It'll Happen
It'll Happen
by KidKindy
TITLE: It'll Happen
AUTHOR: KidKindy
EMAIL: KidKindy@aol.com
CATEGORY: Romance, Humor
PAIRING: Sam/Jack
SPOILERS: Joliner's Memories, Beneath the Surface, Learning Curve
SEASON / SEQUEL: 3
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: male/female relationship
SUMMARY: It's New Year's Eve 2000... What are Jack and Sam's plans to bring in 2001?
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We 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 authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first completed Stargate fanfic and I hope everybody enjoys it. Dedicated to my pals at MPI... Dawn, you're swell! Nay, love ya sista!
General Hammond stood behind the technical sergeant, watching the Gate go through its familiar motions of accepting an incoming wormhole.
"Receiving SG-1's signal," Tech. Davis informed the General.
The order was given to open the iris and the familiar shimmering inside the gate appeared as Gen. Hammond checked his watch. SG-1 was returning later than planned, but prior communication with Major Carter assured him SG-1 had succeeded in their mission of ongoing diplomacy.
He made his way down the stairs and into the gate room, greeting the team as they came down the ramp. "Welcome home, SG-1. I trust everything went as planned with the Orbanians?"
"Yes, Sir," Colonel O'Neill answered without his usual sarcastic commentary.
Maj. Carter glanced expectantly at her CO before briefing the General herself. "Their technology is advancing and evolving just as we predicted. It's amazing how complex their designs are."
"Yes, and they're even willing to provide us with plans to build a force field that may be capable of withstanding Goa'uld weaponry," Daniel interrupted.
"Sounds as if they're going to make good allies. Debriefing is suspended until tomorrow at 0900 hours. Until then, why don't you get cleaned up and join us for our New Years Eve party on Sub-Level Four," he suggested before adding a little good natured teasing aimed at Col. O'Neill. "I'm happy to report that even in your absence, Colonel, the punch has been adequately spiked."
"Good to know somebody's carrying on the age old tradition," Daniel contributed.
Maj. Carter watched the scene with growing concern, noting that while Col. O'Neill's mood on Orban had started out fairly happy, it had deteriorated drastically. She was ashamed to admit that in her own excitement to explore and learn what the Orbanian's had accomplished in their absence, she'd also overlooked his altered emotional state.
Col. O'Neill finally cracked a smile, more out of habit and the knowledge that it was expected of him than out of genuine amusement. "If you gentlemen are done harassing me," he quipped, "I believe that it was a little warm on Orban and there's a shower waiting with my name on it."
"Aww, too bad, Sam. Looks like it's the boys turn to shower first again." Daniel restarted their friendly ongoing shower room war.
Sam shrugged indifferently, "That's fine with me," she smiled, turning to leave. "You guys could use a good cleaning up," she left with a triumphant parting shot.
The three remaining members looked sideways at each other before cautiously smelling the air. Teal'c was the first to wrinkle his nose slightly before bowing his head at Gen. Hammond, silently excusing himself to the locker room, Jack close on his heels.
Daniel's statement took on that of confusion, "I don't smell anything," he defended.
Gen. Hammond chuckled to himself, "I'll see you at the party, Doctor Jackson." Daniel nodded before the General left him in search of the nearest elevator.
Much refreshed after her shower, Sam walked towards her lab, anxious to check the results of a small experiment she had set up while waiting for the showers. As she passed Col. O'Neill's door, she saw that the light was on, idly wondering why he was avoiding the party.
Reaching her destination, she paused, considering finding out the answer. Her decision to leave him alone was based on two reasons. The first reason was that she knew from personal experience that a little solitude was a good thing, and the second reason was far more personal. Things between herself and Ja-, Col. O'Neill, she corrected herself, had reached a new intensity that she was not comfortable with. The once harmless flirting that used to go unchecked between them had all but stopped. Both of them were afraid of the temptation and the implications involved in it. Opening the door to her lab, she slipped inside, determined not to spend her time pining away for her commanding officer.
She hadn't meant to take such a long time in the lab, but another glance at the clock on the wall and her wristwatch confirmed that she'd been there over an hour. Forcing herself away from her work, she stood to leave, stealing one more glance at her workbench before rationalizing that it would still be there when she returned. Walking down the corridor, her attention was caught by the light in Col. O'Neill's office flickering off. Sam deliberately slowed her pace, hoping to reach his door just as he was leaving.
