Retirement
Retirement
by Katmellie
Summary: Jack finally comes to his decision to leave.
Category: Humor, Romance
Episode Related: 318 Shades of Grey, 703 FRAGILE BALANCE, 718 HEROES Part 2
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: G
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: 02/25/04
Dreams, what were they? A way to escape, a world that was full of evil and pain? A chance to control the situation in anyway you see fit? Or just for once, to let your fantasies have chance to be lived whilst in the safety of your bed? Jack didn't know the answers to these questions, but he surely thought about them everyday. His dreams were no different from the average Joe: to be successful, have the chance to love someone, and to have a hell of life that you can tell the kids about. He'd got all three of them in his dreams, but only had two of them in real life.
That was why he had come to his decision. How could he deny himself the chance, to grab that third thing like so many had done before him? Wars had been fought over women in the past; this was no different. Except his war wasn't with a person, though there had been exceptions along the way, and it wasn't with a physical object. It was with the establishment. The thing he'd dedicated his life to over the long years. The Air Force stood like the solid wall of China, preventing him from touching his goal. Even to touch it within a hair's breath, he wasn't allowed to do that. Not the way he wanted to touch her.
Signing the piece of paper on the desk, he sat back satisfied into his commanding officer's chair, laying the pen down onto the oak table beside the crisp letter. It was there in black and white, with his scrolled signature at the bottom of it in blue. He should have gone years ago, stayed at home and enjoyed his years of peace and quiet. Instead he was thrown into a battlefield, things blowing up around him and people screaming as they were hit. Not the best retirement days to have. He nodded his head one last time at his decisions, sitting forward to fold the crisp letter into thirds and slid the folded letter into the envelope that went with it.
There was a knock at the door that startled Jack, making him jump before his soldier reflexes could do anything about it. Daniel came into the office, looking bemused with the fact that Jack was sat behind General Hammond's desk, instead of the big white chief. Sighing in relief, Jack rolled his eyes at Daniel, licking the flap of the envelope to stick it down, sealing it until General Hammond found it on his desk.
Perching the envelope against the family photo of the General's family, Daniel said. "You wouldn't know where the General was, Jack?"
"He's at home, Daniel." Jack said, pushing the red leather chair back as he got to his feet, tugging his uniform shirt straight. "If you want him for something, he won't be in till tomorrow morning."
"Oh, okay. Well, it can wait. I just wanted him to take a look at these..." Daniel paused, the papers in his hand flapping down over his hand when they lost their integrity. "What's that?"
"Nothing." Jack answered on his way through the doorway into the briefing room.
Daniel followed, rolling up the papers in his hands, not able to leave it as that. He'd noticed Jack had been acting weird since Janet had died and he'd recovered from his injuries of taking a full frontal blast of a staff weapon. Maybe the blast had knocked more sense out of Jack instead of into him. Jack shoved his hands into his pockets, pretending not to notice the inquisitive Doctor beside him.
"Jack, what was that envelope about?" Daniel persisted. "Why do you have that serious look on your face?"
Jack kept his eyes locked ahead of him, his jaw wired shut, as he turned the corner in the corridor, coming to a stop in front of the elevator to swipe his card in the reader. His eyes glanced up at the level reader whilst Daniel's observed his behaviour, pushing his glasses further up his nose. Jack's behaviour reminded Daniel too much of the time, when Jack was sent secretly after the NID, posing as one of their renegade operatives.
When the doors opened to them, both were surprised to see Sam leaning in the corner, reading through a wad of paper folded over her arm. Stepping inside, Jack smiled politely at Sam, pressing for the locker room level. Daniel cautiously stood between them, watching Jack as he watched Sam in the corner, shaking her head at something as she scribbled onto the sheet of paper.
"Be glad you guys get to go home tonight." Sam told them. "If I didn't have to go through all this print out of the system checks on the dialling program, then I'd be heading home myself. Sometimes I wish my double from the parallel universe were here. She could do all the boring parts of my job."
Jack chuckled, his face breaking out into smile. "Sure, Carter. You know deep down, you would rather do it yourself. If you let someone else do it, you'd check over it for your own satisfaction. Perfection is your main key."
"That wasn't the point to my argument, sir. And anyway, aren't you the one encouraging me to go home more often?" Sam questioned, wedging her pencil behind her ear.
"Yeah, of course. But I know it's useless. You'd never leave that lab of yours for anyone." Jack jibbed at Sam.
"Oh that's not true." Daniel stated. "She's left it several times to come to my aid."
