Jonathan “Jack” O’Neill was lying on his bunk staring at the ceiling. It was three days after his promotion to captain, and the second full day of his two-week leave. Jack would have normally jumped at the chance to return to Minnesota, but with his grandfather’s recent death, the cabin was the last place the young Air Force officer wanted to be. His grandfather, Patrick O’Neill, was the only one in his family who supported his decision to join the Air Force, the only one who cared that Jack was climbing the ranks and doing well. That wasn’t a huge surprise though; Patrick had always been the supportive one in Jack’s life. It wasn’t that his parents didn’t care, but they never really understood him as they did his brothers. The best times in Jack’s memories were those summers spent at the old cabin with Patrick. He hadn’t even told his parents about the upcoming promotion when he saw them at the funeral the weekend before.
Jack was trying to think of something he could do for the next two weeks when he was pulled from his thoughts by a sharp rap on the door. He rolled his lanky 6’2” frame off the bed, his dog tags clinking together as they swayed with his movements. Jack grabbed a t-shirt from the back of the chair and pulled it over his head as he made his way across the small room to the door. When he opened it, the young officer was surprised to find a Brigadier General waiting for him on the other side and immediately snapped to attention.
“At ease, Captain,” the General said with a slight smile. Jack knew the General, it would have been hard not to, the man had been his commanding officer until his own promotion three days ago. Jacob Carter had been Jack’s CO for almost two years now, and the two had grown as close as a CO and subordinate officer are able. Jacob had taken the younger man under his wing, treated him almost as a son; while they were off-duty of course. He had noticed how depressed Jack looked during the promotion ceremony and recalled that he had just returned from his grandfather’s funeral. When he heard that Jack was still on base two days after his leave started, Jacob knew something was wrong.
When Jacob didn’t say anything further, Jack spoke up. “Is there anything I can help you with, Sir?” A brief look of confusion passed through his eyes before it was gone again.
“I was just wondering, Captain, why you’re still on base two days into your leave. Care to enlighten me?”
“Ah… no particular reason, Sir. I didn’t feel like heading to Minnesota, and I don’t really have any other place to go, so here I am.” Jack shrugged his shoulders lightly.
Jacob nodded his head. “I thought as much.” The general thought for a moment before continuing. “Captain, you have ten minutes to pack your kit and be ready to go.”
“Sir?” Jack wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Are you questioning a direct order, Captain?” Jacob gave Jack a hard look and the young officer snapped back to attention.
“Sir, no, Sir. Just asking for clarification on what to pack and where I will be going, Sir.”
“Civvies and something formal, either your dress blues or a suit will do if you’ve got one here.” Laughter danced through Jacob’s eyes. “As to the destination, I’m afraid it’s need-to-know, which you don’t at the moment.” He glanced at his watch. “You have eight minutes left, Captain, if I were you, I’d be packing. We’re leaving whether you’re ready or not.” With that, Jacob turned on his heel and headed towards his own quarters to retrieve his duffle.
Exactly eight minutes later, Jacob came back down the hall. Just as he was about to knock on O’Neill’s door, it opened and the young man stepped out, duffle and garment bag in his hand.
“Excellent, right on time, Captain.” Jacob flashed a brief smile. He waited for Jack to lock the door behind him before continuing down the corridor. He didn’t say anything to the captain, just expected the younger man to follow him, which he did.
They walked to the parking lot and stopped by the General’s car. Jacob unlocked the boot and the two officers tossed their bags in the back before climbing into the car themselves. Jacob started the engine and left the base without a word. While Jack liked his old CO, and respected him a great deal, he still wasn’t sure what was going on, and didn’t know what was appropriate to say when you were basically being kidnapped by a superior officer while supposedly on leave; so he too stayed silent.
They drove for a while, neither man talking. However after nearly half and hour, Jack couldn’t take the silence any longer. “Sir, is our destination still need-to-know?”
Jacob smirked at the younger man. “I’m afraid so, son. But don’t worry; we’ll be there soon enough.” Jack muttered something unintelligible under his breath and lapsed back into silence. Jacob saw how frustrated O’Neill was getting and couldn’t help but enjoy his suffering.
Ten minutes later, Jacob turned the car off the main road into a cul-de-sac and parked the car in front of a modest two-story house with a decent front yard and well-maintained garden.
“Here we are.” Jacob turned off the motor and got out of the car. Jack followed him around to the boot.
“Sir?”
