CHAPTER THREE
"This is really quite delicious," Vala said after taking a second bite out of her sandwich.
Cameron nodded. "Yep, Freddy makes the best pastrami sandwich in town."
Vala gazed about at their surroundings. They were sitting at a little table outside the deli. It was a bit chilly, so they were the only ones to be doing so, which was fine with her. She preferred the relative privacy.
She returned her attention to her companion, who was dipping a french fry into some ketchup. She was surprised by how much she was enjoying this little lunch out . . . and the company of her companion. On the way into town, the two of them had gotten into a conversation about football. Though she’d heard about the sport, she had never watched a game, so she had next to no knowledge about it. Cam filled her in on the basics, making it sound very interesting and exciting.
"I would very much like to see a football game," she now said. "They show them on television, do they not?"
"Uh huh. Spring college football just recently started its season. ESPN broadcasts games on most days, especially Thursday and Saturday."
Vala began drawing designs on the tabletop with her fingertip. "Would you watch one with me?" She looked up and saw him staring at her. She quickly added, "You can explain what is happening and let me know which team I should cheer for."
"It’s up to you which team you want to cheer for."
"Yes, but how will I know which one is more worthy of my support?"
Cam couldn’t help but smile at the question. "Well, with football, actually, with pretty much any sport, a team is going to have fans regardless of whether or not it’s the most ‘worthy’. Besides, how good a team is can vary from season to season, really from game to game." He paused. "But, yeah, I can watch a game with you and explain it as it goes."
Vala beamed at him. "Could we do that this Thursday?"
"Sure, why not."
Vala took another bite of her sandwich, very pleased that Cameron had agreed to watch a football game with her.
As they continued eating their meal, talking about this and that, Vala realized that this was something she and Daniel had never done. Oh, they’d had conversations about things that were not work-related, but they’d never chatted, talked for the pure enjoyment of it. And whenever they did talk, they often ended up strongly disagreeing about something.
For the first time, Vala really thought about what a relationship with Daniel would have been like beyond the bedroom. Would all their bickering and arguing have stopped after they became lovers? That was pretty unlikely since the fundamental differences in their personalities, opinions and philosophies would have remained the same.
That’s when Vala realized that she’d been blinding herself to the truth all this time. She had never examined the prospect of a romantic relationship with Daniel in a logical way, putting thought into if it could actually succeed. Perhaps in an environment where there wasn’t much stress or stuff going on for them to argue about, they would have been okay, but with the lives they had now, they’d likely have been at each other’s throats constantly. As sad as it was for Vala to admit, the relationship probably wouldn’t have survived for long . . . even if the sex was great.
"Hey. You still with me?" asked Cam.
Vala blinked and returned her attention to him. "I apologize. Were you saying something?"
"Nothing important. So, where’d you go off to just then. You looked pretty deep in thought."
Vala smiled. "It doesn’t matter." She looked at his plate. "Are you going to eat all those French Fries?"
Cameron pushed the plate closer to her. "Help yourself."
Vala dove in. "I really should not eat these. I have put on three pounds. You have so many fattening foods here that taste too good to resist."
"Yes, we do love our junk food."
"I will eventually be as fat as I was when I was pregnant."
Cam popped a fry into his mouth. "You look fine, Vala. You still manage to squeeze yourself into those tiny outfits of yours, and I haven’t noticed any strained seams yet."
Vala stared at him, smiling ever so slightly. "For how long have you been studying the seams of my clothing, Cameron?"
The pilot looked slightly flustered for a moment. "I haven’t been studying them. I just . . . haven’t noticed any that look like they’re threatening to pop." He looked at his watch. "We need to get back to the base. If you want the rest of those fries, you’ll have to take them with you." He got to his feet.
Deciding that she really could do without the calories, Vala took the remaining fries with the trash to a garbage can, the smile on her lips just a little bit bigger.
On the drive back to the base, Cam glanced at Vala more than once. He had to admit that this had been more fun than he’d thought it would be. He had enjoyed their conversations and simply spending some off-duty time with Vala. When you dug under the surface persona that she displayed to the world and got to what lay underneath, she was actually a very interesting woman who wasn’t nearly as shallow as first appearances made her seem.