Jack shook his head, taking his hands out of his pockets to indicate between them. "Swapping her lab for your lab, is not getting out more."
"She goes through the 'gate nearly every week." Daniel pointed out. "She's going out then."
"I mean, as in a none work related topic, Daniel." Jack clasped his hands over his face. "You're suppose to help me in encouraging her to leave more often. Aren't you her friend?"
"Yeah, of course. But she has the brains when it comes to fixing my computer. She knows more about the damn things, when they've deleted some of my research or mission reports." Daniel babbled on.
"Excuse me." Sam said as the doors opened. "But do you think you can stop talking about me in the third person? I was here."
"Was?" Jack asked, his eyes following her as she got off the elevator.
"My floor, sir." Sam giggled, taking the pencil out from behind her ear. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Night, Sam." Daniel called as the doors closed, his eyes immediately going back to studying Jack.
Jack scratched at his scalp, moving to stand on the other side of the elevator, watching the counter above their heads. Whatever was going through Jack's head, Daniel would never know. The man was like reading a book sometimes, but when he didn't want anyone to know what was going on inside, his face blanked out all expressions. Daniel hated times like theses.
The doors opened again and Jack got out, Daniel following right on his coat tails. Jack was beginning to think the younger man was joined to his hip, clinging to him till he found out what was going on. But there was no way; Jack was going to let him in on his plans. Daniel would probably be happy for him, but also try and talk him out of it. Though he wanted the best for his friends and for them to be happy, Daniel still knew that they needed all the help they could get to fight off the Goa'uld. Jack already felt as though he was running out on everyone, using an escape goat to get away from the torment and the blood spilling. But Jack wasn't the man he used to be anymore.
He wasn't the young Jack O'Neill, who had signed up with such excitement and enthusiasm to get into a cockpit, and go to war with someone. He wasn't the man who spent weeks in an Iraqi prison, taking all the torture and abuse till he was able to escape. The man who was able to shoot someone in the head, face to face; Jack wasn't him anymore. He wasn't the man who knelt on the floor of his boy's bedroom, hugging the blood sodden body of his son, crying and shouting for someone to help as he applied pressure to his wound. Jack wasn't the man who stepped through the 'gate on the first mission to Abydos, with the intent on killing himself or getting some stranger to do it for him. He wasn't anything that he used to be.
Jack had become a dreamer, a man in desperate need of comfort. In need of the things he never used to crave. The things he wouldn't allow himself to have, so there wasn't any weaknesses or vulnerable spots the enemy could use against him. He was a new man, a man with no past or future without her.
Pushing the locker room door open, Jack waltzed over to his locker, ignoring Daniel's hand on his arm as Daniel tried to talk to him. "Jack, tell me you're not going on a secret mission again? No bullshit this time. You owe me, as a friend, to tell me what the hell's going on. What's going on?"
"Nothing, Daniel." Jack said secretly, opening his locker door as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Nothing that you won't know in due time."
"Okay, stop talking to me like that." Daniel said, hitting Jack on the shoulder with his rolled up papers. "Tell me what's going on!"
"Danny, Danny, Danny." Jack uttered on as he hung his shirt up inside his locker. "Patience is a virtue."
"I swear to God, Jack. If you don't tell me in the next five minutes, I'm gonna go get Teal'c and Sam, and we'll all go down and open that envelope on the General's desk." Daniel warned with his rolled up papers, threatening Jack.
Jack stripped his arms of his t-shirt, dropping it inside his locker as he took a step towards Daniel. "You wouldn't dare."
"Yes, I would."
"No, you wouldn't."
Daniel placed his hands on his hips. "Yes, I would."
"No, you wouldn't 'cause you value your life." Jack said, unfastening his belt. "There is no way you're opening that envelope. Do you know what the punishment for military and civilians for opening a General's mail?"
"No, what is it?" Daniel asked, banking up against the locker beside Jack's as Jack took his pants off.
"I don't know. That's why I was asking you." Jack answered, encouraging a very long and frustrated growl to emanate from his best friend.
Reaching inside his locker for his civvies pants, Jack looked over his shoulder when he heard Daniel huff in annoyance, dropping down onto the bench behind him. Jack felt sorry for Daniel. Looking at him, sat on the bench, made Daniel look like a lost boy. The Peter Pan type boy, except without all the flying stuff.
Jack pulled on his pants, fastening them up as he turned round to face his friend. "Daniel, I'm not going anywhere special. If anything, I'm gonna be right 'ere with you guys. I'll only be a phone call away if something happens. It's not like we'll never see each other again."
