Transitioning

[fantastic_jackie]

Title: Transitioning

Author: patriot_jackie

Rating: PG

Season/Spoilers: The very end of 8

Genre: Team-Fic/Humor/UST Romance

Word Count: 8,085 Words

Summary: Stand alone oneshot. The promised prequel to Moving Forward. Things are changing at the SGC for SG-1, an era coming to an end. While the two military members of the team struggle to adjust, Daniel and Teal’c do their best to accommodate and foster the needed shift in dynamic between them. But SG-1 finds more than just change between Sam and Jack occurring.

Author’s Note: Well, I can’t believe I finished this, even if it is late for Ship Day! If you haven’t read Moving Forward, then you don’t need to have in order to understand this story. In fact, since this one precedes Moving Forward, I would prefer that you read this one first and then that one if you’re going to read it – you’ll have a different perspective from most, including myself, that I’d be interested to know about, if you wouldn’t mind leaving a quick note. :)

That being said, this is a lot different in style from its sequel, so I hope it doesn’t put you guys off too much.

Many thanks to mrspollifax for taking the time to read through most of this and letting me know exactly what she thought! You were of GREAT help, and I appreciate your efforts and you!

At 0500, Sam was sitting on her porch, drinking a mug of coffee while she waited for Jack and the guys to show. The General had called five minutes before, blaming their tardiness on Daniel’s refusal to get out of bed. She smiled at the thought of his childish whining and the mental image of Teal’c flipping him out of the bed, effortlessly upending the mattress.

Sam took another sip of her coffee, corners of her mouth curving further upwards as a familiar truck made its way down her street, its disgruntled driver casting a glance at one of the passengers behind him. They were hardly what she’d call late, pulling in at 0502, but such was the military standard of life and all matters timely.

She stood slowly, dusting her pants off absently, her slothful movements belying her true excitement. Regardless that she’d barely caught four hours of sleep, she was wide awake, excited about this trip. Whether her inability to get a decent night’s rest had to do with the recent, sudden changes in her life or her anticipation of finally going fishing at her CO’s – former CO’s – cabin with him, and Daniel and Teal’c, she didn’t know. But she was ready. The house was locked up, her bag packed and ready at her feet.

Bending to pick up the bag, she heard one of the doors open and close quickly.

“I’ll get it, Carter,” Jack said, trotting to her. She couldn’t help noticing how good he looked in civvies, a light green shirt, khakis, and sandals. Maybe it was because she never saw his feet, but she found the sandals extremely appealing. “You hop on in.”

She passed the pack to him, grinning, reflecting on how far she’d come since first meeting him. “Thanks.” If he’d told her such back then, she would have taken his gentlemanly offer offensively.

He grinned back, which she enjoyed on a level most would say was entirely wrong, and she matched his pace. “All locked up?” he asked as they walked the short distance to the truck.

“Yes, Sir,” she answered, hoping it wouldn’t give away just how much she was looking forward to this.

“Jack.”

“Sam,” she said back, not missing a beat as she pulled open the front passenger door and slid in. “Mornin’, guys,” Sam said happily twisting in her seat to see her teammates.

“’ey, Sam,” Daniel yawned.

Teal’c inclined his head minimally, the slight smile he reserved for his friends in place. “Good morning, Colonel Carter,” he replied as Jack slid in behind the wheel.

“Ho!” he said alarmed, causing Daniel to jump. Copying Sam, he turned in his seat to face Daniel and Teal’c, pausing to give her a slightly awkward look as he realized how close to each other the position put them. Shrugging, he barreled on, focusing on their other teammates. “First rule of this trip: No ranks. I don’t want to hear any Generals or Colonels - or Sirs.” He turned to Sam as he said the last. “For the next six days, Jack, Daniel, T, and Sam,” he said, pointing at each as he said their names.

Sam didn’t even try to ignore the bubbly feeling when he’d said hers, having finally coming to terms with her unshakeable feelings for him. She’d at least long ago mastered the art of seeming unaffected.

Teal’c nodded. “My apologies, O’Neill-”

“Ah!” he waved his finger wildly. “Jack.”

“Jack,” the Jaffa repeated awkwardly.

“Excellent. - Got that, Carter?” he teased, facing forward and buckling his seat belt.

“Yes, Sir, so long as you’ve got Sam.”

“Second rule of the trip,” he said in reply, pulling from the curb. “I’m exempt.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle.

-/\-

A little over an hour later, the cabin of the truck was silent. They’d had a short conversation together before lapsing into a companionable quiet. Sam was staring out her window, the sky a swirl of pink, orange, and blue.