“Our destination, Captain, is my house. You will be spending the remainder of your leave with my family and me. Don’t look at me like that; I’m still your CO until you get assigned a new one.” Jack schooled his expression so it didn’t show the shock he was feeling, still trying to come to terms with what Jacob had told him, but Jacob wasn’t waiting for Jack’s brain to catch up, and continued talking. “My son, Mark, just finished his junior year at San Diego State and is home for the summer. Samantha is getting ready to enter the Academy in the fall… I’ll warn you now, call her anything but Sam and you take your life in your hands.”
The two men grabbed their duffels out of the car and made their way into the house. From what Jack could see, it was a decent size and well cared for, even if not new. Jack knew his CO’s wife had died some years back, but didn’t know the circumstances of it. He had never asked and felt if Jacob wished him to know, he could bring it up himself; Jack would never broach the subject with him.
Jacob led him upstairs and showed him where the guestroom was so he could drop his stuff before getting a tour of the rest of the house. Jack’s room was directly across from Jacob’s and next to Mark’s, with Sam’s kitty-corner across the hall. There was one bathroom upstairs and one and a half on the first floor. Jacob showed Jack the rest of the house and the two were planning on grabbing some beers and sitting out on the deck for a while when the front door opened and Mark arrived home. He hadn’t noticed his father’s car out front, so was surprised to find him home with company.
“Hello, Mark, how was your day?” Jacob asked politely. Mark grunted a response and grabbed his own beer from the fridge before sitting down at the kitchen table. Jacob bristled, “Mark, can you come out here for a moment, please?” Mark sighed and made his way to the door.
“What?” His response was surly and rude and Jack couldn’t see this young man as the son of General Jacob Carter.
“I want you to meet someone.” Mark joined them on the deck. “This is Jack O’Neill; he’ll be staying with us for the next two weeks.” Jack stood and extended his hand to the younger man.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Mark took the Captain’s hand half-heartedly and returned the greeting. He may not have believed the words, but he had been raised properly and knew that if he failed to make a guest feel welcome his hide would receive a tanning, regardless of his age.
“Would you care to join us for a while, Mark?” Jacob sent his son a pointed look, indicating it wasn’t really a request. Mark shrugged his shoulders and sat down in one of the empty chairs next to Jack. There was a moment of slightly uncomfortable silence before Jack turned to Mark and asked what he was studying in school.
“I’m majoring in Poly-Sci with a minor in German language.” He took a sip of his beer. “How do you know my father?”
“Air Force. He was my commanding officer until the promotion a few days a go.” Mark scowled slightly. Figures Dad would bring home a lackey.
The three men finished their drinks in silence, the Carters unwilling to get into the inevitable row quite yet and Jack feeling overwhelmed by Mark’s clear dislike of the military. When Mark finished his bottle, he asked, out of habit, if he could get anything for the others. Both officers declined, saying they were fine. Mark nodded to Jack and made his way inside.
Jacob and Jack sat for a while longer before the General started to speak quietly. “I’m sorry for his attitude towards you.” Jacob rubbed his eyes tiredly, “Our relationship wasn’t always so strained; there was even a time when he wanted to follow my footsteps and join the Air Force.” Jack didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t say anything. Eventually Jacob continued. “I tell you, Jack, these past few years have been tough without Liz. I know you’ve heard the basic story, don’t deny it.” Jack just nodded and Jacob kept speaking. “She was returning from a visit with her mother and I was late due to a last minute briefing with my CO at the time, so she took a cab from the airport.” He took a deep breath. “However, the driver of the taxi was a junkie and had come to work that evening high. When the call came to the house, I still wasn’t home yet, so they told Mark about the accident, he was 18 by then, and the two of them went to the hospital, leaving a note for me when I got home. By the time I reached the hospital there was nothing they could more they could do for her.” Jacob stopped speaking here, and Jack didn’t push him to say anything more, there wasn’t any need.
The two officers sat for a moment before Jacob cleared his throat. “Anyway. I didn’t bring you here to listen to my tales of woe.” The older man stood, “Why don’t you go unpack before Sammy gets home, then the four of us will go out to dinner?”
Jack nodded and followed his host inside and continued upstairs to his room of the next two weeks. He grabbed a change of clothes and a towel and headed to the bathroom down the hall. He hadn’t planned on leaving his quarters today, so the last shower he had had was the previous morning; he figured he was okay to wait until the next day to shave, his stubble wasn’t that bad. Freshly showered and mostly dressed, he made his way back to his room to finish changing. He had on a pair of khaki slacks and dark blue button down open over a white t-shirt; he completed the outfit with his well-loved leather jacket. One last glance in the mirror to make sure he looked respectable, and he headed downstairs.
