were pregnant? You know, do a few hours a day, and come home about four. I'm sure George, won't mind you, staying out the field for a while longer and I'm sure, no one would mind Malachi being there. It's not like anything terrible goes wrong there, and if it does they'll have you to fix it. I think he just wants someone capable, to play with your toys instead of... some weird doctor person. That's what he said me." I said, searching in the shelf, on the pram, for something that Malachi could play with.
"When did you see him? To talk to him?" She asked me, when I was waving the a small cow, in front of Malachi's face, watching his eyes light up in recognition of his favourite toy.
Shaking the toy side to side, the bell inside it rang loudly, Malachi reached out to it, gurgling at it, wanting the purple cow. Making a face at him, I totally unwillingly zoned Sam out and everyone else, who were now gathering around us. Swooping the cow passed his face, taking it on another attack run to his face, his eyes widen as it came at him, curious at how his cow was flying through the air. Stopping mere inches from his face, I did my best cow impression, putting everything I had into it. Everyone around me, as well as Sam, laughed at my impression of a cow and me. Prompting me to come out of my little world, handing the cow over to Malachi, wiping my hands of the furry creature.
Rolling onto my back, crossing my feet over each other, I counted up the members that were sitting around, chatting and entertained by the four-month-old baby, playing with his cow. (Sucking on his cow then). With only eleven of them out, I still had to wait for four more to come out, or for someone to say something. With a mischievous slap to my thigh, Sam leaned onto my stomach, pressing most of weight down onto me. Most of our mornings, when we've woken up to tend to Malachi, or we've woken up before my alarm, she'll do this. Chatting to me about stuff. Sometimes it can be interesting, sometimes I'll be really in with what she's saying, and others, I just lay there wondering why someone as beautiful as her, would ever be doing, stuck with a guy like me. It must be something I've got. Otherwise why would my alternate counter parts, also end up with this beautiful woman?
"You listening to me?" She asked poking me in the ribs, receiving no reaction from me, except for a smile.
"What were you saying?"
Rolling her eyes at me, her finger trailed over my stomach through the t-shirt, drawing letters and faces into my black t-shirt. "I asked you, when did you see the General to talk to him?"
"Oh... err... he rung me to see how... Alex was settling in. Your dad wanted to know, how he was doing and all that. We just got talking about other things as well" I said covering my six pretty quick, knowing she could see through my lies, (and she knows I can see through hers).
The door opened loudly to the warehouse, at the exact time that Sam's phone, sprung into life. Un-wedging it from her jeans pocket, she flipped open the phone, answering it before it started ringing again. "Hello. Hi, Cassie. What? I can't understand you. You've got to stop crying, so I can understand you. You're at our house? Okay, I'll be there in a minute. Just let yourself in, the keys hidden behind the first step, up to the porch. Yes, all right. I'll tell him. I will. Bye"
Ending the call, she looked from the plastic black phone to me, slinging the object into the bottom of the pram. "That was Cassie"
"I heard. What's up this time?" I said sitting up, holding myself up on one hand.
"Seems her and David have had a falling out, she's taken off from College and is at this moment, letting herself into our house" She said, collecting Malachi together, clambering up onto her feet.
Getting up after her, I swept my hand down her back and down the back of her legs, ridding her of the grass and dirt that was on her clothes. She thanked me, checking Malachi was comfortable, setting the pram ready to go off towards the car park. Stepping up towards me, she kissed me on the cheek. Kissing her back, I waved a goodbye to Malachi, and she began to push the pram towards the car park.
"I'll see you when you get in" She called back over her shoulder, waving a hand at me.
Nodding my head, I shoved one of my hands into my pocket. "I'll try to get home early"
Turning round to my enthusiastic cadets, most of them were laying on their backs, some watching me as I walked towards the warehouse doors. Unhooking the padlock, I flicked the bar across, hooking the padlock back on the hoop. Clapping my hands together, I spun round to see a few shocked faces. "Cake everyone. And we'll see how long it takes them to get out of there"
Jolting to a stop behind Sam's car in the driveway, I sighed heavily at the blue clock, surprised I was actually home early for once. Half past six has to be a record for me, looking up at the lively house, the lights were on though it was still light out, and it sounded like Linole and Charlotte were in the back yard. Grabbing my briefcase and my jacket, I pulled the latch on my door, rolling out of my truck, landing perfectly on my feet like I do every time. Shutting the door to, I scratched at the back of my head, ambling my way round the front of my truck, slowly climbing the steps onto the porch. Glancing inside through the window, I twisted the knob, shoving it open to an empty kitchen. Food looked like, it was being prepared for dinner, carrot and potato peelings and skins of onions, scattered over the chopping board.
Hanging my jacket on a hook, I placed my briefcase on the side, throwing my keys on top of it, tugging my shirt out from my pants. In the other room, I could hear people talking with the TV, playing away to itself. Nothing unusual in this house. Stealing one of the unsliced carrots, I undid my laces, biting a chunk out of the carrot, resting it on the side till I kicked off both my shoes. Plucking my carrot up from the counter, I padded round the island in the middle of the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Linole and Charlotte, hanging upside down from the climbing frame. Opening the fridge door, breaking off another piece of carrot into my mouth, the voices rose in the other room, soon settling back down to banter level.
Selecting a beer from a shelve, I held the carrot in my mouth, knocking the door shut with my socked foot, with my beer hissing at me, when I twisted the lid off. Discarding it into the trash, I greedily gulped down some of the soothing beer, dulling my aching feet from the running I did, avoiding my angry cadets who'd managed, to get out of the warehouse unharmed. Entering the office I saw the pile of mail, waiting for me, scattered from the neat pile, Sam probably had left them in. Munching down the rest of the carrot, I carried on into the living room, Sam and a very upset Cassie, sat on the floor in front of the TV, with Malachi waving his purple cow around at them.
Tipping back some more of my beer into my mouth, Cassie's eyes caught onto me, I'd never seen anyone's eyes as red as hers, except for Sara's when she'd cried over Charlie. Stooping down behind Sam, I kissed her on the cheek, standing back up to my full height. Sam bent her head back so she could see me, smiling up at me with her blues and that fantastic smile of hers.
"You're home early." She stated to me, shuffling round on the carpet, her hand staying cautiously near Malachi. "I wasn't expecting you so soon"
"Hmmm... Brought it home with me, couldn't be bother to do anymore" I said, sitting down on the couch, unbuttoning some of my shirt's buttons. "What's going on, in the kitchen?"
Switching her gaze to Cassie, she then looked back at me, saying. "Dad came through, a few hours ago, he should be here about eight. Dinner's not going to ready till about then, so if you're hungry, do you want me to do you one of those mini pizza's?"
Indicating towards Cassie with my eyes, I said. "If you wouldn't mind. I'm gonna take a bath in a minute, and then make a start, on the rest of my work"
"Okay. As you're going to have a bath, could you give Malachi one at the same time?" She asked getting to her feet, shaking her head at my unasked question, coming to stand between my spread out legs.
"Sure" I said, patting the side of her thigh, sitting forward on the couch, glancing past her at Cassie, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I won't be too long, if I am, come and get me out or I'll go back to looking like a hundred year old again"
She helped me up to my feet, (even though I could do by myself); her arms clung round me, restraining me from getting Malachi, keeping me exactly where she wanted me. Pouting her lips towards me, I had the feeling someone had broken into the wine, I was keeping hidden in the garage, locked in the Pontiac's trunk, for a special occasion. Slinging my arms round her shoulders, careful of not to get any beer over her, like I'm prone to do when I'm tired and not quite with it. Angling my head back away from her, her fingers prodded into my lower back, nudging me forward towards her, smiling that evil smile of hers that I love so much. Edging towards her very slowly, backing away at the last minute, grinning at the disgruntle grunt she made, tiptoeing up towards me.
Bringing my free hand from around her back, I caressed the side of her face with my thumb, moving in to devour her lips, like I had done so that morning. Sliding my hand across the skin that made her neck, joining my other hand and my bottle of beer, at the back of her neck, fondling with her hair. Someone moaned storming passed the two of us. Breaking our very pleasant, and I mean pleasant, kiss, we both looked round the room. Malachi being the only other occupant of the room, with his cow, now sat his face.
"Oh, shit" Sam cursed, ducking under my arm, chasing down Cassie to wherever she'd gone.
Smiling down at my little boy, I knelt down on one knee, putting my beer down before I picked him up, reclaiming my beer as I stood. "Come on you. Bath time for the men of the house"
Knocking back the rest of my beer, the drooling baby hit me with his cow, smiling at me when I pulled a face, really not enjoying the wet cow, hitting my face. Carefully walking up the stairs, I swished the dredges around in the bottom of the bottle, turning the corner of the stairs with ease, hearing voices coming from the kitchen this time. Finishing off my beer, I nudged opened the nursery door, dumping the bottle in the trash bin, by the door. Sauntering across the room, to the chest of draws, I pulled the draw out, shifting through the colourful clothes, searching for his outfit with teddy bears on that I'd brought him. Sam likes buying his clothes, nearly every time she goes shopping, she'll come back with a new outfit or a top, sometimes even a cap.
Blowing raspberries at Malachi, his hand reached out to grab my beard, tugging at it while I got a nappy out of the bag. Stuffing the outfit and the nappy, between the two of us, I started to unfasten his top, exiting his nursery to head passed the stairs and along the banister, swerving into my bedroom. With his sticky hands clutching at my beard, I was just starting to wonder, what the hell he'd got over his hands, shouldering the en'suite bathroom door open.
Leaving his things on the counter by the sinks, I went over to the bath, turning on both the taps, putting the hot on a bit more than the cold, plugging the hole up with the plug. Crossing over to the bare counter top, I laid him down onto it, striping him of his clothes. Putting them into the laundry basket. Sam insists I put my clothes in, instead of leaving them on the floor in a pile. Blowing my cheeks up at him, he gurgled at me, waving the cow round, twisting to see what the shiny thing was on the wall. Ripping the tap away on his nappy, I cringed at the present that was in there. Opening the cupboard door, beneath the countertop he was lying on. Checking the bath over my shoulder. I flicked the lid open on the baby wipes, tugging one from the strong hold, the tub had on the wet wipe.
The tub fell onto its side beside Malachi, drawing his attention from the shiny metal thing to the plastic tub, in reaching distance of his little hands. Batting the tub of wipes with the cow, he smiled at it as I cleaned him up, thinking maybe Sam had a secret agenda, in asking me to bathed Malachi. Wrapping the wipes inside the nappy, I picked Malachi up again, his soft skin sitting on top of my shirt. Bouncing him slightly I stepped on the peddle to the bin, lifting the lid to drop the nappy inside. I laughed when Malachi was shocked, by the clanging of the bin lid.