“See, Daniel? Sunrise is definitely worth getting up for,” Jack announced suddenly, his voice low. When he received no response, he glanced in the rearview mirror. “Sleeping, huh?” He shook his head imperceptibly, and Sam turned to find both of her teammates fast asleep. “You gonna stay with me, Carter?” he asked quietly, eyes glued to the road.

She smiled as an impulse fell over her. Shifting her gaze to him, she said, “Always, Jack.”

She resented his dark sunglasses as he looked to her; she couldn’t read what he was thinking. He was always so guarded that it was hard enough to do without the shades, but with them in place, it was impossible. With her own on, she imagined he was probably having similar thoughts.

She turned back to the road, and noticed out of the corner of her eye him belatedly do the same. The moment past, she willed herself to think of anything other than him sitting so close beside her: Daniel and Teal’c were in the back “sleeping,” and it wouldn’t do for her to jump her former CO while he was driving, anyway.

Turning to stare at the scenery swooping outside her window, she rested her chin on her balled fist, allowing herself to drift. She hoped this trip would help clear her mind so she could focus on becoming prepared for her new position at ’51. And she hoped her emotions would settle down after her father’s passing and calling off the wedding with Pete, too. She didn’t deserve Jack after what she’d done, and she couldn’t tell if he wanted anything from her at all, but in her present state, she didn’t feel right pursuing anything.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she felt his fingers grasp hers gently. She fought herself to look suddenly to their joined fingers, her hand dangling off the armrest beside him. He started to pull away as quickly as he’d initiated the contact, but she held on, bringing her thumb bending upward to keep him where he was.

She sensed him face her again, but she resolutely kept her gaze outside her window. She had no intention of allowing him to see the sad smile she was fighting back. His thumb caressed her hand lightly as he turned back to the road.

Their hands remained linked until driving necessitated Jack to reclaim the limb, and Sam missed the contact as soon as it was gone.

-/\-

“Teal’c,” Daniel asked moving around in the back, obviously looking for something. “Have you seen my honey bun?”

Innuendo immediately popped to the forefront of Sam’s mind, and she bit her lip. But when Jack lost the battle and snorted, Sam couldn’t help herself.

“Shut up, Jack,” Daniel snapped.

Sam grinned that she had reprieve, but Jack gave her a sarcastic withering glare over the top of his glasses, and feeling the sudden, random urge to kiss him, she turned smoothly to watch the scene play out in the back.

“I was not aware that it was your honeybun, DanielJackson.”

“You ate it?!” he cried.

“I did.”

He sighed dramatically.

Fighting against the twitching of her lips, Sam reached forward and pulled out her meager breakfast she hadn’t yet felt up to eating. “I’ve got an apple if you’d like, Daniel,” she offered.

He shook his head appreciatively, “No, thanks. - Can we stop somewhere to-?”

“No, Daniel,” Jack said patiently.

“He ate my honey bun!”

Sam and Jack sniggered as Teal’c sincerely said, “I am sorry, DanielJackson.”

“No, no – it’s okay,” Daniel backtracked immediately. “Just… Jack-“

“Daniel, we’ll be stopping in a couple hours for gas and switching drivers,” Jack enumerated. “You can wait until then.”

“A couple hours?! Jack, I’m asking for two minutes!”

“Fifteen,” Jack corrected him.

“What?”

“Gotta get off the freeway, drive through a couple lights, park and wait for you-“

“All right, all right. 15 minutes. I still don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Neither do I,” he replied sarcastically.

Daniel sighed moodily. “Fine, then. I’m going back to sleep.”

Silence reigned in the cabin for a few seconds.

“Teal’c,” Sam asked, coming to a decision. “Would you like an apple? I don’t feel like it anymore.”

A large, dark hand appeared beside her. “Indeed.”

Daniel huffed in annoyance.

-/\-

Two hours later, they stopped at a gas station, wherein they topped the tank off, took a bathroom break, and gathered essential snacks and late morning breakfasts. Daniel, quite pleased with himself, bought a whole box of honey buns, and Sam laughed when she heard Teal’c ask if he would mind sharing. Jack had purchased the ice he’d forgotten to pack and was pouring the bag into the cooler of drinks when the other three exited the store.

He tossed the keys to Daniel. “You’re up, Danny boy.”He closed the cooler and climbed into the back of the truck.

Accelerating back onto the freeway, Daniel stuffed the last bit of his Hostess pastry into his mouth, crumpling the plastic and dropping it into their newly acquired trash bag. “Mind if I turn on some music, guys?” he asked, mouth still full.