"Why do you talk like you're going away?" Daniel asked looking up from the floor, bracing himself on either side with his hands on the edge of the bench, his papers laying next him.
"Cause in a way, I am going somewhere. The man, that I am before you, is leaving." Jack didn't know what he was spouting off came from, but it sounded good. "Daniel, just don't worry okay. Nothing's going to happen to anyone. There's gonna be some changes along the way, but nothing we can't handle."
Daniel got up slowly from the bench, picking up his papers at the same time. "I just hope whatever it is, won't mess Sam up like it did last time. You really hurt her, twice in one month I might add, and made her question herself as a person. I'm telling you, Jack, you mess her around or hurt her, and I'll kick your ass. Level four hand-to-hand or not, I'll kick it so hard we'll have to surgically remove my foot from your ass."
Jack stared wide-eyed at his friend, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Whoa... You've been hanging round Teal'c and me too long, little buddy."
"Yeah, well... Take this as your warning." Daniel said, waving the rolled up papers at Jack again. "I mean it too."
"I know. I wouldn't dream of hurting Carter, intentionally." Jack sincerely stated.
"Okay... Well, I better get back to some work. See ya Monday, Jack." Daniel shot back over his shoulder, leaving the locker room.
"I don't think so." Jack whispered inside his locker, as he reached inside and took a white t-shirt out.
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Staring at line after line of binary code written in black ink across the breadth of the paper, Sam chewed at the inside of her lip, scribbling bits onto the edge of the piece of paper. It was starting to get to her. Reams and reams of paper told her the same thing, over and over again. The 'gate was in perfect working order. She hadn't even known why she'd order for an overhaul of the dialling program and 'gate systems. At the time it had been the night shift, and Sam had been standing in the shadows of the Control room watching the Colonel down in the Gate room, using the ramp entry way as a goal as he played his own little game of hockey, smacking the puck as hard as he could at the goal. Siler had walked in and asked if there was something she wanted, as it was very unusual for Sam to stand in the Control room and not be doing anything.
The first thought into her head was to order for him to go away, but instead it had come out as 'I want an overhaul of the 'gate systems and dialling program, Siler.' She was a lost cause. Lost in her little world of 'Jack O'Neill watch'. It was sickening to think that she went home every night on her own, when she knew she could go home with him every night. Sure there was Pete, waiting for her call so he'd know when to come down and see her. But every time she picked up the phone, she saw his face. Though that might be because the team photo was stuck on the wall above her phone's cradle. 'Maybe I should move it.' Sam thought, dropping her pencil down onto the desk.
These were the times she had begun to wish for Janet to be there. Janet would bring a soothing cup of coffee to Sam's lab, sit herself down and explain the workings of the universe when it came to relationships. Sam rested her head into her hands, sighing down at her desk as she ran her fingers through her hair. Things were so confusing without Janet. Her safety net was gone, taken away her from like everything else had been by the Goa'uld.
They'd almost taken Jack away from her, if they hadn't come up with a new vest to absorb the blast to some degree. Seeing him lying in the grass, his hair sticking up with black streaks across his face from the smoke of his vest burning. He'd looked so pale, lying there like a corpse. As she had leaned over him, wishing under her breath for him to open his eyes, a few tears had splashed down onto his face and clothes as she had taken his hand, crying out for someone to get a stretcher. Too bad Sam hadn't known there were going to be more tears when she heard her friend was dead. Her best friend dead, making Sam fight the battle of who she was more upset about. Was it Janet or Jack? Jack or Janet?
Sam was startled when someone cleared their throat. Looking out from behind her hands, Sam smiled friendly at Teal'c as he came around the workstation to stand beside her. She was surprised to find tears running down her cheeks and onto her uniform as she took her hands away from her face. Sam wiped at her eyes and face with the sleeve of her shirt, gazing up at Teal'c's towering form beside her.
"Are you well, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked with as much concern as there ever was in his voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Teal'c. Just thinking about Janet." Sam said with a smile, sniffling the rest of her tears away. "Was there something I could do for you?"
"Yes." Teal'c said, wheeling a chair from the computer station behind her to sit down onto. "I wish to talk to you about O'Neill's behaviour for the past three days."
Sam raised her eyebrows. "Behaviour?"
"Have you not noticed his peculiar behaviour since he returned from his vacation?" Teal'c questioned, with his own eyebrow hiking up at her.
"Erm... No. What's he been doing?" Sam asked.