Going back over to the bath, I put my hand into the water, deciding it would be too hot for Malachi, I shut the hot off and left the cold, to run for a minute or two, or however long it took me to get undressed. Laying Malachi back down on the counter, I undid the rest of my buttons on my shirt, ditching my shirt to the floor, keeping it separate from the household washing. Sam gets very annoyed, when she finds my uniform shirts in with the normal washing. She has this thing about getting our military stuff, dry cleaned so she doesn't muck them up, or more precisely, so I don't mess them up when I try to help out, by doing some washing. I do try to do my share of housework unlike some men out there. I'm only allowed to do hovering, cooking and the trash. (Someone's gotta do it, I guess).
Bare like the baby in front of me, I picked Malachi up from the counter, removing the cow from him. His hand instantly attached itself to my beard, believing he could wave it around like his cow. Turning the cold tap off, I dipped my hand into the water, smiling at the warm water, that wouldn't burn Malachi's delicate skin. Juggling with Malachi in my arms, I stepped into the water clinging, to one side of the bath, putting my other foot in. Sitting down with a slight splash, I held Malachi with one arm, reaching up to the small shelf above me, for the soap and this fluffy thing, Sam says is good for me and supposed to relax me. I'm very sceptic. If someone's managed to invent something, which will substitute for her, then I want to shake the guy or woman's hand. Cause it'd be a damn miracle if they had.
Soaping up the fluffy thing with one hand, I sat Malachi down onto my knee, keeping my arm around his back, stopping him from slipping or dunking backwards into the water. Hooking the shower gel on the bar, protruding from the small shelve, I began to wash him, his small frame becoming soaped up. Keeping his hands from sticking, the bubbles into his mouth, I kissed the top of his head, washing down his back.
"Gonna smell like daddy, won't ya Mal?" I said in the typical baby-talking voice, rinsing the soap off his body, the sponge type thing, floating away on the surface of the water.
Picking the sponge up, I wiped it over my chest while watching Malachi's antics, more interest in what he was doing than washing myself. His tiny feet kicked at the water, amazed by the water rippling. I'd love to be his age again. Everything's so fascinating to him. A pen can keep him occupied for hours, drooling over it, chewing on it with his gums. Scrubbing down one of my legs, I shifted Malachi over to my over knee, washing the other one down while he tried to pick the water up, opening his hand to find nothing. Plunging the sponge down into the water, the stairs creaked with someone walking up them. Rinsing the soap out of the sponge, I asked Malachi what the white stuff in the water was, in the very annoying baby voice.
Standing him up in the water, his feet pressed down onto the top of my legs, supporting him under his arms. Smiling at him I pressed my forehead against his, his eyes wide with excitement, slapping his hands against the sides of my face. Wiping a hand over his head, brushing all his blonde hair over his head, I knew there and then, whatever happens in the future, nothing could beat this. Dunking him down to his waist, he splashed his hands into the water, his legs kicking with the excitement.
"Hey, you wanna learn a song, Mal?" I asked him stupidly, actually thinking he was going to reply to me, carrying on anyway, oblivious to his disability of not being able to speak yet. "You'll like it, I promise. Now did that... Ah... ready little man. Splish splash, I was taking a bath"
His hands waved about, splashing even more water around. "Long about a Saturday night. Come on, Malachi. Join in. Everyone knows this song"
He looked up at me expectantly, his hands placed on top of my forearms. "No good looking at me like that. By the time your four, I'm gonna have you singing that song. Word for word"
"Oh, god. Not more bad singing" Sam said, coming into the room, clean towels in her arms. "I can just stand to hear you in the mornings. Thankfully Linole's stopped singing in the shower"
Sticking my tongue out at her, I smiled at her anyway, dunking Malachi down deeper in the water, lifting him up into the warm towel, Sam had waiting for him. Rinsing the soap that was still over my chest, I listened to Sam humming to Malachi, drying his tender skin. Lathering my hair up in shampoo, I chuckled at her humming, washing my hands off into the water. Dunking my head into the water, I whipped it back, combing my hair back over my head. Climbing out of the tub, unplugging the bath as I got out, Sam handed me the other towel she'd brought in. Viciously rubbing at my hair, I dried my chest with the other end, standing behind Sam on the bathroom mat.
"What's up with Cassie?" I asked her, roughly rubbing the towel down the front and back of my legs, paying that extra bit of time, over a certain part of my anatomy.
"She's... Janet really needs to talk with her, before I say anything more" She said, taping the clean nappy into place on Malachi, shaking out his baby grow outfit.
Wrapping the towel around my waist, tucking the towel in on itself to keep it up, I said. "What ya mean, she has to talk to Janet first? What's gone on?"
"Jack, I'll tell you later. She doesn't need you going all 'father figure' on her, at the moment"
"Okay. Did you pick up my suit, from the dry cleaners, for me?" I asked, moving to stand in front of my sink, opening my cabernet door.
Nodding her head at me, she fastened the last stubs on Malachi's baby grow, her hair slightly bouncing in time with her head movements, saying. "Yeah. But I still don't understand, why it had to be done for today, when we're not going anywhere fancy. We haven't been out for ages"
Agreeing with a nod of my head, I unzipped my shaving kit, emptying it out onto the counter, between my sink and Sam's. Picking up my razor, I plugged up the hole in the sink, the cold tap poured the cold water into the sink, after I'd turn the tap on, submerging the whole of the razor in the running water. Feeling her warm breath on my shoulder, I reached up into the open cabernet, taking out the shaving cream can, the need for change strong tonight. A small hand hit me on my right shoulder, my initial instinct was to look round, and glare at the little boy in Sam's arms, but I was slowly getting used to letting another person touch me there. I even let Daniel touch my shoulder these days, which in itself is an amazing thing. It's taken me... I was never good at maths... ten years to get used to other people touching it.
"You're shaving your beard off, Santa?" She said in her joking tone, caressing the side of my face with her hand.
Squirting the can at her over my shoulder, getting some of it on her top, I said. "With comments like that, I think so too"
Flicking the shaving cream off her top, she passed by behind me, waiting in the doorway with Malachi, positioned over her hip, clinging to her top and his cow she given him back. "You're pizza's going to be done in a bit. I've put your briefcase on your desk and booted your computer up"
Covering up my beard with the cream, I bobbed my head at her, fishing out my razor from the pool of water, twisting the tap off. She left the room chatting to Malachi, telling him 'daddy's gonna be hansom again, just like you'. What she trying to say? I'm ugly with a beard? If she'd seen pictures of me, when I was fourteen, then I could understand it. I'm glad men, mature with age, like wine.
Stepping down the last of the stairs, I couldn't stop myself from rubbing at my face, where my beard had grown over the past two months. A jungle of hair covered my face up, vast gaps where I was scarred because of 'face rearranging' Jaffa. There were a lot more voices than there were, when I'd arrived home, but looking at my watch, I see this is about the time I usually walked through the door. Welcomed home by everyone. Checking inside the living room, there wasn't anybody in there, so I went into the dining room, the table set out for six with the baby chair at one of the heads of the table. Straightening one of the place mats, I carried on through the dining room, the voices becoming louder to my approaching steps. Putting my hands firmly into my pockets, I entered the kitchen. Janet and Cassie were in the games room, Janet doing the talking while Cassie did some crying onto her shoulder. Why do I feel, something bad going to happen?
Daniel came from the direction of the office, Malachi held above his head by his arms, talking in that irritating baby voice, no matter what you did, you always ended up talking in. Rolling my eyes at the man with my baby, I drifted through the kitchen to the stove, observing the bubbling water with the orange pieces in it, and the next pan with white objects that had to potatoes. Something smelt fantastic and this had to be a first, for when Sam's cooking most things end up, looking very black and over cook. Thinking about it, there's only been one woman in my life, who could cook up a storm and not get anything wrong. My mother was a genius when it came to the kitchen. Bending over to look through the oven door, someone smack me on my butt, his or her hand finding its way, underneath my t-shirt. At first the cool hand, alarmed me touching my warm skin, but I sensed it was her. More like smelled her.
Reclining back to my normal height, I looked at her over my shoulder, stood beside me with her fingers tracing lazy patterns onto my back, offering me a glass of wine. A glass of white wine that could've only come from, the secret supply of her favourite wine, hidden in the trunk of the Pontiac. I was saving it for tomorrow night. A night I hope will end my misery, of seeing her last name on her mail or hearing the cadets' call her 'Major Carter'. Taking the offered glass from her, I kissed her on the cheek, removing my other hand from my pocket, encircling it around her lower back. Noticing Daniel on the other side of the island, standing Malachi on the worktop. My poor son was being lectured on other culture's traditions, when it comes to their offspring.
"You see, Malachi. If you were born on P47 6T9, they'd be celebrating your birth, for a whole year till your first birthday. When your parents would choose you, your future bride" Daniel said, making me glad we weren't living on P47 something-something-something, I'd get a little tired of celebrating his birth everyday, though when I was younger there would always be an excuse to have a party.
Sipping at the cool wine, I carefully put it down on the chopping board, beside the glass that was already on there. "Daniel, did you bring what I asked you to bring?"
She was staring at me, her eyes searching for answers in my eyes, wondering what this thing was I asked Daniel to bring here. Daniel's eyes were the same, pondering my question like it was something he'd never heard of before, squinting at me across the island. Honestly, I could've actually killed him. He knew exactly what I was asking him. If I'd hidden the ring round here, Sam would've found it when she was tiding up. She never stops tiding. Janet and him were supposed to look after it, till today, when they were supposed to give it to me. The reason for the two of them, to be here this evening and now with Cassie's reason.
"What's this?" Sam asked, claiming one of the glasses off the chopping board, moderately sipping from the white alcohol, her gaze divided between Daniel and me.
"Oh it's nothing, you have to worry about" I said, untangling myself from her, ready to box Danny boy's ears in, if he'd lost this ring that cost me a small fortune, well worth it though.
Janet and Cassie surface from the games room, Janet wiped off some of the tears from Cassie's face, sweetly kissing the still a child, in Janet's eyes, on the head. Circling round the island, my eyes firmly set on Daniel, hurrying round the end of the counter in a brisk walk, catching him before he ran away with my kid. Grabbing hold of his ear, he yelled out from the pressure I was pressing down onto his ear, quickly passing my child to Janet's arms. Dragging him out of the room, passed the whirring microwave with my mini pizza in and the breakfast table set for three, the other three gossiped about what was going on, chinking of the wine bottle against a wine glass, pouring some into another glass. I've really got to find better hiding places.