“Say what, Danny?” Jack gibed.

Sam ignored him as did Daniel. “Sounds good,” she answered.

Daniel gulped hard and turned to the Jaffa beside him, eyes watering slightly. “What about you, Teal’c?”

“Music would be agreeable.”

“Great,” and he pushed the knob on, causing the speakers to erupt in static. A couple minutes of searching later, they’d come to a consensus for a passing Mix station. A lively conversation started about the artists and tunes, Daniel happily chattering to Teal’c about the various parts of pop culture he’d yet to pick up on.

Sam found herself enjoying finding out the little pieces of information about her teammates’ musical tastes. – More specifically Jack’s, as she’d spent a lot of time with Daniel outside of work. He said he was open to anything except boy bands, so when a song by Maroon 5 started to play, he and Daniel got into an artificially heated debate about what the term included and referred to. Sam was mostly amused by Daniels’ passionate defense; he couldn’t see Jack’s tapping fingers nor his slow grin to her when he noticed she was watching. The debate came to a screeching halt when Teal’c reached forward and turned the music off.

“Rule number three,” he announced stoically in the ensuing silence. “No more music.”

Sam chuckled.

“T!”

“That’s not fair, Teal’c!” Daniel protested.

“It would be futile to forbid you and… Jack-”

“Nice,” Jack complimented his efforts.

“-from engaging in frivolous disagreements. Therefore, I am left with the only recourse to prevent such subjects from arising. – Do you not agree, Samantha?”

She couldn’t help the mischievous words from falling out her mouth: “I think it’s excellent logic, Teal’c,” she agreed.

-/\-

Sam couldn’t get comfortable.

Daniel had been driving for a good ninety minutes. When the conversation had turned into a hockey discussion between the guys, she’d dug out her book and begun to read.

That had been less than ten minutes ago, and reading, apparently, had not been a good idea. Her eyes felt droopy, and she didn’t really understand anything that had happened beyond the first paragraph, though she’d progressed a couple pages already. It seemed that her lack of sleep last night was finally catching up with her. And if not for the awkwardness that is sleeping in a car, she would have been grateful.

Giving up the attempt to stay awake, Sam closed her book, replacing it in her small bag of entertainments. She scooted as close as she could to the window, and lay with her head against it.

Two minutes later, she tried letting her head fall back onto the headrest.

The crick in her neck persuaded her to try letting her head fall forward, but that, she knew, was going to be just as detrimental.

So she sat straight, leaning neither one way nor the other.

And then… an unsettling feeling: she felt him watching her. Sam tried to ignore it and concentrate on sleeping, but the process effectively defeated itself.

She turned to regard him, annoyed. He was watching her bemusedly, his arm stretched out across the back of the seat. She glared at him. He gave her a lopsided grin, and after another moment of his silent laughter at her, he inclined his head minimally, inviting her to borrow his shoulder. She considered his offer, weighing whether she was comfortable with Daniel and Teal’c discovering them in such a position. It wasn’t as if she’d never lied against him before, but every time before, it had been after or during harrowing situations which she or they almost hadn’t survived. This? This was just… snuggling. There was no other word for it.

Looking to Daniel and Teal’c, she found them resolutely staring forward. She knew they were giving her and Jack space, and while she was a little bit embarrassed by her – their – transparency, she found that she was more grateful than anything. So without further hesitation, she unbuckled herself and slid across the seat, tucking herself securely beside him.

He was peering down at her, happily surprised by her decision. She gave him a quick smile, and then dropped her head to his shoulder, sighing and closing her eyes. The last thing she remembered before drifting off was Jack’s arm settling over her shoulders, holding her gently closer.

-/\-

She didn’t remember dreaming – it was the first thought that popped into Sam’s mind as she slowly stirred to wakefulness. Daniel and Teal’c were talking lowly in the front. Beside her, -or perhaps beneath was a better description- Jack was fast asleep. They were tangled together, her arms loosely around his midriff, he still holding her to him.

She thought about sitting up; stretching seemed like a very good idea. But she quickly shoved the inclination away. Turning into him, she inhaled deeply, butterflies stirring in her stomach. She allowed herself a large grin, face still hidden in Jack’s chest, before reeling back in and facing forward, still tangled with the general.

“It is… strange.” Sam heard Teal’c’s low, quiet voice.

“You could always call him Jonathan,” Daniel replied equally quiet. “It’s longer, and that’s his real name.”

“O’Neill dislikes his first name,” Teal’c pointedly stated.