Well past his door and at the end of the corridor she stopped, he still hadn't come out. Nervously running a hand through her short hair, she again considered checking up on him. It wasn't until she found herself in front of his door and knocking that she realized she'd made a decision.
It was no surprise to her when he didn't answer. Surprising herself again, she turned the handle and stepped inside where she found herself immersed in almost total darkness. "Colonel?" Her eyes struggled to adjust to find him.
"Why aren't you at the party, Major?" he questioned from her right.
"I was about to ask you the same thing, Sir." Still unable to locate him, her hand searched for the light switch.
"Leave them off, Carter," Jack requested.
"Sorry, Sir," she apologized, her eyes finally adjusting enough to see that he was sitting at the far end of his couch, his head resting in his hand.
"'Something you wanted?" he asked, bringing a glass to his lips.
It became clear that Jack had chosen to drink in the solitude of his office rather than party with the rest of the SGC. "Actually, Sir, I thought you might be in need of something."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Sir. Are you all right? The last couple of days," she stopped herself mid-sentence, uncertain how to phrase his situation. "I thought you might need someone to talk to. Unless you'd rather be alone," she finished quickly.
Though she could not see his eyes, she could feel them weighing heavily upon her, certain they were pleading with her to stay. She waited for the words.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," she apologized again when no answer came.
"No, no," the words rushed from his mouth. "You're welcome to stay," he went on, quieter. "I'm just not good company right now," he offered his own apology, the need he heard in his own voice taking him by surprise.
Sam remained at the door, uncertain if she should remain. "Please, stay," he asked.
"Are you sure?" she closed the door, and prayed she wouldn't regret her decision or stumble in the darkness on her way to the couch. She sat at the opposite end, drawing her legs underneath her. Silence stretched between them before she spoke again. "Got another glass?"
"Sorry, Carter, I wasn't expecting company," he held his glass towards her. "Mind sharing?"
"Not at all," she accepted, taking a drink. She savored the feeling of the alcohol burning the oxygen in her lungs as it flowed into her stomach. "Bourbon?" she guessed.
"I never pictured you as a bourbon drinker," he remarked.
"Used to be Dad's favorite." Taking one more drink, she handed the glass back to him. "I remember when I was 14, Mark found the key to the liquor cabinet while Dad was away," she recalled. "We had this bright idea to sample every bottle in the cabinet, and when we were done, we tried mixing drinks," she laughed softly at her tale. "I've never been so sick in my whole life." Though she could barely make out the features on Jack's face, but she was pleased they revealed a smile.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, content just to know the other was there.
"More?" Jack questioned when they'd emptied the glass.
Sam shrugged indifferently, "Sure." Jack stood to refill the glass, flipping on his desk lamp, creating deep shadows in the room. Sam meanwhile, took the opportunity to take her boots off so she could stretch her legs out along the couch, making sure she left Jack plenty of room at the other end. He handed her the refilled glass, checking his watch as he sat down again.
"Ninety more minutes and we get to begin another year."
"I don't know if I could stand another twelve months if they're anything like the last ones," she joked.
"A lot's happened," he agreed.
"Sir. Jack," she brought the conversation to a more personal level. "You know you can talk to me," Sam offered.
Jack looked away at her offer, answering quietly, "I know."
Scooting closer, she placed a hand over his, "So? Talk to me," she pleaded, painfully aware that she was dancing perilously close to the line that both the Air Force and she herself had laid down.
"I -. I guess this time of year just brought into focus how many of the things that matter to me are missing from my life," he stated slowly, opening up to her.
"Charlie?" Sam ventured carefully.
Jack nodded, "I miss being a dad, Sam. I miss the feeling of having somebody around that depends on and needs me." He stopped with the realization that he'd never made that admittance out loud before.
Positive he had more to say, Sam stayed quiet.
"Since Charlie's been gone, all I've felt was guilt around other kids. Even around Cassie. It's like I'm betraying him by being with some other kid." Sam squeezed his hand lightly in reassurance, urging him to go on.
"It was different this time on Orban. All I wanted was the chance to try again," he shook his head, a familiar pain and a new confusion clouding his heart. "And now," Jack started.
