Birthday
Birthday
by pz
Summary: It's Sam's birthday and she gets a present that Jack didn't expect.
Category: Future Story, Romance
Season: future Season
Pairing: Jack/Sam, Sam/other
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 03/11/04
Birthday
It`s Sam`s birthday.
Pairing : S/J Rating : PG
Sam looked around her living room in amazement. Every surface was filled with roses. They'd been arriving all morning, red, pink and white roses. All of them were in bunches of a dozen and each bunch was tied with a matching silk ribbon. After the first couple she'd worried about vases until a knock at the door revealed yet another delivery man with a box containing three dozen slim glass containers. Like all the other deliveries, the man didn't know who the sender was and there was no card or note. Sam quickly counted them. Thirty five bunches!
Another sharp tap at the door awoke her from her reverie. She was almost afraid to open it, and when she did she saw another delivery man hiding behind another dozen deep red velvety roses.
`Major Carter?' he said.
`Yes' she replied.
`These are for you' he said and as he held them out Sam gave a little squeal.
`Pete!'
`Guilty as charged' he said with a broad smile.
Sam grabbed his arm and pulled his into her living room.
`Do you know anything about this?' she quizzed.
He looked around pretending to be astonished.
`Me?' he said.
Sam laughed and grabbed hold of him, wrapping her arms round his neck.
`Don't you think it's just a little over the top' she whispered in his ear.
`Not at all' he said, `when its my girl's birthday I like to treat her right'.
`A dozen roses for every year?' she asked.
`Of course. What else' he said.
Suddenly he pushed her away slightly and looked seriously at her.
`That's not all' he said, his voice low and just a little nervous.
`What?' exclaimed Sam.
Pete looked at for a moment and then reaching inside his jacket he pulled out a small velvet covered box. The velvet was the deepest red and when he opened it Sam gasped as she saw the bright glitter of a large diamond solitaire ring. He took hold of one of her hands and pulled her back towards him.
`Marry me, Sam' he said softly.
Sam gaped at him.
`It's not been very long' said Sam with stutter.
`Long enough for me' he said firmly.
`But what about my job?' she asked, feeling numb with shock.
`I'll get a transfer to Colorado Springs' said Pete, 'I wouldn't dream of interfering with your job. I know how important it is to you, and that makes it important to me.'
`Pete, this has all come as a shock to me' she said, dazed.
`Sam, honey, I'm not going to rush you. Why not think about it and I'll pick you up tonight at eight. We can talk it through then' said Pete, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips.
Sam looked at him as he walked away from her. His blond hair caught the sunlight as he passed the window. He turned once and gave her a cute smile before opening the door.
`Eight' he said quietly before nodding and walking away.
Sam sat down heavily on the sofa, her eye drawn to the red ring box that he left on the coffee table. She stared at for a while and then slowly picked it up. Taking the ring out, she held it up to the light. It was a large diamond, maybe even a little showy for Sam. The band was platinum, beautifully simple in design, it held the diamond safe in four strong claws. After a moments consideration she slipped it on her finger. It fitted perfectly, but it felt odd. Cold and hard against her skin. She twisted it around and held her hand up to look at it. It seemed incongruous somehow and she twisted it quickly off her finger and placed it back in the box.
She spent the rest of the day in a daze, but all the time she felt her eyes drawn to the velvety cube sitting on the table. By mid afternoon, she felt her nerves were frazzled by the morning's incidents and she suddenly picked up the box and placed it safely in a drawer, closing it firmly with a deep sigh. Her motorbike keys caught her attention and with sudden decision she picked them up, grabbed her helmet from the closet and walked out of the house, slamming the door just a little too hard behind her.
Jack's pickup truck was in the drive as she pulled up in front of his house. She looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, before dismounting from her bike and striding up the path. She tapped on the door and when there was no response, she walked around the back of the house.
She saw a familiar figure down the bottom of the garden. He was raking up leaves and tossing them onto a bonfire. She stopped and watched him as he moved fluidly from one side of the garden to the other. He was wearing a slim fitting black tee shirt, even though the autumn air was a little chill and even from this distance she could see his muscles defined sharply under the thin material. He wasn't aware of her, and she smiled as he stopped suddenly and played a little air guitar with the rake. She pulled off her helmet and shook out her hair. The movement caught his attention and he stopped abruptly and stared at her. His gaze seemed to cut through the misty autumn air and draw her to him. Time stretched out for a moment and it seemed that only he and she existed. He broke the bond by waving at her, dropping his rake and heading over towards her.
`Hi, sir' she said automatically, a little shaken by the feelings that ran confusedly through her body.
`Hi, Carter' he said, just a little shyly, `Um, happy birthday'.
`Thank you, sir' she said, surprised that he'd remembered.
`Are you doing anything special?' he asked.
`Going out' said Sam.
That's nice' he said awkwardly.
`Yeah' she said succinctly.
`I have something for you. It's nothing really. I just thought of you' he said anxiously.
`Really?' she asked, grinning widely.
`It's nothing, really' he said again.
`Ok' she said, waiting as he walked over to his garage, opened the door and disappeared. He reappeared quickly carrying a small bundle wrapped in tissue.
He handed the bundle to her and stood to one side awkwardly, shuffling his feet.
She felt slightly nervous as she opened the package, peeling back the layers of creamy tissue paper. A slender curve of pale wood appeared in her hands followed by slivers of pale stone that looked as thin and delicate as the rose petals that they portrayed. Sam didn't realise that she was holding her breath until she folded back the final layer to reveal the most exquisite tiny single rose. The stem and leaves were carved from the palest wood and the petals were shaped from slices of creamy veined stone that was cut so thin it was transparent to the light. She turned it around and around in her hands, marvelling at its delicacy and beauty.
`I love it' she whispered.
`Really?' asked Jack anxiously.
Really' she said firmly.
`I'm glad' he said.
`Thank you, sir' she whispered.
`It's nothing' he said modestly, smiling softly.
Sam looked at him and knew suddenly that she had to share everything with him.
`Pete's asked me to marry him' she said abruptly.
She saw a momentary look of horror cross his face, before he closed down. He moved away from her slightly.
`Ah!' he said.
`And I don't know what to say to him' she said, trying to prompt him into responding.
`You should say what you really think' he said.
`But I don't know what that is' she said.
`I think that you're old enough Carter to make up your own mind' he said harshly.
Sam bit her lip in annoyance. He wasn't going to say what she wanted. He wasn't going to tell her not to marry Pete, and suddenly she felt helpless and aggrieved, so she snapped at him in frustration.
`Why exactly did you make this flower? And the heart necklace and the egg?' she shouted.
`Because I had nothing else to do' he snapped back, acidly.
`Well thank you for nothing, sir' she spat, 'and the next time I'm used to fill in a bit of empty time, well, don't bother'.
He gaped at her and then turning on his heel he marched back over to the pile of fallen leaves and started sweeping them together with a fierce determination.
Sam watched him for a second and then pushing her helmet back on her head, she strode back round the side of the house to her bike.
Jack slammed down the rake with all his strength and considered his options. For the first time, his campaign plan was looking shaky. Pete's unexpected declaration had clouded the issue and for the first time he saw the possibility of defeat on the horizon, which was not in his plan all, although he knew that a good military man should always allow for the possibility.
`Change of tactics required' he murmured to himself and absently he began sweeping again whilst his mind ran over all the options.
Continued in ............... Halloween.
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