Teal'c clasped his hands between his thighs, cocking his head to one side. "O'Neill has been spending much time in his office, catching up on his paperwork. He has also been spending much time in General Hammond's office after the General has gone home for the night. I have also witnessed him passing up chances to come to your lab. And he has not spoken to me for three days."
Sam let her eyes drift from Teal'c to the reams of paper in front of her. "Maybe he's turning over a new leaf? You know, getting all his paperwork up to date. Getting things finished off. You are a slight distraction, Teal'c." Teal'c gave her the eyebrow. "No, I didn't mean it like that. You and the Colonel are close, you're like kids when you two get into the gym or are left alone together. It's either you or his Gameboy that keeps him amused."
"I see your point, Major Carter." Teal'c said, looking away in thought. "Maybe I have been looking into this too much."
Just then, Daniel came into Sam's lab, slapping his papers down onto the desk as he collapsed onto an empty stool. Sam and Teal'c looked at one another before moving their glance across the workstation to Daniel. His arm was slung over his eyes, his glasses held in his hand as he groaned out loud. Sam smirked, picking up her pencil, and waited for Daniel to explain the long groan as she got on with checking through the computer code again.
"Have I ever said how annoying Jack can be?" Daniel asked as his arm slipped from over his eyes.
"I believe you have not, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c answered, turning on his chair to face both his friends.
Sam sighed down at the paper in front of her, flicking the page over for the next lot of code. "What's he done now?"
Daniel squeezed at the bridge of his nose before putting his glasses back on, rolling himself closer to the workstation. "I've just followed him up from the General's office to the Locker room. Trying to find out what this envelope was he left on the General's desk."
"Maybe it's just work stuff?" Sam hypothesised. "You two are just looking into this too much."
"Us two?" Daniel questioned.
"You and Teal'c. The Colonel is fine. He's being the Colonel. You know, the witty, sarcastic Colonel who's saved our butts about the same amount of times we've saved his?" Sam mocked. "Look, just leave him alone. He's just getting over his injuries and he'll be trying to find some reason to blame himself for Janet and what happened that day. Just let him get through a week without you two going on at him or thinking he's up to something."
Daniel scowled at Sam. "You've put a lot thought into that, haven't you?"
Sam dropped her pencil, looking up to meet Daniel's eyes. "Daniel, just leave it. Come Monday, he'll be back to normal. Now leave him be."
"Okay, you're the expert when it comes to Jack O'Neill." Daniel jibbed, collecting his papers as he stood up off his stool.
"And what's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothin', Sam." Daniel said innocently. "Just it seems, from what I remember and now, you've spent more time explaining his behaviour to people, reassuring them he's fine when it certainly looks like he's not. Putting up your own little barriers so you can shield yourself away from it."
"What the hell...? Now who's the one who's being thinking too much?" Sam retorted.
Daniel turned his back, making his way out of her lab as he said, "Just observations, Sam. Just observations."
Sam drew her lips into a tight line, watching Daniel turn the corner into the corridor, leaving her ready to defend herself against his allegations. Shaking her head, she braced herself onto her desk with her elbows, threading her fingers through her hair. She tried to justify Daniel's little moment of truth, seeing if there was somewhere to say he was just in a mood or he'd gotten it all wrong.
Teal'c touched her shoulder; she looked at him through the corner of her eye. "Major Carter, do not take Daniel Jackson's words as truth. He has not been here to see what O'Neill and yourself have been through while he was gone. It is not as obvious as Daniel Jackson makes out. Though there are times a feeble eye would be able to see what was under shadows, surrounding yourself and O'Neill."
"Is that your way of saying things are fine and not everyone can see our lie?" Sam said confused. Now she understood why the Colonel was always confused.
"Indeed."
Sam sat back off her desk, straightening her back. "Teal'c, that debt you owe to me, I want to call it in."
"As you wish, Major Carter." Teal'c bowed his head respectfully, a slight smile to his eyes. "What would you like for me to do to repay the debt?"
"I want you to pinch me every time I'm letting those things out." Sam affirmed.
Teal'c raised his eyebrow again. "Indeed, I shall do what you have asked, Major Carter."
"Good." Sam said in relief. "Now, I better head home."
"Good night, Major Carter." Teal'c decided to take his leave then, getting up off the swivel chair to wheel it back under the computer station behind her, and left with his hands clasped behind his back.
Sam smiled. "Night, Teal'c."