Cam thought about their upcoming plans. Vala had already shown on the basketball court that she was good at sports and very competitive. Watching a football game with her would probably be a hoot. He’d have to make sure he had plenty of snacks and beer at home.
Smiling on the inside, Cameron focused his full attention on the road, very much looking forward to Thursday.
He had that thought in his mind right up to the moment that General Landry called him to his office.
It was just before two o’clock when Cam came striding into Daniel’s office. Judging by the look on the man’s face, the archeologist guessed that he’d been told the news.
"What the hell is this about you transferring to Atlantis?" the pilot asked.
"I told you quite a while ago that I was thinking about it."
"So, you just suddenly made your decision without talking to any of us about it again? Why now?"
"I have my reasons. The Daedalus is going to be arriving on Sunday and staying for a week. If I don’t catch the ride back this time, I might have to wait several months before I get another chance."
Cameron stared at him narrowly. "What is this really all about, Jackson? My instincts are telling me that there’s more to this than you just being in a hurry to delve into all that Ancient stuff."
Daniel turned back to his computer. "I know you’re not happy about this, Mitchell, and I’m sorry about that, but my decision is made. I’ll make up a list of people that I think would be good replacements for me on SG-1."
Cam kept staring at the archeologist for several more seconds, then, without another word, he left the office. Daniel released the tension in his muscles and closed his eyes. That had not been easy, but it was easier than he knew the confrontation with Sam would be. It wouldn’t be fun talking to Jack either.
Daniel’s privacy lasted exactly one hour, at the end of which Vala entered the room.
"Cameron just told me that you’re transferring to Atlantis."
The archeologist sighed. Ah, yes. There was this conversation, too. "That’s right."
"It’s because of Samantha and General O’Neill, isn’t it."
Daniel thought about denying it, but why bother? Instead, he said nothing.
Vala wheeled over a chair and sat down in it. "I guess I understand why you are doing this, but I still think you’re making a mistake. For all you know, things might not work out between them. Then you could have a shot at her."
Daniel almost laughed. "A shot at her? Vala, I know that your opinion about things like this is polar opposite from mine, but even if things didn’t work out between Jack and Sam, I’m certainly not going to jump in and suddenly start hitting on her. I am not that kind of guy."
"Well, of course I didn’t mean that you should do it right away. It would be best to give it a month or two."
Daniel glared at her. "I’m not talking about this anymore, Vala. Jack and Sam are getting something they’ve both wanted for a long time, and I’m doing something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’ll all work out for the best." He very pointedly turned away from her and got back to work.
Vala watched him for a while longer than left with a sigh. As she walked, she thought about what was happening. She didn’t want Daniel to leave. He was one of the only real friends she had, and it hurt to think of him going off to another galaxy, where she might never see him again.
Something had to be done about this, but Vala didn’t know what that could be. If she still had the Kor Mak brackets, she could link herself to Daniel again. That was what prevented him from catching his ride to Atlantis the last time. Unfortunately, the bracelets were beyond her reach now, so she would have to think of something else.
As she stepped out of the rental car Sam gazed about at their surroundings. The cabin was larger than she had pictured and sat nestled amidst the trees at the edge of a small lake, which sparkled prettily in the late afternoon sun.
"So, what do you think?" Jack asked.
"It’s beautiful. Are there any other homes on the lake?"
"Just one on the opposite side, but I doubt anyone’s there this time of year. We have this whole place to ourselves."
They carried the bags into the cabin.
"Take your pick of the bedrooms," Jack told her.
Sam examined both bedrooms and chose the one with the dark blue decor, leaving the forest green one to Jack.
Jack started up the gasoline generator, which was the only source of power. He made sure that there was plenty of gas for it, as well as firewood for the fireplace.
"Looks like we’re all set," he told Sam. "I’m afraid it’s too late to go for a walk, but we could eat an early dinner, then go to the lake and watch the sunset."