Pushing Daniel further into the room, I slid the doors to the office shut, spinning round to Daniel rubbing his ear, his other hand delving into his pocket, to find my ring. And I mean he'll find it, cause I'll kill him if he's lost it. It took me forever to get her to decide, not knowing what she was deciding on. We stood outside the jewellers store window, gawping at the rings they had on display. Heart attacks all round when I saw some of the prices. She kept wanting to know, why she had to choose a ring, telling me if it was what she was thinking, we didn't have to because we're find the way we are. We are not fine. If I grumble at her name one last time, it'll drive me over the edge and I'm going to drag her to the nearest courthouse, and have us married. With or without the license.
Pointing my finger at him, he backed up to Sam's desk, knocking some papers off her desk, he worriedly stared at them on the floor, I said. "Tell me you haven't"
"Were they important?" Daniel asked, still avoiding my eyes, hunting down my ring in his pocket, it better be my ring he's trying to find or the S.G.C will have to find a new archaeologist. (And Janet, a new boyfriend).
"Daniel!" I said in my fear inducing voice, the colour from Daniel cheeks, washed away as he produced his hand from his pocket, the blue velvet box sat neatly in the palm of his hand. "Thank you"
Acquiring the small precious box from him, I checked inside that the ring was in there, smiling at the sparkling jewels, embedded into the gold band. The dark blue diamonds complemented the white ones, quoting the jeweller who'd sold me the ring, getting quite a hefty fee for this tiny band. Tiny compared to my fingers and to Janet's. A whole afternoon we'd spent, soaping up her finger to get the ring off, nearly resulting to chopping it off. Her face had been memorable, shocked when I lined the cleaver up, with the joint of her finger, crying into my shoulder, she'd never try on another ring in her life, if she got to keep her finger. Lucky for her and for me, Daniel had arrived home with the idea, of soaking her hand in cold water, saving his girlfriend's wedding finger for later use.
Relieved that it was back, in my safekeeping, Daniel cleared up the papers from the floor, while I went over to my desk, sitting down into my brown leather chair. Pulling open my desk draw, I tapped the secret compartment open, hiding the blue velvet box inside, recovering the compartment back up. Daniel got up from the floor, dumping the pile of papers back into Sam's In-tray, finally looking me in the face when I was ripping open, one of the letters from the pile on my desk.
"Hey, you've shaved your beard off" Daniel stated, unconsciously making me stroke my once bearded face.
"Mmm... did you book that table like I asked?" I asked him, my changing the topic skill, improved over the two months, of Sam asking what Daniel, Janet, Teal'c and I have been whispering about.
Sitting on the edge of Sam's desk, he picked up a picture of the four of us, on our week's vacation at Harry's ranch. Malachi was only a month old when we did it. Trekking to the outskirts of Virginia, in my pickup with a whaling baby, a nine year old who wouldn't stop singing along to the radio, and my bad mood, from the commotion at the funeral. Arguing with my Aunt Kathleen, about where my father should be buried. She'd wanted to take him back to Ireland, to bury him with my grandparents, at the family plot. Nothing said about taking my mother, to bury her with him. Just my dad. I would never slap or hit a woman, but she nearly took the bacon that day. I don't care if she's sixty-nine. She'd deserved a good slap, at the funeral.
It'd taken Kate, Rob, James, Linole and Sam to get me away from her. Kate was the first to try and pull me away, telling me we should go get a drink, and we'd talk about it later, when the cars came to pick us up. That of course hadn't worked. Then Rob and Kate tried to get me away from our Aunt, trying to tackle me out of the room. Didn't work. With the joint effort of my three siblings, they'd managed to move me a couple of inches, with me cursing my Aunt in Latin, unknowingly using the language, I'd learnt in my time loop experience. With the three of them, and Linole pulling on the tail end of my shirt, my aunt missed the hand I swung at her, cursing her in English that time round, for not wanting to take both my parents to Ireland to be buried.
Sam only walked in the room, when I slipped into Irish, taught to me by my father, to kill my aunt, the next time we were on mutual ground. She kissed me very passionately in front of everyone, distracting me enough to shut me up (like I had a choice) and then led me out of the room, telling me I had to finish getting ready for the funeral. Rob's always going on about, how Sam has a magical hold over me since then. Putty in her hand even when I'm being stubborn.
"Jack?" Daniel said, shaking me by the shoulder, making me lose my train of thought. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." I said batting his concern away, binning the advertisement in the trash bin, in the corner of my little corner. "Where were we?"
Playing with his keys in his pants pocket, he said. "I told you I've booked the restaurant like you asked. Kinda predictable to be taking her, to the restaurant, where you had your first date. Thought you were more imaginative than that?"
Hitting him with the envelope I was trying to open, I glared up at him, knowing full well he was teasing me. "She likes Marco's. If you've got a problem, take it up with your girlfriend, because these ears will fall deaf with you, if you criticise me once more"
"Criticise you? All I said, was I thought you had more imagination. I mean the whole Valentine's Day thing, last year, took a lot of thought. I thought you do something like that." He said, his hands gesturing and illustrating in time, poking his glasses further up his nose.
"Do you want me to punch you? She's only in the other room, Danny boy" I said, watching him cringed at my nickname for him, inwardly grinning to myself about the reaction. "Anyway, did you manage to get that limo I wanted?"
"Yeah, it's going to pick you up from the restaurant at nine. I organised it, so the driver will come in, and tell you he's arrived or whatever" Daniel said, the sliding doors to the kitchen, opening at the same time, Sam laughing at whatever was being said in there, a plate with my mini pizza on, in her hand. "From there, it'll take you where you wanna go. So you worked out what you're going to say to her yet?"
Choking into the back of my hand, she startled Daniel when she put the plate down, in front of me, touching him on the shoulder, saying. "What he's going to say, to who?"
Casting my gaze down at the pepperoni pizza, I fingered the circles of meat, listening to Daniel try and cover for me. "Err... what he's going to say... at your... pro..." I stamped on his foot, glaring up at him while Sam looked at us both puzzled. "What he's going to say at your first day back at work"
"Daniel, sometimes I think, you're the most capable person I know. But you're crap at lairing" She said, stealing one of the small pieces of pizza, selecting the one without any pepperoni. "So, what's the truth?"
"The truth? Erm... I'll let Jack handle that one" He said hurriedly, sprinting out of the room when I moved to go after him, mumbling to the traitor who was shutting the sliding doors again, shrugging his shoulders at me.
The room went silent when the door's thudded together, she dragged her chair out from behind her desk, sitting in the space between our desks, folding her arms onto the edge of my desk. Stuffing a piece of the mini pizza into my mouth, I tore open another letter, reading the bill for the electricity last month, putting it to one side. Attaining another letter from the pile, she stole the letter and the others from me, flinging them onto her desk behind her. Falling backwards into my seat, taking another piece from the plate, I contemplated her for a minute, chuckling at how I couldn't get things, passed her sometimes. It's like she has a sixth sense, no make that a seven sense, cause we can both sense each other's presence. Sensing, when I'm hiding something or I haven't told her something.
Biting the end off the slice of pizza, I placed it back down on the plate, wiping my greasy hands onto my jeans, saying with a mouthful. "You know, you were wondering what the General, wants to talk to you about, on Friday?"
It was either tell her about tomorrow night, or tell her about Friday, and I couldn't risk ruining the surprise I had lined up for her tomorrow. Two months of planning, would not go down the toilet because of one man, who's always voicing his opinions on our relationship, instead of sorting his own out and bringing it out into the open. Saving me from keeping this information, from Sam all the time, when she's in one of her 'Daniel and Janet' moods.
"Yeah" She said, taking the slice I'd taken a bite out of, removing the pepperoni she didn't like.
"Well you see... the General's going... wants..." Stammering when she was giving me that look, munching down on the pizza. "You're going to be promoted and he wants me to say a few words" I said as fast as I could, diving out of my chair, running from the room when she let out a cried, chasing me through into the dining room and then into the kitchen.
"YOU KNEW THIS, AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME! JACK O'NEILL, COME 'ERE! SO I CAN PUNCH YOU!" she shouted after me, her feet pounding on the kitchen floor, coming out onto the porch behind me, when I jumped down the porch steps, laughing at her unseen and unnatural response.
A weight came crashing down onto my shoulders, the momentum of her flinging herself down the steps, landing on my back, took us both down onto the ground, drawing everyone's attention, in the garden and in the house, to us. Flipping over underneath her, I caught both of her wrists, laughing at her above me, cursing me for not telling her. Straddling me over my legs, pinning me down to the ground, people called to us, queering into our states of mind's and whether we were okay. Ever so slowly a smile formed out of her features, making mine go even wider, waggling my eyebrows at her above me.
Breaking out of my hold on her wrists like I'd shown her, in the very early days of SG-1, improving her fighting skills to a standard I was impressed with, and would be happy knowing that she was able to stand up to at least a man, with my built. She often asked why I didn't join her in the gym anymore. My fear of a butt whopping was too strong, to consider getting in the ring again with her. Restraining my hands above my head on the grass, she lay down onto me, pressing her body firmly against mine, her breath washing down over my face.
"Colonel" She said to me, nodding her head at me.
My hands escaped from her hold, tenderly caressing her cheeks, cupping her face in my hands. "Colonel"
Giggling down at me, she secured her lips down onto mine, her hands integrating into my short trimmed hair, my arms latching themselves round her back, increasing the pressure she was pressing down me. Mumbling she was pleased I'd shaved my beard off, I heard a car pull up into our driveway, with my attuned hearing, parking up behind my truck. With the world evaporating around us, lying there on the grass at the bottom of the porch steps, kissing like their was no tomorrow, and me groping her behind, two familiar voices came up the steps from the driveway, coming up onto the garden.
"For god's sake! Whenever I come home, I always arrive to find you two, making out somewhere" Jacob cried from somewhere to my right, his boots clunking against the paving slabs. "Can I ask, next time I come back for a visit, can you two wait at least an hour, before you try and eat each other?"