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With a long sigh, Jack pulled up outside Cassie's house, the sun shining down brightly on the hood of his truck. He'd actually slept better that night than he had in years. The torment of thinking of her, lying in a bed much like his own, gave way to stray thoughts that were let lived that night; allowed to take their course and have their own moment to flourish. Opening his truck door, he noticed Sam's car parked in the driveway behind the mini van that hadn't moved since he'd parked it there, bringing it home from the base car park. No one knew what to do with Janet's things, so they were just staying where they were for now.
Jack pushed his sunglasses further up his nose, walking round the front of his truck to the sidewalk, checking back on his truck as he began to climb the porch's steps. He scratched at the back of his head, pressed the doorbell, and waited for someone to answer. All he heard was an excited scream, sounding very much like Sam, telling someone to do something again. He tested the door handle and found it to be open; stepping inside into the hallway he closed the door behind him, as several girls giggled before music started up.
Reaching the archway to the living room, Jack paused and stood back into the shadows as Sam jumped up onto the couch. Cassie sat on the floor with tears of laughter streaming down her face.
"Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee." Sam sang along with the song. "Lousy with virginity. Won't go to bed till I'm legally wed. I can't! I'm Sandra Dee!" Sam belted out as she held her arms out, jumping down from the couch.
Jack chuckled into the back of his hand, watching with amusement as Sam carried on. "Ya watch it! Hey, I'm Doris Day. I was not brought up that way. Won't come across even Rock Hudson lost his heart to Doris Day."
His hand clasped over his mouth, Jack sunk down slightly in height as Sam and Cassie stood in the middle of the living room, with Sam's arm over Cassie's shoulders.
"I don't drink." Sam sang as Cassie replied with a 'No'.
"Or swear." Cassie shrieked another 'No', causing both women to giggle.
"I don't rat my hair." Sam sang touching her hair as Cassie pulled a face, playing along with the song.
"I get ill from one cigarette." Sam sang, acting out being sick.
Jack smiled, crossing his arms in front of his chest as Sam thwarted Cassie's hands away, cheekily smiling at the younger woman. "Keep your filthy paws, Off my silky drawers, Would you pull that crap with Annette."
Sam swung Cassie by her arms towards the couch, grabbing a picture off the mantelpiece, as she carried on singing along with the film that Jack noticed was on the TV. "As for you Troy Donahue. I know what you wanna do." Sam sang to the person in the photo. "You've got a crust I'm no object of lust, I'm just plain Sandra Dee."
"Elvis!" Sam shrieked, hugging the photo to her chest. "Elvis let me be! Keep that pelvis far from me."
Jack almost choked on his own laughter, shushing himself as Sam came to the end of the song. "Just keep it cool. Now you're starting to drool."
"Hey Pungo." Sam sang, waltzing around the back of the couch, her eyes focused on Cassie and not whom she was going to walk into, as she pulled at the collar of her blouse. "I'm..."
She bumped into Jack's chest, dropping the photo to the floor as she backed up away from him, and he titled his head to one side. Cassie burst out laughing, sinking down to the floor, and burrowed her head into some cushions. Taking a weary step further away from Jack, Sam wiped at her nose, putting her hands onto her hips as she looked about the room, nodding her head at something. Jack's face broke out into a beaming smile, as he picked up the photo.
"I'm... going to make coffee." Sam said, shooting off to the kitchen while Cassie threatened to wet herself if she didn't get to the bathroom, pushing passed Jack to get to the hallway.
Examining the photo, he crossed over the living room, placing his picture back onto the mantelpiece to sit beside Sam and Cassie's photo of them in the garden one summer. He took off his sunglasses, ambling through the dining room into the kitchen, and found Sam dithering around, filling the kettle and cups with ingredients.
"Would you like a coffee, sir?" Sam asked, pouring some milk into Cassie's mug. "Maybe you'd like to take my embarrassment and throw it out the nearest window?"
Jack chuckled as he tucked his sunglasses into the inside pocket of his jacket. "Nope, you're quite alright, Carter. Forgotten all about it, Sandra Dee."
Sam smiled wildly, putting the kettle down before she dropped it. "I'm not gonna live this one down, am I?"
"Sure you will." Jack said. "SG-13 ain't back for two months, so when they've heard about it I'll let it die."
"Great." Sam said sarcastically. "Again, would you like coffee?"
"Yeah, okay." Jack answered briefly, shrugging off his jacket to throw over the back of a stool.
Cassie came down the passageway from the front door, still chuckling as she came into the kitchen and gave Jack a hug. He never felt so much love in a hug before, as he did when Cassie hugged him. She was always giving but never taking, something he loved a lot about her and Sam. They both had similar unique qualities about themselves.