As Jack couldn’t find anyone in the kitchen or living room, he figured they must still be upstairs, so he pulled a book off the shelves and started reading. The captain had been reading about ten minutes when he heard the front door open and someone enter the house. The footsteps came towards the living room, but Jack didn’t look up from his book until he heard them stop. When he did glance away from the text, his eyes met those of the young woman standing before him. Both were unable to look away and just stared at the other for several long seconds. Finally, Jack gathered his wits about him and rose gracefully to his feet, setting the book on the table beside the chair, and extended his hand to the girl.
“Hi, I’m Jack O’Neill; you must be Sam.” She shook his hand but had a rather confused look on her face.
“Yes, I’m Sam… who are you?” Jack couldn’t hold back his laugh.
“Jack O’Neill. I work with your father—and apparently will be spending the next two weeks here while I’m on leave.”
“You’re Air Force?” As she took in his appearance and posture, Sam could see that he was indeed military, and her heart sank a bit. He was obviously older than her, but she still couldn’t help but find him attractive; he was tall, a good five inches above her own 5’9” height, with honey-brown hair and deep chocolate eyes. However, regardless of their age difference and despite the fact that she herself was entering the Academy in the fall, Sam knew Jacob would never approve of her even having a crush on a military man.
Just then, Jacob came downstairs and spotted the two in the living room. “There you are, Sammy,” the girl scowled at the hated nickname. “I see you’ve met Jonathan,” the young officer’s scowl matched Samantha’s. “Mark should be down in a few minutes, then we’re going to out to dinner. Why don’t you run put your school stuff away before we go?” With that, he turned and left the room. As soon as he was out of earshot, Sam turned to Jack again.
“You even think about calling me ‘Sammy’ and I’ll beat you so hard your buddies at the base will not be able to recognize you. Got it?” Jack swallowed nervously and nodded.
“All I ask in return is that you call me Jack, the only person who calls me Jonathan is my mother, and only when I’m in trouble… so about half the time.” Sam gave him a doleful look, “Okay, most of the time. Would you expect anything less?” He grinned at her and Sam just shook her head ruefully.
“Not from someone my father brought home with him.”
“You make me sound like a stray puppy!”
Sam just smiled at Jack’s indignant response and turned to take her books upstairs. Jack stared after her as she left the living room and, for several moments after she was gone, before shaking himself mentally. Wow there, boyo, what’s up? She’s just a kid!
As Sam was walking to her room she couldn’t keep her mind off the man downstairs. Get a grip, girl! You’ve met attractive, funny, officers before; why are you flirting with this one? What makes him so special?
Soon the three Carters all came back into the living room. Jack did a double take when he saw Sam; she had changed out of her school clothes into something nicer. Luckily for Jack, Jacob and Mark’s attention was on her and they didn’t notice his reaction. Sam was dressed in a black, knee-length skirt and a red, short-sleeve V-neck sweater with black sandals and a pink pearl necklace; Jack couldn’t help noticing how the clothes accented her long legs and slim waist. Jacob eyed his daughter for a moment, taking in her outfit, then nodded; her clothes were tasteful and appropriate, she was allowed out of the house.
The four piled into Jacob’s car and set off for dinner. At the restaurant, an Italian place with good food and great service, they had a ten minute wait to be seated. As there were only three seats on the bench, Jack motioned for the Carters to sit while he would remain standing. Sam, however, wouldn’t hear of that and forced him to take her spot. When he was finally seated, after much argument, she plopped herself down in his lap and made herself comfortable. Jack couldn’t believe her audacity and, fearing for his life, risked a glance at Mark and Jacob. They were laughing at him.
“Something you want to tell me about your relationship with my daughter, airman?” Jack’s face turned bright, lobster-red and he began stammering incoherently. “I see; your intentions are completely honorable, I trust?
“Intentions?” Jack croaked.
“Dad! Stop tormenting poor Jonathan.”
Jack poked Sam in the side for that; she squeaked and shifted away from his hand. “Come on, Sammy, we might as well come clean about our affair.”
Sam’s eyes bugged out and she hit him on the leg. “Jack O’Neill! You promised under threat of near death that you wouldn’t call me that!”
“I figure since you called me Jonathan, I got one free chance to call you either Sammy or Samantha.”
While the pair was talking their table had been called, but they were so focused on each other that neither of them would have noticed a nuclear bomb detonating in front of them.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Sam and Jack looked at Mark with identical flushed faces. “Our table’s ready.” With that, he turned and followed the seating host to the table.