Sam smiled brightly. "I’d like that."
After enjoying a quiet dinner together, the ex-general and the lieutenant colonel walked down to the edge of the water. The sun was hovering just over the treetops, turning the clouds gold, pink and purple. As it slowly slipped behind the trees, Jack tentatively put his arm around Sam’s shoulders. It was not the first time he’d done that in the years that they’d known each other, but, this time, it meant so much more.
They stayed there until the sun was completely gone, then went back inside, where they took care of unpacking their belongings.
Sam gazed at the lingerie she’d purchased, wondering if she’d be wearing any of it tonight. With a smile on her face, she tucked it away in a dresser drawer. When she emerged from her bedroom, she saw that Jack was pouring some wine.
"Where’d that come from?" she asked.
"I had it stashed in my suitcase." He handed her a glass as she came up to him. "Come on. Let’s go out on the porch. It’ll be cold out there, so get your coat."
It was, indeed, cold outside, but Sam was feeling pleasantly warm on the inside, the internal glow caused by her companion. He stood beside her at the railing, gazing out at the darkening forest and lake.
"This is nice," Sam said. "When we were fighting the Ori, we seldom had time to just relax and do nothing. I think that was especially true for Daniel. He never stopped trying to find a way to put a stop to the Ori and their followers, staying up all hours of the night. I worried about him sometimes." She paused. "He blamed himself."
"Yeah, no surprise there."
"It wasn’t his fault, Jack. None of us could have guessed what that communication device would do . . . and none of us had any idea that the Ori existed."
"I know it wasn’t his fault, Sam. I blame the Ancients. If they’d told us what was going on, we’d have steered clear of that galaxy. But, as usual, they kept their mouths shut."
"I’m just glad it’s over. We’re free of the Ori, and so is the galaxy they enslaved for all those millennia."
Jack looked at her. "Hey. This is a vacation. We’re not supposed to be talking about work."
Sam smiled. "You’re right. No more talk about work for the rest of the time we’re here."
The temperature had dropped quite a bit, so the two of them went back inside. Jack had started a fire earlier, so the living room was nice and warm. They settled on the couch and sipped their wine. The silence stretched on as both of them tried to think of something to talk about.
"It’s supposed to be a pretty nice day tomorrow," Jack finally said.
"Oh? That’s good. I wouldn’t want to get stranded here in a snow storm."
"No danger of that. I’m afraid that swimming will be out of the question, though."
"I bet it’s wonderful here in the summer."
"Yeah." Jack looked at her. "Maybe we can come back then . . . or perhaps go to my cabin in Minnesota."
Sam met his eyes. "I’d really like that."
They stared at each other for a long, charged moment. Jack was the first one to start leaning over, but Sam didn’t hesitate to close the rest of the distance between them. As their lips met, Sam was expecting to feel an explosion of pleasure, an exquisite flood of sensations. The explosion never came. The light kiss was pleasant, but lacking in any passion.
They drew apart after a couple of seconds and searched each other’s eyes. Then they came together again. The second kiss was a little deeper, Jack’s arms going around Sam’s waist as hers encircled his neck, yet the powerful feelings Sam had believed she’d experience in this moment remained strangely missing.
"That was very nice," Jack said as they drew apart for the second time.
"Yes," Sam agreed despite her puzzlement and disappointment.
"Some more wine?" Jack asked.
"Um . . . sure."
The former general got up and went to the kitchen. Sam took the opportunity to use the bathroom. While she was in there, she stared at her reflection. Okay, so the kisses weren’t as earthshaking as she’d imagined they would be. They were still very pleasant. She needed to grow up and stop thinking like some silly teenager who had dreams of the emotional equivalent of fireworks and violin music while kissing the man she loved. She and Jack were still both a little hesitant about this change in their relationship. As they got more comfortable, the kisses would get better.
Certain that she was right, Sam exited the bathroom. Jack was back on the couch, staring at the fire, a slight frown on his face.
"What are you thinking about?" Sam asked as she sat beside him.