Leaving an arm wrapped around her waist, he held her close, standing beside her with his hand idly resting on the back of a stool. "So budding teenager and scientist, what do we have planned for today?"
"We? There's a we now?" Sam asked playfully, holding Cassie's mug out to her as she placed Jack's onto the small counter in front of him.
"Well, I'm free. There's nothing in my planner for months. I'm free, available, liberated from mandatory dates. Able to do what the..." Jack rambled on as Sam cut in. "Okay, okay. We understand."
Jack reached out and took his cup of coffee as Cassie moved around the counter to stand next to the oven, cupping her mug between her hands. He was amazed with how well Cassie was dealing with things. Three weeks on and she was able to smile again. But he thought anyone would be able to smile after seeing Sam's rendition of Rizzo's 'Sandra Dee' song. He chuckled before sipping his hot coffee, awarded with a look from both Sam and Cassie.
They looked at each other smiling, taking sips from their own drinks, as Jack sat down onto the edge of one of the stools. He opened to his mouth to say something to Sam, when she suddenly put her coffee down, disappearing from the room. Watching her keenly as she went down the hallway, opening a door to go into the bathroom. Jack sighed, his shoulders dropping.
Cassie giggled, moving to lean on the counter, a step down from the counter where Jack's coffee was sitting. "What's up, Jack?"
"Huh?" Jack grunted. "What makes you say something's up?"
"Your shoulders. You do this thing with them when you're nervous or something, you'll drop your shoulders down." Cassie informed, illustrating with her own shoulders.
Jack checked down the hallway for Sam and then looked at Cassie. "Promise not to say anything, until I do?"
"Promise." Cassie said, leaning further onto the counter to get closer to Jack.
"I've retired."
"MY GOD!!!" Cassie shrieked. "PARTY!!"
Jack quickly jumped off his stool, clamping his hand over her mouth. "Ssshhhh!!! Carter, Daniel and T don't know about it yet."
"Oh." Came her smothered reply from under his hand. "When will they find out?"
"Monday morning." Jack said, taking his hand from over her mouth. "Or whenever Hammond finds the letter on his desk."
Cassie glanced to something on the fridge, over Jack's shoulder. "You know, it's good you're retiring. You can live whatever dreams you've got left to live, before you die. We all know how long an SGC personnel life expectancy is."
"Hey," Jack said, cupping her face with his hands. "What happened to your mother was tragic. But don't you get all melodramatic on me. I need you here. We all do. You're keeping Carter together, as she's preoccupied with how you're doing. Now, I need you to help me here and give me strength."
"Whoa... Should I come back later?" Sam said from the doorway, her thumb motioning to the direction behind her.
"No, no. Don't be stupid, Carter. We were just talking." Jack said, rubbing a hand over Cassie's back. "Anyway, erm... Carter... I mean, Sam, talking about being free and such. You wouldn't... be free next week, would you?"
Sam stared at him as her hand posed to pick her mug of coffee up, and exaggerated blinking her eyes. "I beg ya pardon? You what, I was lost after the 'Sam' and 'free next week' bit."
Jack swallowed hard. "I said, Sam, are you free next week sometime?"
"Hang on, let me check." Sam mumbled, stumbling to a stool and sat down. "Erm... I'm free."
"Well then, d'ya wanna go out and see a movie, or something?" Jack asked, his confidence building with Cassie next to him.
"Sir, have you hit your head? Did that blast to your chest do unforeseen damage to your head? Or have you been taking the wrong pills again?" Sam questioned, not seeking any answers. "Have you ever heard of CO and second in command? You know, that thing we do everyday, when you give orders and I make sure they're taken care of?"
Jack smiled knowingly, picking up his mug to finish off, and moved around Sam to put his jacket back on. "Tell you what, call me on Monday night with your answer. It'll be all clear about that time. Don't do too much thinking now."
"See ya later, Jack." Cassie called after Jack patted Sam on the back and left.
When the front door had closed, Sam looked at Cassie. "You know something, don't you?"
"Me?" Cassie pointed at herself. "Why would I know anything? You're the brainy one. You work it out. Meanwhile, it's my turn to sing Sandra Dee."
Cassie left Sam in the kitchen to ponder. Sam felt so left out and stupid, something she was never used to.
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Monday morning had come and gone, and Jack wasn't feeling bad about it at all. There hadn't been any calls asking why he hadn't turned up for work, so the General had got his letter, and there hadn't been any calls asking him if he'd lost him mind. However, there hadn't been a call from Sam giving him an answer he'd craved for all weekend. He knew she was still seeing Pete whenever she could, but that didn't stop him trying. It wasn't like she and Pete were a constant thing; he wasn't here twenty-four hours of the day and she wasn't with him. For all she knew, he could be seeing people every night, dating women left, right and centre.