Jacob eventually broke down, Sam's self control with his latest request. Her laughter rang in my ear, the side of her head resting against the side of mine. Okaying him with a simple hand gesture, two sets of feet climb up the porch steps, creaking in time with their footfalls. Teal'c telling Jacob it was the same, whenever he ventured into our home. Sitting up from leaning over me, she moped up her tears of laughter, with the heels of her hands, hiccupping with giggles. Propping myself up onto my elbows, I smiled up at her, nudging my knee into her back gently. Laughing again when she erupted into another fit of laughter, falling hopelessly down on me.
Waking up to the sound of my alarm clock, I rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty. Vacant of the blonde I was longing to touch. Whacking a hand down on top of my alarm clock, swinging my legs out from underneath the sheet. I roughly rubbed at my eyes, sitting up onto the edge of the bed. Sniffling I looked about the room, her t-shirt and PJ bottoms, lifelessly hanging onto the edge of the chest, sat at the bottom of our bed. The baby monitor on her side of the bed, had earphones trailing from it onto her pillow. (So we've to resulted to those tactics, have we?) Groaning I got up to my feet, scratching at the top of my head, rubbing at my stomach, I went to the bathroom, her humming coming from the landing, near the doorway to our bedroom. Sluggishly pushing the door open, I closed the door behind, to have some privacy while I did my morning business.
Flushing the toilet she entered with Malachi, sleeping against her shoulder. Filling the sink with some water, her hand drifted over my shoulder blades, running down my spine, to rub at my lower back. Looking at my reflection in the wall mirror, I glanced at hers and Malachi's beside mine, twisting the taps off on the sink. Leaning onto my shoulder, she tiptoed up and kissed me on the cheek.
"Morning" She said, hovering around my shoulder, rocking Malachi in her arm.
"Morning to you too" I said, angling my head to kiss her back, a hand sneaking round to support her, bringing her closure to me at the same time.
Opening my cabernet door, she sat down on the edge of the tub, shifting Malachi in her arms. Bringing out my shaving kit, shaving cream, cologne and deodorant, I knocked the cabernet door shut with my knee, taking a quick look at her, smiling at the motherly side of her, I knew was there all those years before. Unzipping my shaving kit, my razor splashed down into the warmest water, setting my kit to the side, Sam was off out the door, telling me faintly she'll be back in a minute. Intrigued for a moment, I shook my head to myself, removing the cap on my shaving cream, squirting it into the palm of my hand. The metal can chinked against the surface of the counter top, moulding the cream between my hands, coating my other hand in the white foam, I began to wipe it onto the slightly stubble places, crooking my neck to see if I'd missed any.
Shaking my razor of the water, I arched towards the wall mirror, pushing my chin up with my fingers, to get a better look at my neck, slicing away a bit of the white foam. Sam's hand halted my attempt to shave some more away, her hand holding onto mine with the razor. Looking at her through the corner of my eye, she gently took the razor from my hand, impelling me backwards to the tub.
"I wanna do it." She said, gesturing for me to sit down, swishing the blade of my razor, in the pool of water in my sink.
Gulping nervously, I eyed the razor nervously, slanting my head so she had perfect access to my neck. The cool blade of the razor, finely shaved away some stubble away from my neck, settling my nerves down, relaxing to her touch. She smiled at something, swiping some more away from under my chin, washing it off in the sink. Threading my fingers together, I clasped them to hang between my legs, my forearms sitting on top of my PJ's. Patiently sitting there, knowing I could've done it faster, I sat there in silence, keeping my opinions to myself.
With a tight comfortable grip on my face, she turned my head to the left, carving away the white cream and the stubble, she said. "You still want to know, what was up with Cassie last night?"
Waiting till she'd swished the razor in the sink, I shifted on the edge of the tub, saying. "Yeah. She was awfully quiet at dinner, even though I was made to sit in the kitchen, with Linole and Charlotte. And, then you made me drive Charlotte home, when I was doing my work. Sometimes I don't think I'm appreciate round here"
Chuckling at me, her tongue traced the edge of her lip, concentrating on not cutting me and to get it perfectly, saying when she stepped back, to look at the side she'd done. "You know you're appreciated, otherwise I'd be out looking for someone else. Anyway, getting off you, I'm supposed to be telling you about Cassie" I nodded my head, noting to question her later, on 'someone else' comment. "Her and David did 'it' with out protection a few months ago"
"Well that was stupid. Kids these days..." I was cut short when I noticed the stern look she was giving me. "I'm shutting up. Go on"
"She says she hasn't had her period, for the last two months" She said while I cringed, like I always do when she mentions that 'P' word, in that context's. I can just bare with her telling me about hers and knowing, I'm going to have to put up with Linole in a few years, when they kick in. "Jack, stop pulling faces"
"Sorry"
Turning my head the other way, she said. "Janet's, gonna take her for some tests, at the base today. I'm going to go in for some morale support, and for Malachi and mine's check ups"
"This David person, know?" I asked sounding very different, her pinching of my nose, wasn't helping me to sound serious about the situation, shaving the cream away from my top lip.
"He's a little shocked about it. They argued about it and from what she told me, he's gone to cool off while she comes back here, to make sure she's right"
With her last swiped on my chin, removing the last of the stubble and cream, I stood up. "Because of the thingies in her blood, like you?"
Nodding her head she rinsed the razor under the tap, feeling round my chin and neck, I was surprised that she managed to get it all. A nice clean shave that even some mornings I can't manage to do. Standing behind her, wrapping my arms round her, smoothing a hand over the top of her silk blouse, I lazily placed my chin down on her shoulder, breathing in her scent. Washing the sink out of the creamy water, she refilled for the sink for me, relaxing back into my warm chest. Feet were walking around in our bedroom, the floorboard creek near the doorway, changing the shoulder I was resting on. Linole came into the bathroom, a letter in one hand and a pen in the other.
"My teacher needs... one of you, to sign this for me" She said to us, yawning midway through it, extending the letter and pen out to us.
Shaking my head at her, I took the letter from her while Sam packed away my shaving kit, putting the toilet lid down I sat down, reading through the brief letter. My eyebrows hitched together with every word I read, sparing a second to glance up at Linole, her sleepy eyes hooded over by her eyelids. Chewing the inside of my mouth, I showed the letter to Sam, getting up off the toilet, placing a caring hand on Linole's head. Sam's eyes widen with astonishment, checking the name against the one at the top of the letter, checking it was her daughter in front of her. I'm right with her, I can't believe this child in front of me, is the one their talking about in the letter. She hasn't shown any signs to me, that she's capable of what there describing. Though anyone's more capable than me, when they talk about that.
Sam leant back against the countertop, rereading the letter again, saying. "Linole, do you know what this letter's about?"
She shook her head at us, ditching my hand from her head, hugging me round my waist, ready to go back to sleep against me. Picking her up, her head lulled against my shoulder, rubbing a hand up down her back, I moved to reread the letter myself, wondering if I was going to wake up in a minute.
"Linole, they want to move you, up two grades next year" Sam said, wafting the letter around, crinkling the folded letter, interrupting and making me lose my place on the letter. "They say you've shown the comprehension of a eleven year old. Have they given you some work to do, that was different from the rest of kids in your class?"
"My teacher gave me these long, number thingies while everyone else got to paint. I wanted to paint but she said I had to do it" Linole mumbled into my chest, her breath tickling my skin. "Everyone said, she was punishing me for something, but I hadn't done anything"
Coaxing her head up off my shoulder, I said. "Linole, they weren't punishing you. They were testing to see if you were able to do the work, they set for the kids older than you" Turning to Sam, I motioned towards the letter in her hand. "I'll pop by this afternoon, and have a talk with the teacher about it. See what they wanna do"
Exchanging the letter for Linole, Sam went off with her, telling her how her school did the same thing with her. Was this family going to be full of geniuses? Cause if it is, I'm going to feel very small indeed when their all discussing, quantum physics over the dinner table, their topic of conversation go right up and over my head. Looking down at the letter, I put the pen down by the sink, placing the letter on top of it. Nibbling on my lower lip, I looked at myself in the mirror, my eyebrows raised to heights Teal'c and Daniel, had yet to accomplish. Picking up the soap from the shelf on the wall, I dunk my hands and the soap into the water, lathering them up when I surfaced them from the water. Things were certainly going to be changing round here. Not just with Sam and me, if things... when things go right tonight.
Filing files and piling essay's on top of one another, packing everything away so I could leave, knowing when I arrive tomorrow, after going to Sam's promotion, I won't have all this work waiting for me to complete. Slamming my desk draw shut, I set the computer off into hibernate, recapping my pens that were strewed over my desk, putting them back into my pen pot Linole had made me. Wheeling my chair away from my desk, I collected together the files to leave on Major Taulton desk, loving the privileges the rank of Colonel gives me, able to pass work onto others and not have to reason for it. Funny though, how I can't get someone else to do my lessons for me, without telling them I need to get home and get ready for tonight. Telling them, I'm going to ask Sam, to marry me tonight. They're more than happy to do it then, offering their assistance in any way possible, even torturing her into saying 'yes' for me. She doesn't need torturing. She'll say 'yes'. I know she will.
With the files in my firm grasp, rising out of my seat, I walked through the beams of light, coming in through the blinds behind me, turning off the radio on my way to the door. Exiting out the already open door, I shut it behind me, not stopping for the briefest of seconds. Crossing the hallway to the other wide open door, the other three main people, conducting the other lessons for me, were all chatting about something, pointing on a map they had pinned up on the wall. Gently placing the files down on Taulton's desk, I squinted at the map of the Colorado area, scratching at my eyebrow, coming to stand behind Taulton and Walsh. Both arguing over where they should take, the cadets on their excursion next week, having a teddy bears picnic and everything.
"Children" I said, the three of them looked at me, Taulton and Walsh, pointed accusative fingers at one another. "Why not take them to Peterson, that way we won't have the problems we had last time, when you, Walsh, pick the location? Really, letting the recruits have their way and taking them into town, to get marshmallows and to buy your self some beer. I expect more from you people"
Gobsmack with me blaming him for a stunt I'd pulled, he pointed at himself and then at me, watching my retreating form, turn out of their office into the corridor. Burying my hands into my pockets, I clicked my way down the corridor, almost missing the door to the locker room, checking round that people hadn't seen my mistake. Entering with a sigh of relief, the door shut on its own at the same time I open my locker, banging and crashing it way open. Unhooking my jacket from the hanger, I slipped it on with no problem at all, retrieving my wallet, keys and sunglasses from the shelf.