"Now you feel guilty for not feeling guilty?" Sam guessed correctly.
"Hell of a catch twenty-two," he confirmed taking a long drink in an effort to drown out what he felt.
"I know it's none of my business, but you're not helping anything by forcing yourself to shut down," Sam offered, convinced he was attempting to drink his pain away.
He thought about downing the contents of the glass just to spite her. It was a tactic he'd used against Sara on numerous occasions but he held back, unwilling to hurt Sam that way. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out," he commented, sarcasm seeping into his words.
If Sam noticed, she paid it no attention. "Look, I know our circumstances weren't the same, but I have an idea what it's like to be locked inside your mind with no way or no desire to get out." She referred to her blending with the Tok'ra, Joliner. "You can't keep putting yourself through this, Jack."
Time stretched on as he looked at her, contemplating the words, finding that he wanted to discuss it further. "I don't know how to get out," he admitted.
"You have to fight for it. I didn't try to fight at first, I didn't want to believe there was any point in it. I shut down because the only thing I did believe was that nobody would ever accept me for what I'd become."
"You had no choice, it wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could do," Jack reasoned.
"That didn't stop me from shutting down," she pointed out.
"You wouldn't talk, to any of us," he recalled, the image of her catatonic-like condition stirring up painful memories.
"I knew you were there, all of you, but I couldn't make myself try. But you knew how to get through to me, didn't you? If you knew that Cassie would make the difference, then I'm betting you already know how to get out, Jack."
"I didn't know, I hoped so," he tried to deny it.
"Then you know that you can do the same thing," she lost her train of thought when Jack grasped one of her feet and absentmindedly began rubbing it. It had become a habit of his when they had undergone a mindstamp months earlier, but it was the first time that Jack, not Jonah was rubbing Sam's, not Thera's feet. Feeling her questioning gaze upon him, Jack looked at her, continuing to rub.
"Sorry. I'll stop," he promised, smoothing his thumbs over her arch before loosening his grip.
Nearly shivering with delight, Sam shook her head, "Don't stop. I'd have to shoot you if you did," she threatened.
"That wouldn't be very nice," Jack smiled at her while she fought to regain her train of thought.
"Don't you know that you've already done the hardest part and that you're already trying?"
"Come again?"
"You said yourself that you felt different around the kids on Orban. I mean, something's obviously changed," she pointed out.
"And that means?" Jack prodded, not getting her meaning.
"You've found it, you've found what it is that makes you want to try." She was puzzled by Jack's sudden look of panic. "So what is it?"
"You're way off base here, Sam," he lied, hoping she'd give up.
Sam was nothing if not tenacious, "I don't think so. You know what it is," she accused.
He lowered his eyes away from her, positive she would have been frightened away by the intensity they reflected. He knew there was something he was reaching for. More specifically, someone.
"Do you know what it is?" Sam prodded again, half-hoping and half-dreading that his answer would name her.
"It doesn't matter what it is, Carter," he finally answered.
"How can you say that?"
Jack made a split decision to tell her as much as he could without actually telling her. "Because I can't have what I'm reaching for. I can't do anything about wanting it, and what I'm asking is too much."
"I don't understand," Sam stated in denial.
"Yes you do, Sam." Jack made sure that she was looking at him, so there would be no doubt what he was saying.
She tried to digest and comprehend what was happening. Part of her was elated that he'd made that admittance, but she also felt the walls closing in around her.
Jacks walls shot up rapidly when she said nothing, his worst fears were confirmed when she pulled her foot away from him. He blamed no one but himself for being so vulnerable as he stood up, needing to put as much distance between them as possible. Walking behind his desk, he emptied the glass in his hand in three hard swallows before reaching for the bottle to fill it again. "You should get up to the party before everybody wonders where you are, Major," he fought to keep his voice from betraying the crushed, overwhelming feeling he had.
Sam watched his actions with an increasing curiosity. Did he honestly believe she didn't struggle with the same feelings day after day? "Jack," she started.
"Major," he cut her off, "there's no explanation necessary."
"No explanation necessary?" She repeated the words as if she was reciting something in a foreign language.
"I'll see you at debriefing. 0900 hours, Carter," he ignored her, effectively dismissing her.
Incredulous, Sam stood, "You don't understand," she tried again.
"I understand enough!" Jack slammed his glass down on his desk.