Carrying a warm bucket of soapy suds out to his driveway, Jack looked up at the beating sun, wondering if they had gone somewhere nice or were stuck in the mountain on such a nice day as today. He was dressed for comfort, as he wasn't expecting any visitors. With his khaki shorts on and nothing else, Jack thought he'd work on his already golden suntan as he washed his truck and SUV, baking in the warm sun until he found something else to do. That had been his problem so far with retirement; he was having problems in finding things to do. As he didn't have Sam's toys to play with, Daniel's rocks to break or Teal'c to go to the gym with, there was nothing much he could do.
Jack put the bucket down on the ground, beside the front passenger's side wheel, while he pulled up the window wipers from the front window screen. Idly scratching at his bare chest, he glanced about his front lawn under the cover of his sunglasses, making his way to the back of his SUV to do the same with the window wiper on the back window.
A car pulled up in front of his house as he clambered up the front of his truck, pulling up the window wipers from the window. Daniel was the first out of the car, then Teal'c from the back and Sam got out of the driver's seat, whipping off her sunglasses as she shut her door. 'Oooo... That looked sexy.' Jack thought, sliding off the front of his truck as they crossed his front lawn to stand on the wall, a few feet taller than him.
"Howdy, kids." Jack greeted, with a slight wave of his hand as he plunged the other hand into the warm suds in the bucket, bringing out a big yellow sponge. "How was your day at school?"
"Oh, you know." Daniel said, stepping down from the wall to be eye level with Jack when he spoke with him. "Found out our commanding officer had given his resignation and had been retired since eleven hundred hours Saturday morning."
Jack thought about it, the sponge sloshing onto the hood of his SUV. "Sweet."
"O'Neill, are you sure this is the course of action that you want to take?" Teal'c asked, his woolly hat speaking volumes that he was trying to hide something.
"Yes, T, old buddy old pal." Jack said, washing the hood of his SUV while he turned to look at Sam. "I'm sure this is the right course of action."
Sam looked down her top framed by her jacket, then back up at Jack. "What? Have I got something on my top or something?"
"No." Jack said, swishing the sponge round in big circles, washing down the side of the SUV towards the front tire.
Daniel shifted his weight from one foot to other. He looked up at Sam and Teal'c before looking at Jack as he dunked the sponge in the bucket and turned his back to Daniel so he could wash the head light on his side.
"Jack, don't you think you owe us an explanation as to why you've retired? We were your team and we are your friends." Daniel said, coming to stand in front of Jack.
Jack flicked the sponge towards Daniel, sending a splattered of soap and water onto Daniel's shirt. "Nope. It's my decision. If I had wanted some guidance as to whether I should or not, I would have asked for it."
"Daniel." Sam said, stepping down the wall, bringing Teal'c down with her. They huddled together whilst Jack moved the bucket to the front of the SUV, washing down the grate and the bumper.
Jack watched them from the cover of his sunglasses, moving to wash the other headlight as Sam indicated to them to go towards the car. His heart was suddenly pounding in his ears, with the two friends going down the driveway to then get into their car. He gulped, plunging the sponge down into the bucket as Sam took her jacket off, laying it over the wall while Jack heard a car drive off. Looking up from headlight towards the street, he saw the tail end of their car go, disappearing behind the brushes.
They were alone together. Jack didn't know whether this was good or bad. Carrying on with washing down the side panel towards the driver's door, he felt someone tap him on his lower back. He looked up to her and smiled. Her arms were bare to the sun, wearing a very fetching tank top that she was tucking into the top of her BDU pants.
"Wanna hand with this?" Sam asked, taking her sunglasses off to use as a hair band.
"Erm... Haven't you got work to do? You know, that job you told me about the other day, when you're second in command?" Jack questioned back, dumping the sponge into the bucket, sending a spray of bubbles up splattering against his chest.
"I can only do that job when I've got a CO to do it for." She said, moving cautiously towards him to wipe the bubbles off his chest, her hand lingering. "We're on stand down till Hammond can find a replacement."
Jack nodded his head, lost for words with her hand still on his chest, burning him more than the sun was. Slowly, she let her hand slide down his chest, removing their contact as she shook her head.
"What?" Sam said confused.
"What?" Jack asked back, frowning at her.
"Didn't you just say something?" Sam scowled at him.
Jack shook his head. "No."