Kicking the door shut, I slid my wallet into my back pocket, juggling with my sunglasses and keys in the other. Stuffing my keys into my jacket pocket, I made sure I had the letter as well, wanting to show it to Alex when I saw him. Actually, to show it to anyone, who would listen to me. Yanking open the locker door, I ventured back into the empty corridor, everyone occupying the mess or outside in the sun, enjoying this spring day. Extending my sunglasses arms, I put them on heading back down the corridor, passing the still arguing but agreeing Majors and Lieutenant Colonel, who shared their office.
Fiddling with something in my pocket, I decided to take the short cut through the mess and the kitchen. The room was full of chatter of officers and cadets, clinking of silverware and munching of food. Feeding my zip in on itself, I zipped it up slightly, manoeuvring through the tables to the opening, leading into the kitchen. A table near the window where I sometimes sat, with my cadets when they insisted I came to lunch with them, roared with shouts to me. Peering over the sea of heads, Alex and Gary, Alex's accomplice and best friend since they joined the academy, stood on their chairs, waving for me to come over.
Detouring from my set path, I went over to their table, most of them saluting lazily at me, shovelling another mouthful of whatever they were eating, into their mouths. Alex got down off his chair, Gary following in example, sitting down they both smiled up at me, they all smiled up at me.
"Hey, sir" Alex said, all of them knowing, why I'm disappearing for rest of the day. "So tonight is the night?"
Slipping my hand out of my pocket, I reached over the table to Alex's tray, stealing some of his fries, saying. "Yep. So you lot better have your fingers crossed, hoping I'll be a good mood tomorrow, and I won't have you write me an essay, longer than the radius of this planet"
Forks clattered against their plates, fingers crossing immediately after I mentioned 'essay'. Smiling at them I came round the table, to stand beside Alex, getting the letter out of my pocket. Handing it over to him, I said. "Read this"
Unfolding the letter over his plate of food, he sipped at his drink, Gary reading over his shoulder at the same time, finishing before Alex did. "Whoa! Impressive, sir" Gary said, his expression much like mine was this morning.
Taking the letter back off Alex, his eyes were wider than the Grand Canyon, saying. "Next time, I come round to see my cousin, I'll have to get her to write my assignments for me. She's certainly inherited Aunt Sam's brains"
"Tell me about it. I'm going to be living in a house, with two techno babbling women to put up with, if they think she's that intelligent" I said, filing the letter back into my pocket, slyly edging away from their table, wanting to get going and get this thing at Linole's school over and done with, so I can get back into preparing for tonight.
"Why ain't I got brains like them? I'm a Carter" Alex whined to Gary and everyone else round the table, the girls on the other side of the table, asking what the letter was about.
Waving a goodbye to Alex over my shoulder, I ducked into the kitchen, missing Mora by centimetres, apologising for hundredth time that month, for using her kitchen as a route to the car park. She smiled at me, carrying a metal tray over to the serving point, Karen one of the other mess hall staff, waved a hand to me, wishing me luck like everyone had done that morning. It's amazing that with nearly everyone, at the academy knowing what tonight is about, no one has let onto Sam what's going on. Even Linole's kept her mouth shut about it, after scouting locations to take Sam, to do the whole asking bit.
Rummaging around in my pocket for my keys, I crossed over the tarmac car park, the sun glistening down on the hoods of the cars and my truck, standing out from everyone's. Zapping it with the remote, the lights flash slightly in the sunlight, jingling the key ring, isolating the key for my truck, I spied round to see a few cadets playing football on the grass, some of the girls sitting, on the grass, nearby watching, some of them joining in. I've been told Sam wasn't just sat in the library at dinner. She was always, likely to be found outside playing whichever sport they'd decided to play, that lunchtime. I wish I'd been in her class, the year she was at the academy. She wouldn't have been able to get away from me. Toilets or no toilets, I would've followed her anyway and I would today.
Arriving home with a very bouncy nine year old, saving her from an afternoon of school, and to get her sorted for a night at Janet's, I drove up the driveway all the way up to the garage, parking in beside the Pontiac, on my side of the garage. Linole was out of the truck with her bag, whizzing round the front of the truck, babbling on about what her and Charlotte had done today. Sometimes its like Sam had twins instead of just the one, the amount of time Charlotte spends round here and Linole round Sharon and Trevor's house. Conducting her out of the garage, I pocketed my keys into my jacket, the talk with her teacher still swimming around in my head, ready to spill it all out to Sam, so she could decipher it. All I knew was they wanted to jump her a grade, at the end of the year, so she would start the year with the rest of the eleven year olds, instead of joining them halfway through the year.
Linole raced off into the house, climbing the porch steps by myself, the music from inside filtered out into the garden, through the open windows and the now open patio door. Pulling my wallet out from my back pocket, I came through the patio door, Jacob was nodding numerous times at Linole's, pouring me a cup of coffee. Taking my shoes off by the door, I shuffled my way over the wooden floor, slinging my keys and wallet onto the side, thanking Jacob when he handed me the cup of coffee. Throwing her bag up onto the countertop, Linole skipped her way round me, getting her self a can of coke from the fridge, still tattling on about what her teacher had said about her to me. Smiling to Jacob beside me, Linole carried on, collecting her bag from the kitchen counter, promising to come back and tell Jacob more, when she'd put her bag in her room.
Cracking up at the look on Jacobs face, he cracked up at the one on mine, opening the cupboard behind me, reaching inside for a bag of snacks. "Things set for tonight?" Jacob asked me, ripping the bag of chips open, angling it towards me for me to take some.
Declining with a shake of my head, I said. "Yeah, just got to get Linole and Malachi round to Janet's, without Sam asking questions. You're going to spend the night at the George's, right?"
"Yeah, all set my side of things. George is going to pick me from dropping the Pontiac off, at that location you've highlighted on the map. The spare key, to the Pontiac, upstairs in my side table draw where you put it. I'll set the blanket and things out, ready for when you arrive" Jacob said, munching down on the chips, the bag rustling each time his hand delved inside.
"Daniel's booked a table and a limo for me. The ring's hidden in my desk draw. My suit's upstairs waiting for me to put it on. Just got to get Sam to agree, to going out tonight and get to the restaurant at eight. Then I can spend the whole hour, praying she'll say yes." I said, sipping at my coffee, gliding my hand over the worktop.
"Jack" Jacob said, folding the foil bag over on itself, putting back into the cupboard behind me. "She'll say yes. You two are... well destine to be together. Tell me, did you once, when you were living at your cabin and you hadn't heard from any of them, not think about her?" I shook my head. "She was always talking about you, comparing something to you or saying what you'd say about something. The two of you are so... blended together if you will. It's like your Selmac in her, and she's Selmac in you"
"Is that your way of saying, were like snakes in each other heads? Because I can think of better metaphors to use, then comparing our relationship to snakeheads. Present company accepted. Don't mean to insult you two." I said covering myself, from the wrath of my future father-in-law and his snake.
Closing his eyes for a second, Jacob smiled at something, Selmac was probably telling him. Sipping at my coffee, Linole ran in through the dining room, forgetting her promise to tell us more of what her teacher had said. Instead disappearing into the games room, complaining about the couch getting in the way. Jacob blinked his eyes a few times, elevating his coffee mug to his lips.
"None taken. And Selmac agrees, I should have used a better way, of explaining what I was trying to say. But she says given your lack of intelligence, it would sufficed for now" Jacob said, touring round the kitchen, aiming for the office.
Nodding my head I went to follow him, coming to standstill by the dishwasher, getting the subtle insult. "Hey! I said I didn't mean what I said!"
The side door opened with a bang, Sam and Malachi's carry thingy came in through the door, a couple of plastic shopping bags in Sam's spare hand, walking the door shut with her backside. Sighing at the relief to her shoulders, she put Malachi on the kitchen top nearest the wall, sleeping peacefully in his carrier thing. Her keys clanked against the granite top, the plastic bags rustling when she let go of them, flinging her sunglasses onto the side with a grunt. Chuckling at her I placed my cup on the side, joining her instead of my insulting snakehead friend in the other room, my arms instantly sweeping her up, squeezing her affectionately against me. Kissing her on the lips, she tapped her hand against my chest, unclipping Malachi out of his carrier, cleaning the drool off his chin with his bid, tied around his neck.
Lifting Malachi out of his carrier, she handed him over to me, saying. "You'll be glad to know, you're not only one of Cassie's, surrogate dad's. You're also a surrogate grandfather to her baby"
"What's Janet say about it? Now its for definite" I said, ignoring how old her saying 'grandfather' made me feel, when she said it.
"They've gone home to talk about it. She said, to tell you, she's still on for tonight nonetheless. You have any idea what she meant by that?" Sam asked, packing the small bit of shopping she'd done, away into the cupboards where they belonged.
Pretending to have no idea about, what she was going on about, I put the pacifier into Malachi's mouth, noticing he'd woken up from his nap, which was attached onto his little dungarees. Smoothing his hair forward on his head, Sam stroked her finger down his cheek, shoving the screwed up carrier bags into the cupboard, where she liked to keep them. Clearing my throat to pass the time and build some courage up, it's all well planning it, but its scary as hell when you're actually putting it, into practise. She finished off the rest of my coffee, wandering down the small gangway to the coffee machine, unhooking her own cup, from the rack of mugs, she set them out to fill with coffee in front of the coffee machine.
"Sam, how about tonight we go out for dinner?" I asked her, padding my way over the wooden floor to her, in a very relax speed, bottling up the nerves that were surfacing.
Thinking about it for a minute, pouring some coffee into my mug and then her own, she glanced at me over her shoulder, saying. "Sure. You'll have to see about dad, see if he wants to come along too"
"No, no" I said, shaking my head at her, crossing my socked foot over the other, inclining against the countertop beside her with my hip. "Just you and me"
"Oh... well I don't know. Dad isn't going to want to look after, Malachi and Linole all evening, when he's come here to relax" She said for her best argument, which to my standards and knowing her the way I do, was certainly a poor argument.
A hand grabbed a handful of my shirt, tugging the light blue fabric, wanting to suck on the buttons of my shirt. Fighting with Malachi, stopping him from sucking on my shirt, I tried to put his pacifier in his mouth instead of my shirt, saying. "How about if I call Janet, and see if she'll take them for the night? I'm sure she won't mi..."
"You've already called her, haven't you?" She said, accusing me with a teaspoon, dripping hot coffee onto the floor. "That's what she meant when she said, she was still on for tonight"
"I have no clue, as to what you're going on about" I said with a cheeky grin, backing up away from the teaspoon, reminding her I was holding our child in my arms, who was still trying to get my shirt into his mouth.