During dinner the conversation roamed from topic to topic, at one point Mark asked Jack why he had come with Jacob for the two week leave. Jack’s hand paused mid-bite for just a second before he recovered his calm.
“I normally would have gone to Minnesota to visit my grandfather, but he passed away last month, so I didn’t really know what to do with myself.” Having less tact than a bull has grace, Mark inquired as to why he didn’t go see his parents. “We’re not close,” was all Jack would say on the subject. Sam kicked her brother under the table and changed the direction of the conversation by asking her father about the new command that came with his promotion to general.
When it was time for dessert, Jacob was in the middle of telling Mark and Sam about his first meeting with then Lieutenant Jonathan ‘Jack’ O’Neill.
“I walked into my office to read over the file of the new man I was getting on the team, only to find said man sitting in my chair, feet propped up on the desk, flipping through his own file. Before I could blink, he looks at me with the most innocent expression in his eyes and says, ‘I think you’d best watch out with this O’Neill character, Sir. He looks to be a handful.’ Then, quick as lightning, he was on his feet saluting me as if nothing had happened.”
Jacob shook his head at the memory. “Those first few weeks were some wild ride; never knowing what crazy stunt O’Neill would pull next.” He paused for a moment, “I guess nothing has changed, huh Jack?”
By now Jack’s face was a funny shade of purple and he burst out, “Hey now, Sir, be fair! Admit that half the things I got blamed for were actually the work of the other guys on the team.”
Mark watched the two Air Force officers banter back and forth, remembering when he used to do that with his father. Since his mother had died three years previously, Mark’s relationship with Jacob had suffered. Now Mark understood that Jack had stepped into the roll that he himself had forsaken and he found that he was jealous. The young captain managed to fit better into the Carter family than he did. Jacob liked him, Sam obviously liked him, and Mark was fairly certain that, if she had been alive and here to meet him, his mother would have adored the young officer. Mark couldn’t understand how this man was able to mesh so well into a family he had only known for a few hours. The more he watched the interaction between Jack and his father and sister, the more upset he became, until he was unable to bear it much longer.
When it came time to pay the bill, Jack went for his billfold before Jacob stopped him. “Dinner’s on me tonight, Jack.” The Captain started to protest but Jacob held up his hand to stop the words. “Jack, you’re going to be staying with us for the next two weeks, there will be plenty more chances for you to foot the bill. Tonight’s on me.” With that he handed his credit card to the waiter, ending the discussion.
As soon as the check was taken care of, Mark stood up from the table. “I’m going to meet some buddies; I’ll catch a ride home from one of them. Thanks for dinner, Dad.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and made his way out of the restaurant. The other three watched him go without commenting, but each having their own reaction to Mark’s abrupt departure. Sam couldn’t understand why her brother continued to drift farther and farther away from her, they had been so close once. Jack still didn’t get how the General’s son could be so rude to his family; he never would have gotten away with that behavior at home. Jacob was saddened by the evidence that his relationship with Mark was probably now beyond repair.
As it was still early, the two remaining Carters and Jack decided to take a walk around the small town before heading home. While they were walking, they bumped into an old friend of Jacob’s. He wanted to catch up with his friend, so he told the other two that he would meet up with them in a little while. Sam and Jack continued to stroll down the street at a leisurely pace. For a while they walked in silence, just listening to the sounds around them, but Jack wanted to get to know the young woman better and soon started a conversation.
“So Sam, your dad mentioned that you would be starting at the Academy in the fall. That means you must be graduating within the next few weeks, right?”
“Yeah, I’m actually graduating next week, but I’ve been taking classes at the local university for the last two years, so it’s really just a formality at this point.”
Jack looked over at the girl beside him. He could not believe she was real; kind, funny, drop-dead gorgeous, super intelligent, and 100 percent jail-bait. He noticed her shiver slightly in the cool June night and wrapped his leather jacket around her slender shoulders. At her questioning glance he just shrugged.
“You looked cold,” was his only explanation until she tried to protest and give the jacket back saying she didn’t want him to get cold. “Ach, Carter. Keep it. I grew up in Minnesota; I’m used to the cold.” She smiled thankfully at him and Jack found himself wishing she would smile like that more often.