"Oh, nothing important. So, I was thinking that we could go fishing tomorrow morning, then take a walk after lunch."
"Sounds good. I assume that there are fish in this lake."
"Oh, yes. Plenty of fish. Perhaps, this time, you’ll catch something."
Sam nodded. On that fishing trip at Jack’s cabin, she never did catch anything . . . nor did anyone else, despite the fact that there were fish in the lake even though that tape recording from the past said that there were none.
Jack covered a yawn with his hand.
"Tired?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, a bit. The best fishing is early in the morning, so perhaps we should both hit the sack so that we can get up early."
Sam nodded, hiding her disappointment that the evening was ending this way.
They both got to their feet. Wishing each other a good night, they retired to their bedrooms.
The clothes that Sam donned that night were a T-shirt and sweat pants, which she’d brought along in case she decided to go for a jog. She had not expected to be wearing them to bed.
As she lay in bed, the disappointment returned. This was not how she’d imagined things going if she and Jack actually kissed this first night. In her mind she’d pictured their first kiss leading to a second, then a third and so on. She saw them cuddling together before the fireplace, exchanging caresses and intimate touches. In her imagination, that then led to one of two things: both of them stumbling into one of the bedrooms and stripping each other naked or a very sweet, loving kiss good night with a silent promise of much more to come later. Either one of those things would have been great.
Tomorrow, Sam told herself. Tomorrow they would have the whole day alone together, and that would surely lead to some of the passion she had been dreaming of. Today was only just the beginning.
Confident that she was right, Sam closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Daniel went back over the list he’d made of the things that would need to be done before he left for Atlantis. Most of his stuff would be going into storage for now. He’d give instructions to Sam and Mitchell on what to sell and give away. What little remained could eventually be brought to Atlantis. He’d picked up some empty boxes on the way home and would get started with the packing tomorrow. He was planning on taking most of next week off so that he could get everything finished. Fortunately, he never did accrue much in the way of possessions after his return from ascension. There was also the fact that he got rid of a bunch of stuff two years ago when he had believed that he was going to Atlantis. Since then, all of his attention had been on fighting the Ori, and he’d seldom spent much time at home.
It was eleven o’clock when Daniel went to bed. As he lay there, he very firmly kept his mind on all the things he needed to do, pushing out all thoughts of what might be happening right now in a certain cabin in Washington. When he finally fell asleep, his subconscious sent him a dream in which he was the one there in that cabin with Sam, the one who took her into his arms and laid her down on the bed, who kissed her, and touched her, and made the most incredible love to her. When he awoke from the dream a while later, he swallowed down the lump that came to his throat over the thought that he would never be the one to do that.
Twice now Daniel had come to love a woman with his whole heart and soul. There would be no third time. He could never allow himself to go through this kind of pain again. On Atlantis, he would pour all that he was into his work and lock his heart up tight. He’d accept that he would be alone for the rest of his life and leave romance and love to others . . . to people like Jack and Sam.
The sun was just peaking over the horizon when Jack and Sam set up the lawn chairs on the little dock. A while later, they had their lines in the water and began the wait to see if something would take the bait.
"How’d you sleep?" Jack asked after a while.
"Good. You?"
"Good. I much prefer the peace and quiet here over the traffic on the street where I lived."
"Oh! I didn’t even think to ask how things are going with selling your house. Aren’t you afraid that you’ll miss a potential buyer while you’re here?"
"No, I took it off the market just before I came to The Springs. The deal on the house General Paine was buying fell through, and he took a liking to my place, so I promised that I’d hold it for him until he could get his wife over there to see it. They were supposed to do that sometime this week."
Sam nodded. General Paine was the man who took over Jack’s position as the head of Homeworld Security. She hadn’t met him yet, but, from what she’d heard, he was a good man. But then, he would have to be. The president had left it up to Jack to find his replacement, and Jack O’Neill would never pick someone who was a jerk. He’d want to make sure that the Stargate Program and all the people in it were in good hands.