"Jack O'Neill, why do I feel you're up to something?"
Shrugging my shoulder at her, I began to turn my back to her, calculating how much time it would take to get change, get Linole and Malachi, and their stuff, into the car. Drive all the way over town to Janet's, bung 'em out of the car on her doorstep, race back here home to get dressed up in my suit. I called back to her, in answer to her question with another question, when I was going through the dining room. "Aren't I always up to something?"
Sitting in front of the TV in the living room, Jacob was in the kitchen, cooking himself up some grub, so when we left it look like he was settling down for the night, having his dinner and then going to watch TV, for the rest of the evening. Reading the clock on the mantelpiece, half past seven and she was still upstairs, plastering her self in makeup and whatever else she was doing, that equated to her looking so fantastic, hearts could melt at the sight of her. Me, with the clock striking seven, I was sat waiting patiently downstairs, messing with my hair now and then. Adjusting a certain piece here and there, asking Jacob to correct the spike Sam had done for me, when we in the bathroom together. It wasn't often we took a shower together, and managed to keep our hands, from doing things we would've done, if Jacob wasn't in the house. I'm not risking her screaming out in ecstasy, Jacob mistaking it for a scream of help instead of joy or to have him... me feel embarrass about him hearing us. She of course couldn't care less, (sex maniac).
Flicking the channel over to the football, I changed it again till I came across a game of hockey, settling back into the couch, my feet crossed over one another, my shiny shoes shining in the light of the room. The first indication, that she was in the hallway, was her heels clicking on the wooden floor, slowly and gradually the smell of her perfume, floated through into the room, raising me up from my seat, for her entrance into the room. Fumbling to do something with my hands, she came into the room, doing something with her earring, unaware of my heart beating like the clappers and the shyness she was causing me, seeing a lady like herself in our living. Running my hand over my mouth, when she turned away for the slightest of instances, I wiped away drool that may have escape my mouth. I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked, and I could actually tell her this now. Unlike our first date, or dinner date as friends, I kept it to myself.
The black dress she had on, came half down her thigh, a large dip in the loose fabric, showed the right amount of her breasts, where I wouldn't be arguing with her to put something else on and I'd have something to stare at, when she was sat across from me, at the dinner table. Of course I don't just stare there, I'll do the dropping-of-fork-by-accident routine, sneaking a quick peep at her legs, wanting to touch them and have her there in the restaurant, or wherever we might be. I'd nearly done it at Christmas. Everyone was in the living room or in the dining room, and we were in the kitchen near the breakfast table, hidden from either room. It was only because Terz and Linole ran, shouting and screaming into the games room, that we'd stopped with her blouse hanging open, my shirt half way out of my pants, with my fingers tugging her underwear down her legs and her hands making light work of my belt and zip. But tonight, I want to take here and now on the carpet. Tough Jacob in the kitchen, I want her.
With my arms going round her, she turned within my arms, pleasantly surprise when she jump, surprised to see me that close, when I'd stood by the couch seconds before. "Jack?!"
"Mmm" I groaned in her neck, nuzzling at the tender and sensitive skin of her neck, her hands clutching to my shoulders for support, falling down towards the floor.
"Come on" She said, her hands trying to push my head away, not succeeding in her attempt. "We're going out, aren't we?"
Her words reminded me of the box, in my dinner jacket's pocket, banging against my side every time I moved. Backing off away from her neck, still keeping my arms round her waist, the thought of 'why is this woman with me?' came into my head, like it does everyday, when I wake up to see her beside me. Lovingly brushing her hair behind her ear, with my fingers, though with her short hair there was no point, only to satisfy my need to touch her hair. To touch anything that was hers. Placing a chaste kiss to her cheek, taking her hand from my side, threading our fingers together I accompanied her to the door. Our steps were in time with one another, her heels clicking against the wooden floor in time with my own clicking, smiling at her over my shoulder.
Jacob came out of the dining room, choking on whatever he was eating this time, thumping his fist against his chest, to dislodge whatever it was. Getting all concern Sam was about to go over to him, but he seemed all right once he cleared his throat, a small smile spreading across his face. With my hand hovering over the doorknob, Jacob hugged Sam for some reason, kissing her on the cheek, stepping back to shake his head at what she was wearing.
Opening the door slightly, collecting my keys I'd put ready on the side table, Jacob said. "You look just like your mother"
Sam blushed with a small tear, trailing down her cheek, smudging up some of her makeup but she was still beautiful in my eyes. "Thank you, dad"
Gesturing for her to go first, I patted Jacob on the shoulder, saying. "I'll have her home by ten, Mr Carter. My... parents have me a curfew for half ten"
"Well, son" He said in a very deep stereotypical father's voice, seeing the slight hurt I'd caused to myself in my eyes. "You make sure you drive safely and have as much fun as possible"
"No" I said, waving my finger at his mistake. "You're suppose to say if something happens, to your little girl, you'll string me up by my..."
"Oh for Christ's sake" Dragging me through the front door, fed up with Jacob and I mucking about. "You driving, or am I?" Sam said, escorting me round the porch to the side steps, to where I parked her car earlier, from returning back from Janet's.
Grinning to myself I selected her car key on my chain, opening my door while she walked round the back, getting in on her side the same time I got in on my side. Turning the key in the ignition, I strapped myself into the seat, steadily rolling her car down the driveway, peering down either side of the street, pulling out of our driveway, flashing a smile at her. She shook her head at me, turning up the radio to drown out the volume of my smile. Can't have everything I guess.
With our starter and main course out of the way, we were sharing the desert she'd ordered between us, even though I said I didn't want any. When we'd been sat down at the table, she commented we were sitting, at the same table we'd sat, on our first date. That's what she called and that's what I'm sticking with. A lot of the men, in the restaurant, are starring at her like they always do, but I don't care. I'm here with her, not with them. They can stare all they like tonight, my minds more occupied with remembering my little speech, and keeping an eye out for the limo driver. I feel silly though, having the limo driver come over to our table, and tell her the limo's waiting outside for her, like he's been instructed to do. She'll get all flustered, her brain kicking into overdrive, working out the possible reasons for a limo, booked for our use this evening.
Eating another piece of cake, she playfully placed into my mouth, I used my napkin to wipe the chocolate, away from the side of my mouth, watching her eat a piece for herself. Sipping at the wine in my glass, I still can't get over how beautiful she looks, and I've told her repeatedly through dinner and on the drive over here. She is beautiful. Even when she's head to toe in mud, she's beautiful. You couldn't say a word wrong about her, because she's just so perfect and not many people want that, but I do. I want the perfect smile, the perfect shade of blue that her eyes are, her perfect sense of humour that's easy to please. I want Sam Carter. I want everything that goes with this woman. The ups and the downs, Linole and Malachi, a snakehead father, I want it all.
It's sad but I also want the fights, there haven't been many, just arguing over stupid things like who gets the last bag of chips, when we're sitting up to watch a late film together, and she wants the bag to herself, so she doesn't have to lean over me to get to the bag. I want the nights where she'll disappear and won't return for a day or two. Sleeping most of the day, to make up for the two days she's gone without sleep. The times where she'll return home injured, palming me off with the public excuse that she fell down some stairs, telling me later it was because she had to fight her way home or breaking someone (Tok'ra no doubt, as they always seem to get into trouble) out of jail. I don't care about anything else, apart from Linole, Malachi, Jacob, Kate, Rob and his family, James and his family. Daniel, Janet, Teal'c, Cassie and future baby, Jonas though I don't see him, and... the General, can't forget George.
Speaking of George, or thinking of George, I sit up in my chair, pivoting my wine glass round by its base, saying. "Sam" She looked up at me briefly from the plate, sat in the middle of the table, remnants of the chocolate cake on it. "Tomorrow, at your promotion, you couldn't act all surprise, could you?"
"What like" She put the fork down on the plate, placing her hands on her cheeks. "Oh my god, I'm being promoted at last! Or" She folded her arms over her chest, swiping her hand underneath her nose, making me chuckled at her. "Oh. Right, stick 'em on my shoulders, so I can get back to work. Which?"
"Is there an in-between one?" I asked flicking a tear of laughter off my cheek, still chuckling to myself at her little comedic display.
"How about? Oh my, I don't know what to say" She said, her hand muffling up what she was saying, with her other hand, gently placed on her chest. "How was that?"
"Better. Much better" I said, catching the glimpse of who had to be our limo driver, asking for our table at the door.
Finishing off the rest of my wine, I fidgeted with ring box in my dinner jacket, draped over the back of my chair, secretively watching the approaching limo driver, his hat wedged under his arm. Sam was trying to ask me whether I wanted some more wine, or if I wanted to order coffee now, but I wasn't paying attention to her. For the first time that evening, I wasn't paying attention to her, and it had to be sinful to do that. I was busy pretending, not to know or see the limo driver, coming over to our table. Pretending to knock something off the table onto the floor, the limo driver presented himself to Sam. Sitting back up in my chair, placing the napkin back on the table, I watched Sam's face light up to the rose, the limo driver handed over to her, like I had instructed Daniel to tell the limo driver to do.
Smelling the rose, she looked across the table at me, her eyes asking me, if this was my doing. "Don't look at me, this had nothing to do with me"
The limo driver offered his hand down to Sam, cocking an eyebrow at me, she slid her hand into his, letting him help her out of her chair. Pulling my chair out from behind me, I whispered to the driver I'd be right out, when Sam wasn't looking, too busy at avoiding the people surrounding our table, looks and whispers. I thought I heard someone say, they wished their husband did something like that for them. Pay me enough, and I'll do it for whoever said it. But I'd rather do it for Sam.
Watching the driver ushering Sam to the door, she glanced back over her shoulder at me. I waved for her to go on, handing my credit card over to the waiter, who was smiling like a complete idiot at me. Disappearing with my card, I collected my keys from the table, shoving them into my pocket. Pinching the collar of my jacket, I slung it over my arm, stretching over the table to get the bottle of wine, pouring the small bit that was left in the bottom, into my empty glass. Downing the full glass in one, I needed anything I could get my hands on, to keep my nerves in line. I hope the driver's, stocked up on scotch, I really need one about now.
Thanking the driver of the limo before I got out, Sam stood by the side of the road, rubbing at her arms, the cold nipping at her skin. Slamming the door shut, the driver slowly pulled away, driving home for the night or to pick up another customer. Shrugging off my jacket, I put it over her shoulders, kissing her on the forehead. Holding my hand out to her, she claimed it for her own with her free hand, still hanging onto the rose the driver, had given her in the restaurant. Starting up the tracks to the clearing Linole and I had found, trekking around to find the perfect, most romantic spot we could find. With guesswork, I assessed that when the moon was up, the whole clearing would be lit by the moonlight, and I was right. When I was late home, one night, I swung by to verify it.