"Oh." She murmured, her eyes avoiding his. "You sure?" Sam enquired, looking him dead in the eye.
"Sam, you feeling alright?" Jack asked, reaching out for her hand to hold it as she began to sway.
She chuckled nervously. "I always thought that one day perhaps. Perhaps there'll be a day. But... I mean this is like a dream. Dreams don't come true. Not for me..."
"Whoa...!" Jack cried, catching Sam in his arms as she fell down. Juggling with her in his arms, he laid her down onto the ground as he removed his sunglasses, placing them on the ground near her head. She was out cold. Jack massaged his forehead, gazing down at her as she lay limp on the ground. 'Just what I need.' Jack thought, picking up his sunglasses before getting up to put her over his shoulder. Collecting her jacket from the wall, he took her inside and put her down on his bed, leaving her till she woke up.
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'Mmmmm.... Ginger spice.' Sam thought as she woke up, blinking her eyes a few times to adjust to the darkness in the room. She had no clue as to where she was. She sat up, her arms bracing her as she looked about the room. In front of her was a set of bookshelves, with a cabinet in the far corner beside it. There was an open door leading to another room at the end of the bookshelves, where she saw another closed door with a set of drawers beside it. Scooting off the bed, Sam carefully crept towards the closed door, aware of her surroundings but unsure where those surroundings were.
Opening the closed door a crack, she peeked out and saw a hallway, one way led to an opened out room and the archway led to the kitchen. She stepped out into the hallway, noticing out the window she could see that it was night outside. Going into the kitchen, she chuckled in disbelief, remembering Jack's kitchen from when she was there with his clone. Shaking her head at herself, she sighed, traipsing through the dining room and then passed the front door, finding Jack passed out on the couch.
She smiled at him, moving down into the living room, and took the beer and remote from his hands to put onto the coffee table. Looking at the TV, she saw he'd been watching some tapes that were scattered over the floor, in front of the VCR. Sam knelt down, stacking them whilst she read the labels. All the barbeques, the birthday parties they'd had as a team and days out they had with Cassie, when she was younger were all there. Some tapes were marked with 'Birthday 1991', 'Birthday 1993' and one labelled 'Birthday...' then it was scribbled out.
Sam had an idea that they were Charlie's tapes, so she put those to one side and put the team tapes back onto the little shelf of the TV cabinet.
"That little son of a bitch of a clone took 1992 and 1994." A voice said behind her from the couch.
"You do realise, you just called yourself one by calling him that?" Sam queried, looking over her shoulder at him.
"Shouldn't have taken them." Jack said before gulping down some of his beer. "Jonathon could have at least asked me."
Sam shrugged her shoulders, sitting back onto her butt, and crossing her legs in front of her. "Maybe he felt he had as much right as you did to them. Remember, he is you in a way. He needs the comfort from those tapes as much as you do."
"Yeah well, I wouldn't have minded if he'd asked." Jack said, putting the empty bottle on the coffee table. "I don't watch them as much anymore."
Sam nodded her head, getting up onto her feet. "Well, I better call a cab. Got work in the morning, unlike some."
"Was that a little jib at me then?" Jack asked, smiling at her as he got up off the couch. "Don't call a cab. I'll take you home."
"How many beers have you had?" Sam asked, crossing her arms over her chest as he passed her up into the hallway.
"One." Jack told her, stuffing his feet into his trainers while he unhooked their jackets from the coat hooks. "Here."
She took her offered jacket, putting it on as he put his own on, checking his keys were in the pocket. "I don't know what happened earlier. Sorry to pass out on you."
"Probably too much excitement, Sandra Dee." Jack joked, missing the hand that took a swipe towards him.
Sam rolled her eyes as he opened the front door, and walked out before him, letting him lock up as she went down to his truck. Reaching the passenger door, she turned when Jack said something to her.
"You never did answer my question." He said, walking between his truck and SUV.
"Answered what?"
Jack leaned onto the hood of his truck, playing with his keys. "You never gave me an answer as to whether you want to go to a movie or dinner this week."
"Oh." Sam whispered, her eyes caught by the moon's reflection on the hood of his truck.
"Well?" Jack was impatient.
"Well... call me Thursday. I should be finished early that day 'cause I've only got that chat with the other scientists. Then I should be free for the rest of the day." Sam told him, smiling as she looked up from the hood to his face.
He smirked, tapping the hood of the truck with his hand before getting in and starting the engine. Sam rolled her eyes, getting in as he put his truck into reverse. 'God, help me.' She prayed as he back downed his driveway.
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The End
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