They fell into another long period of silence. Sam’s thoughts drifted to what went on when they got up that morning. Their greeting was cordial, not much different from the many times they had said good morning at the SGC. There was no kiss, which was a bitter disappointment to Sam. After they’d taken turns in the shower and gotten dressed, they fixed breakfast, sharing small talk across the table. Then they gathered the fishing stuff and came out here.
Sam was looking forward to the walk they had planned for that afternoon. Surely that would be when they’d kiss again.
Sam found her thoughts drifting to Daniel. She hadn’t really thought about it at the time, what with her mind on other things, but he had looked very tired the last time she saw him, his whole body exuding an air of deep weariness. He had said that he’d been putting in a lot of hours.
Daniel had been a workaholic for as long as she’d known him, but, sometimes, he carried it to extremes. Once she got back home, she’d have to drag him away from his office and make him relax, have some fun. Perhaps they could even do something together. There was a new exhibit at the Denver Museum of Art that she knew Daniel wanted to see. It would be fun to go see it together.
A sudden jerk on Sam’s fishing line abruptly brought her attention back to the here and now.
"I think I’ve got a bite!" she cried, jumping to her feet. Seconds later, it was confirmed that she did, indeed, have a fish hooked. "What do I do?!"
"Reel it in!" Jack yelled, now also on his feet.
With lots of instructions from Jack, Sam reeled the fish in, her heart pounding with excitement. As she lifted it out of the water and Jack grabbed the line, Sam laughed, surprised at the thrill of the catch.
They got the fish off the hook and placed in the cooler they’d purchased for that purpose.
Jack smiled at Sam. "So, how do you feel having caught your first fish?"
"Great! I didn’t think it would be so exciting."
Jack’s smile became a grin. "Ya see? I knew that you’d come to like fishing."
After putting fresh bait on Sam’s hook, they both settled back down. An hour passed, and the thrill of the catch faded into the monotony of the waiting. Sam found her thoughts drifting again, this time to the project she’d been working on before she left. It was a fascinating project, and she’d love to tell Jack about it, but she knew that he wouldn’t be interested.
On the last fishing trip, she and Daniel occupied a lot of their time talking with each other about their respective projects at work. Daniel had still been going through the stuff that Catherine Langford willed to him and was all excited about some of the things he’d discovered in the crates. Too bad he wasn’t here now so that she could chat with him and keep the boredom at bay.
Sam blinked, shocked that she’d have such a thought. From the moment Jack invited her on this trip, she’d been excited about the fact that it would be just the two of them, and, now, she was wishing that Daniel was here? No, she did not want Daniel here. If he was here, there would be no hope of romance between her and Jack.
Pulling her attention back to what she was doing, she looked over at the man beside her. He seemed to be perfectly content just sitting there, doing nothing. She envied him for that.
Another hour passed as Sam tried very hard not to be bored. At the end of the hour, Jack caught his first fish, and the excitement returned. After it was in the cooler, Sam excused herself and went into the cabin. She straightened up the kitchen, rinsing off their breakfast dishes. She looked out at Jack, who’d resumed fishing. She really should join him, but she just didn’t feel like it.
Sam was beginning to wish that she’d brought her laptop. She had chosen not to because she believed that she would be occupied with other things and wouldn’t need it.
Sam fixed herself a hot cup of tea. She was at the table sipping on it when Jack came in.
"I was expecting you to come back out there," he said.
"Sorry. I decided to warm up a bit," Sam lied. "It’s still kind of cold out there."
Jack pointed at the cup. "Coffee?"
"Tea."
Jack fixed some coffee and joined Sam at the table.
"I was thinking that we could turn our walk this afternoon into a hike."
"A hike?"
"Yeah. Wayne said that the view from that low ridge to the north is spectacular."
Sam frowned on the inside. She’d been looking forward to a slow, romantic walk, where the two of them could talk, hold hands, be a couple. Hiking up a ridge would totally ruin that.
"Um, I don’t know. I wasn’t really thinking about doing any hiking."
"You brought your boots, didn’t you?"
"Yes, just in case I needed them."
"Come on, then. It’ll be fun."