"That's not fair," she could hear her voice rising, but couldn't seem to do anything about it. "You lay everything out in the open and then retreat when you don't immediately get the reaction you want," she accused.
"A lot of things aren't fair," his voice rose to meet hers. "I'm trying to give you a safe out from the situation!"
"Did it ever occur to you that I don't WANT a safe out?" Sam moved towards him, cornering him behind his desk. Her voice betrayed her inner feelings; frustration, anger and something more. "Don't you think I go through the same thing every day? That I don't wait for the day when rules and regulations don't mean a damn thing and I don't have to hide how much I want to be with you!? No way am I going to let you play the martyr in this!"
Jack's initial feeling of guarded hurt changed from bewilderment and confusion, settling on a lopsided grin in recognition of what she'd said.
"Dammit, Jack! Please don't look at me like that," she pleaded. "This is hard enough as it is." Her own confession left her in more misery that her unspoken feelings. She knew that the rules didn't vanish just because they admitted how they felt. Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned away from him, her shoulders sagging in defeat.
Jack reached out to her, trying to turn her around. "Jack," she warned. The mere tone of her voice reflected his suspicion that they couldn't be together yet.
"Shh, I know Sam," he soothed, finally succeeding in turning her around. "Just let me hold you for awhile," he pleaded. He gathered her in his arms, holding her against his body, her arms finally wrapped around him. Sam nestled her head under his chin. She breathed his scent in deeply, committing it to memory in case they never got the chance to do this again. Before she could stop herself, a content sigh escaped.
"It'll happen, Sam. I promise," his words washed over her as he whispered them into her hair. She believed his oath, looking forward to the time they would be together, knowing without a doubt there was no one else for her.
Jack memorized the soft contours of her body, allowing his hand to glide over back, "Why do I get the feeling we're in for a long wait?" Sam asked after a long silence between them.
"I could retire," Jack suggested, his tone was light and teasing, but they both knew that if she said the word, his resignation would be on Hammond's desk before morning.
"Don't even think about it," she warned. "I couldn't trust anybody to watch my six more than I trust you."
"And a lovely six it is," he smiled, one hand going reaching down to pat it.
Sam laughed at him, shaking her head. Her smile faltered when Jack pulled away and she believed he was ending their embrace. Instead, he led her to the couch again, taking a seat against the armrest while patting the cushion between his legs. At her hesitance he tried to convince her. "Come on, Sam. Nobody's going to find us, they're all busy at the party, remember?"
"That's not what I'm worried about," she revealed even as she was giving in to him. She worried that once she was given a taste of what it would be like together, she wouldn't be able to carry on as if nothing had changed.
"Just look at is as a coming attraction," he charmed her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she leaned against his chest. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I hid out in here earlier," he admitted.
"It's not something I pictured happening either," she paused, lacing her fingers between his, "not tonight at least."
"It should have happened a long time ago." Sam nodded her head in agreement.
"Jack?" she called softly, after a long silence.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think we'll be good together?"
"We're already good together," he corrected. "We'll be better than the best," his promise was backed by total confidence and belief in what he was saying.
"I think so too." Sam smiled in the darkness, his answer giving her a new foundation of hope and determination.
A look at her watch informed her that there was little more than thirty minutes left in the year. She had to admit, it was ending much better than she ever thought it would. While she reveled in their newfound closeness, Jack wondered if she would allow him to kiss her goodnight.
Finally finding the courage to ask, he started. "Sam?" She'd barely mumbled a reply when they heard it; two extremely familiar laughs. Sam's head shot off Jack's chest, her head turning towards the direction they'd heard the voices.
"I don't suppose you locked the door?" Jack hoped, whispering.
"Why would I lock the door?" Sam hissed back.
"Good point." They remained motionless, hoping they would get lucky and the couple would journey in a direction away from Jack's office. Unfortunately, they were out of luck. The laughter grew closer and became clearer. Bits and pieces of a conversation could be heard as well.
"Is that Janet?" Sam questioned, her ears straining to hear more.
"And Daniel," Jack confirmed. The more they heard the more convinced they became that both doctors were intoxicated.
"..Dr. Jackshun," Janet slurred, "You're lookin fevered. I'm going to hafta examine you."