Halfway up the track after twenty minutes of walking, she pulled me to a stop, becoming her support post while she took her heels off, sticking one of them in either pocket of my jacket. I almost had a stroke. Scared she'd find the box, before I felt ready to bring it out of my left pocket, on my jacket. Sighing in relief we began to walk up the track again, dodging the stones and twigs in her path, her arm linking round my arm.
The quiet nightlife settled my nerves down some more, but nothing would settle me, like her telling me 'yes', when we finally got up this track and I ask her. Wanting to distract myself I played, with the buttons on the front of my shirt, hidden behind my Simpsons tie Kate brought me, not this Christmas gone but the Christmas before it. Glimpsing to her walking beside me, I knew I wanted this, like everything else we've had together. I even want the seven years we had apart, our feeling growing even more with our separation. I never want to wake up, if this is a dream. Like the million of dreams I've had before, dreaming of a life with her, I couldn't have with her at the time.
Sighting the clearing up ahead, the glimmer of moon light, on the paint of the Pontiac, one of the many things unnatural, in the small clearing. Smiling at Sam beside me when she gasped, her hand held over her mouth, seeing the blanket with the bucket, cooling the champagne sticking out the top of it, the ice melting slowly around it. She knelt down onto the blanket, pulling the bottle of champagne out of the bucket. Stepping up onto the step of the Pontiac, I balanced myself on the edge of the door, seesawing to turn the radio on, popping the tape in that I had Alex do for me, putting the songs on which were Sam's favourites.
Removing my tie from around my neck, I stepped down off the step to the Pontiac, looking round to see Sam, unwrapping the foil from around the neck of the bottle, untwisting the metal captivator, keeping the cork in the bottle. Tossing my tie into the backseat, I reached over the driver's seat, for the champagne glasses, clinking together when I picked them up. The cork popping echoed through out the clearing, scampering and rustling of animals, came from all sides of the clearing. Sam giggled to herself, holding the bottle ready to pour some into the glasses.
Sitting down beside her with a groan, I held the glasses steady, memorised by the way the moonlight was lighting her face. The tape finally came on but not with what I had in mind, to start the evening off. Alex's voice hadn't been on the list.
"Hey, Aunt Sam. If you're listening to this, I just want to let you know, he's put a lot of thought into this and he believes he doesn't deserve you. Prove him wrong. Have a good one, and don't do anything I wouldn't do" Someone in the background said, it was very clichd of him to say that. There was some laughter, making fun of Gary, for quoting me my favourite line, and then it abruptly cut to the beginning of the song.
Smiling anyway I carefully placed the glasses down, on a nearby rock that could act like a table, cambering up onto my feet, pulling her up to her feet after me. Advancing for her to put her hand into mine, hooking my arm round her back, closing the gap between us. Swaying in time with the music, her head dosed against my shoulder. I whispered into her ear, "I love you, Sam". She looked up at me, caressing her hand down the side of my face, quickly putting it back into my hand again, when the singer began to sing the song, I wanted to start this evening off with.
"When your faith is shaken;
I'll be by your side
When your heart is breaking;
Mine is open wide"
In our own beat, we drifted round together, snuggling in further together, my arms sneaking in beneath my jacket, with her head fitting in perfectly underneath my chin, her hair tickling my chin. The jacket fell from her shoulders, landing in a puddle behind her, her shoes and the ring box, falling out of the pockets, onto the grass. Spying the blue box coming up, I knocked it backwards with the heel of my shoe, hiding it in the cape of the darkest that wasn't lit, by the moonlight.
"I'll be your shelter;
If you ever fall apart,
I'll be the answer
To the questions of your heart"
She unbutton my top button on my shirt, her hand returning round my neck, threading through my hair, bringing my head down, stooping me down to her height. My back was going to kill in the morning, but I don't care. Like I've said, I want this more than anything and if it means backache instead of heartache, I can surely take. Cause this woman in my arms, dancing with me in the moonlight, is the best thing since slice bread.
"Cause in your eyes of blue
I see the soul of you
Like a window to your heart
A candle in the dark
Cause in your eyes I see
The dream of you and me
Baby I will see it through
Through your eyes of blue"
The small droplet of her warm tear, strained against my neck, cascading off her cheek onto my warm skin. Drawing her nearer to me, I kissed the side of her neck, sighing into the crook of her neck. Though the tape was supposed, to be all her favourite songs, I couldn't help putting on one of my favourites. My favourite song, cause it reminds me of her. She was there for me, wanting to be a friend I could talk to, when I gotten back, from taking the crystal entity through. She'd fought to bring me home, on so many occasions. And the only way I can repay her is by giving her my heart, and she can take it gladly, because she stole it on the first day she came through that briefing room door.
"I'll be sanctuary
A friend through the unknown
When you feel you carry
The world you face alone"
I could feel her heart beating, through the layers of clothes I could feel her strong heartbeat, beating against the cage of her chest. Maybe she was like me, hearing her heartbeat in her ears. I was going on my heartbeat for the song, the only thing from the outside world getting through, was the feel of her in my arms and the warm dampness against my neck. All I know, and all I ever want to know, is whether this woman is happy. That's all I need to get me through the day. Food and water are a privilege, her happiest and love is mandatory.
"Here in the darkness
I've been holding on too long
I'll be forever
Your heart will find the stone"
With the slightest of a turn of my head, we both stop in the middle of the blanket, our eyes showing the love we have one another. Sometimes I can't understand, why someone like her would ever love someone like me. I ask myself the same questions everyday, wanting to know what her intellectual mind, would want with an idiot like me. Then when I do ask her, lying there together in our bed, watching the other like hawk, memorising every detail of the other face. She'll tell me it's because I'm kind, considerate, cute, sarcastic and above all. Sexy. Can't argue with a lady.
"Cause in your eyes of blue
I see the soul of you
Like a window to your heart
My candle in the dark
Cause in your eyes I see
The dream of you and me
Baby I will see it through
Through your eyes of blue"
All those times, stepping through the gate to an unknown world together, all I wanted was for her to be safe. Spending those two days, rioting away in the grass, I was quite contempt with myself to die there. I'd experienced a love not known to many, and though at the time, it hadn't had chance to flourished, I would of died happy. I knew she was there for me. Her love was constant though it was never shown, hidden behind the mask of her military faade. She was always there for me, through thick and thin. And I'm not just talking about the mud they can come across, when they're off world.
"I'm just a man who thinks
The world of you
The story that I can read
Your silence can speak the truth"
Sneaking out her lips she found me instead, kissing me the way we kiss, when we're together and there's all the time in the world for everyone else. It's none of that TV stuff, the erotic 'eat-your-face' kinda kisses Jacob insists, we do on purpose when he comes home. No, no. This is the slow and sensual kiss, time stopping, heart pumping kiss that are always in romance novels. None of them, can ever live up to the kisses, Sam and I share. They're unique to us. There is no love like ours out there.
"Cause in your eyes of blue
I see the soul of you
Like a window to your heart
A candle in the dark
Cause in your eyes I see
The dream of you and me
Baby I will see it through
Through you eyes of blue"
There's one thing I don't seem able to grasp, how the hell could Darren ever give up his chance, with this woman? So she disappears from time to time, she works long hours and hardly ever takes a holiday. But... she's Sam. Sam the light of my morning, the smile that twists my insides about, the one whose heart is more welcoming than the church. My whole world is this woman, and that stupid son-of-a-bitch let her get away. I'm awfully thankful that he was stupid enough to let her get away, but if I were him, I wouldn't have let her get an inch away from me. I'd go to the end of the world for this woman, and go back again if that was what she wanted.
"I see the soul of you
Like a window to your heart
A candle in the dark
Cause in your eyes I see
The dream of you and me
Baby I will see it through
Through your eyes of blue
Through your eyes of blue...."
With the tape winding to the next song, we came up for air, much needed if you ask me. Helping her to sit back down, I took the time to have a breathier, her perfume intoxicating me as well as our kiss. Flattening my shirt against my chest, I knelt down in front of her, groaning and moaning to myself about my knees, her giggling not helping at all. For some reason, she seemed taller than me, by an inch or two. Dismissing it for the moment, I hauled my jacket over, draping it over her shoulders again. Pivoting round on my knees, groaning and cursing my blasted knackered knees, my hand combed through the grass. The smooth material of the box swept by my hand. Clasping it up into my hand, shoving into the pocket of my pants, I turned back round to find my glass of champagne.
Thanking her with a nod of my head, I downed the glass as quick as I could, the worried and astonished look on her face, was some amusement to me while I put the glass, a safe distance away from me. Taking her hand out of her lap, I cleared my throat, scanning the clearing for something to do, eluding her questioning gaze. Blinking my eyes a few time, I finally held my gaze with her, hopefully keeping my face as relax as possible, especially under the circumstances.
"Sam" The most clichd beginning to a proposal, I'd ever heard. "I may not understand everything you say, when you're off explaining some theory, you've come up with or you're explaining how this and that works. But the one thing in this universe, and in all those parallel thingies, is that you are meant for me and I'm meant for you. You're the love of my life, and I never want anyone else to be, where you are in my heart. I want to be by your side, when you're at your best and when you're having the worst day possible. I love you, Sam. And I want to know, would you..." I reached in my pocket, procuring the velvet box from my pocket. "...Samantha Claire Carter, marry me, Jonathon 'pain in the ass' O'Neill?" I said, opening the lid on the ring box, the diamonds sparkling in the moonlight.
The tears trailing down her cheeks, didn't give much away as to what was going on in her head, her eyes were so clouded up with tears, I was starting to think I was about to break down into tears myself. Brushing them away with my thumb, she let a slight hiccup out, covering her 'O' shaped mouth, her eyes rapidly scattering her gaze around the clearing, short quick glances at me. I grinned nervously at her, insecurely cradling the ring box in my hands, the pit of my stomach threatening to bring my dinner back, if she didn't put me out of my misery. She could shoot me, as long as she gave me some kind of answer.
Her eyes locked with mind, the determination behind them made me smile, while she said. "Jonathon 'pain in the butt'..."