Sam wanted to say no, but she gave into Jack’s request.
"Great. We should get started earlier, then, to make sure that we get there and back before it gets dark."
Hearing that, Sam changed her mind about the hike since it would save her from having to go back outside and fish some more.
After packing a lunch and some other things, the two set out on their hike. The first part of it was more like the walk Sam had imagined, minus the hand-holding. They did talk, though. After a while, Jack actually started delving into things that were a little more personal. Sam was thrilled and subtly encouraged him to keep going. The conversation eventually turned to work.
"I have to admit that there were a lot of times when I regretted taking that promotion," Jack said.
"You mean becoming the head of Homeworld Security?"
"No, the promotion to general. Life was so much more interesting when I was a colonel on SG-1. Not that there wasn’t plenty of excitement when I was the base commander. What with Ba’al, The Trust, Anubis, and the Replicators, there were plenty of things to get the blood pumping right there on base."
"But you missed going out on missions."
"Yeah. Now, accepting the job at Homeworld Security was the real mistake. I spent way too much time in meetings and at my desk doing paperwork."
"We did miss you there at the base," Sam told him. "Not that General Landry isn’t a good commander. He’s done a fine job. He’s . . . just not you."
Jack looked at her. "Thanks."
They fell silent as the hike continued. They were almost to the foot of the ridge when they stopped for lunch.
It took them two hours to reach the top of the ridge. Once they got there, Sam had to admit that it was worth the trip. The view was magnificent. Far below, the lake shown like a sapphire surrounded by a forest of deep green. The sky was mostly clear now, just a few fluffy white clouds drifting by.
"It’s stunning," Sam said. She drew in a deep breath of the fresh mountain air and slowly let it out. She turned to Jack with a smile. Two seconds later, she was being kissed.
When Jack’s tongue slipped into Sam’s mouth, she felt a little thrill go through her. She enthusiastically returned the kiss, her own tongue venturing past his lips.
As they kissed, delving more deeply into each other’s mouths, Sam waited for that explosion of passion, for the fire that she had always believed would consume her. But, though the kiss was definitely pleasurable, the fire was still missing.
When their lips finally separated, they both looked at each other.
"You are quite some kisser, Samantha Carter."
Sam blushed. "Thank you. So are you."
Jack placed another kiss on her lips, this one soft and light. He then turned back to the view, putting his arm around Sam’s waist.
They stood there in silence as the minutes ticked by. Sam was trying to figure out why that kiss didn’t make her feel more than it did. It was a very good kiss. She hadn’t lied about Jack being a good kisser. His kissing skill was not the problem.
Sam was beginning to wonder if she was simply no longer capable of feeling the burning passion that she used to. She recalled what she felt when she and Pete kissed for the first time, what she felt when they made love for the first time. Had the war with the Ori leached all the passion and fire out of her? She didn’t want to believe that.
Perhaps something deep inside her was still holding back because of her former relationship with Jack. Subconsciously, she might still have in her mind that he used to be her commanding officer. Yes, that must be it. It was sort of understandable. She was so used to emotionally holding back with Jack that it was taking her brain and body a while to let loose with the passion she knew must still be inside her.
They remained on the ridge for another half-hour, then headed back down. It was an hour before sunset by the time they reached the cabin. They each took a shower, then set about fixing dinner.
After the meal, they returned to the couch. This time, Jack encouraged Sam to curl up beside him. She did so happily, enjoying having him holding her close. When she looked up at him, he kissed her gently. She wondered if tonight would be the night they made love.
Sam was destined for disappointment yet again. At ten o’clock, Jack commented that they should probably get some sleep. As he wished her good night, he gave her a kiss, but it was light and soft and held no promise of more.
Sam was feeling more than a little frustrated as she lay in bed, yet again wearing the T-shirt and sweat pants. She toyed with the idea of stripping off her clothes and going to Jack’s bedroom. She bet that would get his attention and result in what she wanted. But no. She had never, ever been that brazen with a man she was dating, and she wasn’t about to start now. She was just going to have to wait for the moment when Jack was ready.