In spite of their fear of being caught, Sam and Jack shared a good laugh as they listened further, "I think they're going to play 'doctor'," Jack observed.
"What would you like to examine first?" Danny slurred before a fit of laughter took them over again.
"Ohhh, I don't think I should examine it in the hall. We'll hafta find a room," Janet suggested, reaching the closest door handle to her to see if it was unlocked.
Jack and Sams eyes widened in horror, realizing both of them were trying doors. Bolting from the couch, Jack beat Sam to the door. He grasped the lock between his fingers before Sam's hand stilled him. "They'll hear it lock," she whispered.
"D'oh!"
"I wonder where Sham and Jack are? Do you remember seeing them at the party?" Daniel pondered four doors away.
"I don't remember mush of anything right now," Janet confessed. "Bet they're together."
"Maybe," Danny agreed, moving to the next door.
"Maybe they're off somewhere..." Sam and Jack missed the rest as she whispered it into Danny's ear. They eyed each other nervously since they had a pretty good idea what Janet was speculating about. Daniel's hysterical laughter confirmed it.
"Janet!" he pretended to be shocked. "What you're suggesting is nearly impossible, barely legal and Jack's probably too old anyway."
Sam nearly had to bite her tongue off to keep from laughing outloud at the statement on Jack's face. He barely remembered to keep a firm grip on the door handle when Danny tried their door.
"I've examined Col. O'Neill hundreds of times Doctor. Believe me when I tell you he's capable," Janet assured him.
The smug look on Jack's face was nearly Sam's undoing. A short snort escaped her in spite of her best efforts to conceal it. Jack quickly assessed her situation and stepped in to help. Stepping closer to her, he brought one hand behind her head to hold her in place while covering her mouth with the other.
The couple outside had evidently missed Sam's slip up and continued their search. "Are you sure you don't have a key to get into any of these?" Janet questioned, growing impatient.
"Positive. But, you can search me if you'd like," Danny offered. Taking him up on his offer, they heard him yelp before he spoke again. "I don't usually keep my keys there," they listened as his voice dropped a couple octaves, "or there." They both giggled again before Janet cried out in triumph, finally having found an unlocked storage room.
The threat having passed, the tension of keeping Sam from laughing lessened, but another kind of tension quickly arose. Jack slowly moved his hand away from Sam's mouth, his fingertips brushing over her lips as he did so. His long fingers glided over her cheekbone, along her jaw line and came to rest under her chin, tilting her face towards his. Lowering his other hand from behind her neck, he dropped it to the small of her back, pulling her body against his.
It was a battle of wills, their lips hovered dangerously close, and the slightest movement would have caused them to collide. Each of them struggled with the urgent need to take the next step and the reminder that it was forbidden. In the end, Jack knew it was something they both wanted but couldn't have it yet. With disappointment and frustration, his hands moved to her hips, crushing the fabric of her uniform between clenched fists. He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before resting his lips against her soft skin.
Sam fully understood his frustration, and though she believed it wasn't possible to care for him more, his simple gesture of love and consideration multiplied and amplified her love for him. Her arms went willingly around his waist, holding him just as tightly as she was being held.
"I should go," Sam suggested when some of their frustration had subsided.
Jack nodded his head, "Walk you to your quarters?"
Sam nodded in favor of him, "Yeah, that'd be nice."
Retrieving her boots for her, Jack opened the door, offering his arm once they were in the corridor.
Arm in arm they strolled down the deserted halls, prolonging the journey as best they could. It was with reluctance that they reached their destination. They lingered outside her door, unsure what to do next.
Finally, Jack remembered the weight in one hand. He held Sams boots out to her. "Thanks." A silence settled between them, unspoken words on the tips of their tongues. Nervous glances, shy smiles and wordless promises passed between them in the brief moment to follow.
Begrudgingly, Sam opened the door, indicating to Jack that their borrowed time together had ended for now. "Good night, Sam," Jack wished her.
"Good night, Jack," she returned, stepping inside as he turned to leave, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets.
"Jack?" she called after him, causing him to stop and look at her. "It will happen," she swore.
He rewarded her with a smile, the one he reserved for her alone. "Yeahsureyabetcha," he called over his shoulder. A hope that he previously had not allowed himself to acknowledge filled the sometimes dark depths of his heart and soul.
They had a future together. It would happen.
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to KidKindy
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