"Ass"
"Sorry, Jonathon 'pain in the ass' O'Neill, a man who's a man of few words, yet has just told me his heart and his love for me. I, Samantha Claire 'brainy than you' Carter, would love to be your wife" She said, my smile was about to rip my face off, if I did anymore smiling tonight.
Laughing in utter shock and relief, I shakily pulled the ring out of the foam padding. Forgetting the box I acquired her hand, sliding the gold diamond ring onto her wedding finger, sighing when it was in place. I couldn't do anything. Her hands were caressing the sides of my face, kissing me on the cheek. I was gone. Lost all motor functions. Messages to limbs blocked. Eighteen years of wanting this woman, and now she was my woman. (Figuratively speaking). She's my woman and I'm her man.
Riding the elevator down into the complex, I couldn't take my eyes off her, her head lulling against my shoulder, and her arms firmly clutching me round my waist. Last night, was certainly something that would go down, in our little history. We were running late because she wouldn't let me, get out of the tub to check the time. Clothes were scattered about the house, from the kitchen up to the landing, my watch was lost somewhere along the way. Her 'sex maniac' personality certainly was pleased last night and so am I. Last night, was just down right and dirty sex. First in the clearing, then when we'd gotten home, upstairs on the observation deck. A little siesta for me, (the old pensioner), then we carried on our love making in our bedroom and then in the tub this morning. The reason for us to be running late, messages on the answering machine, both our cellulars and pagers with messages on them too. And all she could say was 'we can always miss my promotion and you, could take the day off work. I'm sure they'll understand', trying to take my shirt off that I'd just put on.
Skimming a hand over her hair, her eyes peeped up at me when the door opened, onto the gate room level, voices chatting and laughing in the distance. Removing my sunglasses, we stepped out the elevator for the first time that morning, with a small distance between us, our hands not actually touching the other one. Sliding my sunglasses into the inside pocket, of my dress uniform jacket, I fiddled with my tie, while she flattened my hair down for me. Clasping our hands together, the door slid open when we got there, the airman posted there, recognising us from down the hallway. The room was full of blue uniforms, green uniforms and the odd suit. Mix in together with the grey walls, acting as a background for the colours. I hate room's full of people.
Sam trudged the way through the people, dragging me along behind her, our friends waving to us on the other side of the room. Isn't that always the way? You're on one side, and they're on the other, forcing you to push and shove your way through the crowded room. I hate it. Nodding my head to someone who called my name, I didn't even recognised them but I'm sure they know me, most people at the SGC do. Breaking through the blue and green uniforms, my attention was drawn to Janet's arms, my baby boy sleeping soundly in her arms. Holding my arms out ready, she gave him over to me. Sam was off chatting with them, while I stood with Malachi in my arms, surprised I actually missed him so much, and he'd only spent the night round Janet's.
"Did you guys know about last night?" Sam asked them, touching Malachi's cheek, her gaze pulled between our friends and Malachi.
Daniel shook his head, buttoning up one of the button on his jacket, saying. "Nope, I didn't know he was taking you to Marco's, or that a limo was going to pick you up at nine. Oh, did you say yes, or do I have to go through that all over again, of him nagging me to look after your ring till he's ready to ask you again?"
"No, you don't" She said, showing them the ring on her finger, Janet was attached to her hand, getting a closure inspection. "I said yes and why wouldn't I. I've got the man of my dreams, the best kids in the world and I have the ultimate job. What more could I want?"
"Another kid" I said, my mouth not running it passed my brain, blurting it out to silence everyone.
Sam chuckled, pressing a kiss to my cheek, saying. "We'll see about doing that, some time in the future. But, right now, let's get this show on the road, so we can go home"
Janet retook Malachi from me, laughing at Sam's comment and the look on my face. Searching the room for the General or anyone who'd know where he was, I tapped Sam on the shoulder, pointing to the General and Jacob up on the ramp, standing in the shadows of the gate. Grabbing her hand, I led the way through the crowd to the ramp, our little group following us to the ramp, Janet remaining behind with Malachi, sitting on a chair someone must have put there. With are shoes and Sam's heels, clunking against the metal grate, the room quieten down to a whisper, eyes watching the four of us, ascending up the ramp to the podium.
The General tapped Jacob on his shoulder, both dressed in their blues, nothing new for the General but for Jacob, it was a whole new ball game. Seeing him once in the whole time, we've known each other, dressed in his blues and that wasn't for long. Presenting Sam to them, I lined up beside Daniel. Feet thudded their way, up the ramp, tightening his tie into place, a stranger I haven't see since Christmas. Jonas nodded his head to all of us. I smiled at him, someone I actually now class as a baby brother. (I'm beginning to have a collection of them all over universe now). Sam did this, kinda wave thing at him, making me chuckle at her and shake my head at her.
Jacob elevated Sam's hand up have a look, whistling at it glistening at him. Kissing Sam on the cheek, congratulating us, he patted my shoulder, winking at me behind Sam's back. Hammond flicked the switched on the mic, addressing the room while Jacob and I, pulled faces at one another. Sam slapped us both, telling us to behave. (Can't grown men behave like teenagers, once in their adults' lives?)
"Welcome all, and thank you for attending this ceremony. Today, I have the great honour to present a woman. I've watched grow from a fine officer into an outstanding officer. A mother of two adorable children, which many of us here in this room, are very fond and honoured, to watch two incredible children grow up, in the loving care of this woman. Though Malachi is still a baby, I foresee the greatness in him, that I have seen in both his parents" He gestured to Sam and me. I bowed my head, too embarrassed to look down at the people, looking up at us. "Today, like I did many years ago, would like to congratulate Major Carter, on her promotion to Lieutenant Colonel"
Clapping my hands in time with everyone in the room, I suppressed the laughter swelling in my gut, watching Sam's re-enactment of her 'shocked impression' she'd done, at the dinner table last night. Batting me on the shoulder, I chuckled watching her stand between her father and the General, removing her gold leaves from her shoulders. My hands were starting to hurt when her old insignia's clunked onto the podiums top, the General handed Jacob one of the silver leaves, I once had carried on my shoulders. Pinning them on she gave me the thumbs up, Daniel's head butted against my shoulder, asking me what I'd done to the Sam, he knew so well. I haven't done anything. Just loosened up the Sam that once was strangulating from existence, by all the military trimmings. This is the Sam. I knew was hiding behind her uniform.
Coming back to stand beside me, we both snapped a salute to one another, a lopsided grin on both our faces. Hammond stood back in front of the podium, collecting the two gold insignia's, saying. "I've asked, Colonel O'Neill, ex-CO of Colonel Carter and ex-leader of SG-1, to say a few words today. Hopefully though, we won't be rushing round, when the Colonel's beamed out of here"
A few laughed that knew, what the General, was going on about. Tugging the front of my uniform down, ambling passed Sam and Jacob, sliding in behind the podium, remembering how small I thought everyone looked, the last time I stood behind this podium. Splaying my hands down onto the podium, I coughed away from the mic, licking my lips to past the time. Shooting my eyebrows up for a second, I found something that relaxed, but also made me want to laugh. Sam smiled at me, motioning towards the door with her eyes, hooking her thumb in small gestures to the door.
Shaking her out of my head, I leant down onto the podium slightly, saying. "Most of the people, in this room, have experienced what working with a woman, like Colonel Carter, is like. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I've never in my life, worked with someone quite like her. Everyone here has a special quality about them. The techs do a lot of the work, to keep this program running smoothly. Making sure MALPs are working properly and the gate, is working like it should. The scientists who make sure things are safe, and do some amazing work. The archaeologists that sit on their butts all day, examining some rock that they like to call artefacts." A few people, at the back, laughed while Daniel gave me an icy glare. "And then you have the soldiers, who risk their life's everyday. Who ride down in that elevator, knowing today could be the day, they won't be coming home"
The room was silent with my words, echoing through the room, scarring me that I had everyone's attention, eyes locked onto me as their target. Taking a deep breath, I carried on. "All this though, wouldn't have been possible and you people wouldn't be here, if it hadn't of been for Colonel Carter. She made the greatest of difference to this project. Her brain pops out ideas nearly all the time. Ways she can improve things and get this thing" I pointed to the gate behind me. "...to dial up even quicker. Believe me, listening to her go on about it in her sleep, can conk me out any night. Honest, anyone having any sleeping problems, just pop by our house, about one in the morning, and you'll be out, listening to a minute of her techno babbling in her sleep" Everyone, apart from Sam, laugh, Jacob agreed with a nod of his head. "Today though, I couldn't be more prouder than to be by this woman's side. You won't meet anyone, quite like Colonel Carter ever again"
They all applauded me, coming out from the podium, smirking at Sam when I saw how red she was. Swooping into her, I kissed her on the cheek, falling in beside her on the ramp. Jacob and the General whispered something to one another. Nodding their heads in unison with one another, Jacob took the podium, tapping the mic to quieten the whispering crowd, at the base of the ramp.
"Ladies and gentlemen, last night was very special for my little girl and the nitwit, she's decided to spend the rest of her life with. I'm glad you're keeping him, Sam. He keeps a well stock fridge." Jacob said, everyone laughing at the failed comedian turned General. "Anyway, tonight at General Hammond's house, there's going to be a congratulations party, for Colonel Carter's promotion. Sounds weird, me saying that. And congratulating my daughter and Colonel O'Neill, on their engagement"
The whole room was applauding Sam and me, cowering away from the noise. Sam cursed her father into my ear, swearing we would get him back somehow. I don't care, I just wanted to get out of there, do my two lessons at the academy. Head home and get change, and then party. (PARTY! Yay!) The General dismissed everybody. The room was empty of the sea of blue and green, and the odd suit. Hooking her arm round my arm, we rambled our way, the others passing us, while we took our time. Congratulating her with a whispered kiss over her ear, her fingers trailed down my face, when I felt someone squeeze my arm.
"Jack" The General said, smiling at us. "I see congratulations are in order"
"Thank you, sir. And thank you, for holding the party at your house" I said, shaking his hand, holding onto Sam's with my other hand. "It's very much appreciated"
"I'm honour to host it for you. Especially as I'm now... two hundred and fifty-seven thousand better off" He said, joining the line of people leaving the room.
Sharing a look between us, we followed in silence, laughing when we got to the door. Have their been bets going on behind our backs? Ferretti's a dead man when I find him. He's always behind this sort of thing. But that can wait. My fiance and me have some more celebrating to do before the day is over. Might pack Linole and Malachi off to Janet's again, escape to the cabin for the weekend. Sounds good to me.
The End (Should just get one more out of it, I think. If you all, want one more?)
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