The pair continued to chat as they walked, taking about Sam’s academic interests, physics and math, Jack’s time at the Academy, “I wasn’t a hellion… okay, so maybe I got into a little bit of trouble,” they even touched on Sam’s mother and Jack’s grandfather, but neither said much during that part of the conversation. Gradually they could hear the sound of a crowd approaching. When they could make out faces in the group, Sam instantly tensed and unconsciously shifted closer to Jack. He felt her reaction and put an arm around her shoulder to guide her around the crowd. The pair was almost past when a voice called out to them.
“Samantha? Samantha Carter, is that you?” Sam cringed and slowly turned around to face the girl who had cried out.
“Yes, Evelyn, it’s me.” Jack tightened his grip on her, reminding her that he was there if she should need him for anything.
“It’s been forever! Where did you disappear to?” The rest of the group stopped chatting so they could hear her answer.
“I’ve been taking classes at the U. for the last two years.” Her reply seemed to disappoint them.
“Is that all?! We all thought you’d gotten pregnant and been shipped off to military school after the abortion.” Sam was too shocked to speak. How could they think that? That’s the rumor about my disappearance? Some friends, they never even called to check! The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Jack noticed and decided it was time to step in.
“Sammy,” he tapped her lightly on the shoulder to get her attention off the girl in front of them. “We should really be going; your dad’s probably waiting for us and ready to head home now.” With his eyes he begged forgiveness for the use of the hated nickname; she understood, it was for the group behind her.
“Alright Jon,” she turned to Evelyn again. “Nope, not pregnant or military school. But, as Jon said, my dad’s waiting, so we’ve got to run. It was nice seeing you again.” The pair turned back the way they had come before Evelyn could ask about Jon, as she hadn’t really noticed him before that moment.
When Jack and Sam rounded the corner, he pulled her around to face him. “Are you alright?” The concern was evident in his eyes.
Sam took a deep breath and let it out again before she answered. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. It was just a shock seeing her again. We were best friends in grade school but drifted apart after my mom died. When we entered high school, she became a cheerleader and I joined the math club. We were still friends, but it was hard. After the accident, I started handing out with the wrong type of people; she stopped talking to me. That’s actually how I ended up leaving the high school; after I got picked up by the police one night too many, Dad gave me two options: use my super brains and get my act together, or boarding school.”
Jack cut in here, “Would boarding school have been so bad?”
“All-girls, in Ohio.”
“Never mind. Super brains were a much better choice.”
“When Dad gave me the ultimatum, I figured it was time to get out of the high school. So I went to my councilor and we talked with a guy in admissions at the university and found a way to get in without actually having my high school diploma. I had all the credits I needed to graduate, but I didn’t want my classmates to know what I was doing.” Sam shrugged, “I guess I realized that if they knew I had graduated, they would have tried harder to find me, which would have landed me in boarding school, diploma or not.”
“So if you’re actually a college student, what are you studying and why even go to the Air Force Academy?”
“Math, and this was really just a way to kill time before I could enter; you have to be 17.”
“Will your credits transfer to the Academy, or will you have to start over?”
“I’m actually only six credits shy of my degree here, so when I start at the USAFA, I’m going to focus on physics. The math was really just something I wanted to do while I had the time because I knew once I entered the Academy; I would want to spend all my extra energy on physics and flying.”
“Physics and flying, interesting combination; what do you want to do with that?”
“NASA. After my four cadet years, I hope to go for my PhD in Astrophysics, then work at NASA as an astronaut.”
Jack smiled at the dreamy expression on her face. “You seem to have your life all planned out, Samantha Carter. I hope it works out for you.”
They turned back to where they left Jacob, only to bump into him as they rounded the next corner.
“There you are. Ready to head home?” Jack and Sam nodded; they had had enough excitement for one evening.
After they arrived at the house and Sam had bid the two men goodnight, Jacob turned to Jack with a serious look on his face. “I wanted to thank you for how you handled the situation tonight. Sam hasn’t had a lot of people she can talk with in the last two years, and I know she’s needed it.”
“How did—”
“I was coming from a side street; I heard what that girl said about Sammy being pregnant and shipped off to military school. If you hadn’t stepped in there, I would have. No one tells lies about my little girl and gets away with it.” Jacob sighed and shook his head, “Anyway, thank you, Jack. Goodnight, son, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Neither man noticed the figure silently fuming in the hallway. Mark had returned home a few minutes earlier, just in time to hear Jacob’s thank you to Jack. She trusts him more than me already?! When was Sam in trouble? I didn’t know; why didn’t they tell me? He’s not your son, dammit! I am! Mark! Remember me? This is my family, Jack O’Neill, not yours; go find your own.