She was barely able to make out Daniel’s shrug. “So?”

“Are you suggesting I antagonize him?”

“It wouldn’t be unprovoked,” he weakly replied.

Teal’c merely inclined his head, tell-tale eyebrow raising, defying Daniel to justify himself.

“Okay, look,” he said, removing one hand from the wheel as he spoke, “Jack’s whole purpose is to remove the impartial titles we – actually, it’s just you guys… Anyway, to remove the titles you use between each other. I agree with him, and calling him O’Neill defeats that.”

“You wish to see him irritated,” Teal’c stated simply, seeing straight through his friend.

Daniel turned to him, face contorted hopefully. “Yes?”

“I think you should, Teal’c,” Sam said quietly, grinning mischievously and revealing that she was no longer asleep. Neither Teal’c nor Daniel seemed to be surprised by it, though.

The Jaffa was quiet for a few moments. Finally, he said, “I shall consider it.”

-/\-

It was Teal’c’s turn to drive next, and then Sam’s. Afterwards, they’d made one more stop at which point Jack took the wheel again; all in all, for the multiple hours it took to drive from Colorado to Minnesota, it passed amicably, the only point of complaint being their stiff limbs and sore rears.

So arriving at Jack’s secluded cabin surrounded by open forest held an extra appeal as they all stumbled out of the truck and took in their new surroundings. Not that the sky wasn’t blue anywhere else, but what he’d said about the place struck true.

“So,” Jack said as he pulled their bags from the bed of his truck, Teal’c moving to help him. “What do you think?”

He wasn’t asking anyone in particular, but it was Sam who spoke as Daniel seemed momentarily distracted by his newfound ability to stretch. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly, taking her bag from Teal’c.

“Indeed,” he agreed.

Jack flashed them both a satisfied grin, “Told ya’,” and led the way inside.

If Sam had thought the exterior was beautiful, nothing less could be said about what lay inside. A homey lodge feeling that was distinctly Jack pervaded the décor. What she saw was nothing new in terms of his character, and yet, this was his sanctuary, his place to get away from it all. Something about being in the place gave her a distinct feeling of giddiness – that she was gratefully far too exhausted to express.

In fact, they were all exhausted from the trip, and so after each had claimed their rooms, the cabin became quiet as they settled down for naps and a quiet evening of watching movies later on.

-/\-

It was official: she’d completely thrown off her sleeping schedule. Either that or it was just the excitement of finally being there with no apprehensions or fears. Others might suggest the recent, sudden changes in her life were responsible and label her new pattern – rather lack thereof – as a bout of stress-induced insomnia. She recognized that the last was probably the most likely, but she wasn’t willing to give it the weight of being correct, because despite the changes, she felt she was genuinely coping well with them all.

Still, whichever reason it was, Sam found herself seated in Jack’s worn recliner, waiting for the first rays of dawn to appear so she could begin doing some reading, at least. She feared turning on a lamp would wake Jack, as the light would spill in beneath the door frame, and Sam didn’t want anyone worrying that something might be wrong.

She wasn’t what she’d call well, but she was okay.

But as if he had heard her thoughts as though a summons, the door to Jack’s room creaked open, and moments later, she saw none other than General Jack O’Neill emerge from the short hall space, sneaking about his own cabin with a bundle of somethings in his arms.

Clad in socks, he barely made a sound, the soft pats of his feet upon the hardwood floor barely audible. She watched him as he snuck into the kitchen, three bulbous, colorful objects in his hands.

They looked like balloons, jiggling with every movement he made. Yup, those were definitely water balloons. He was such a kid trapped in a grown man’s body. – A very nice body…

He opened the freezer.

“What are you doing?”

It was funny to watch, the juggling act he performed to prevent any of his goodies from dropping and delivering their payloads all over him. Once everything was under control, he spun around and leveled her with a glare that was rather undermined what with the all mixed-manner of directions his hair was pointing. “ Carter! What the h--- are you doing up this early?”

Shrugging, she stood and meandered towards him, eyebrows raising quickly with an innocent smile. Sam didn’t bother apologizing. Sam wasn’t sorry. It didn’t take a genius – not that she wasn’t one – to figure out what he was up to. “So. Whatcha doin’?”

The set of his own eyebrows matched hers as did his expression of innocence. He hugged the water balloons closer to his chest. “Nuthin’.”

She crossed her arms, shaking her head. “Oh come on. I already caught you; spill. What are you doing?”

Jack looked between her, his balloons, and the freezer, presumably for a route of escape. Seeing none, he rolled his eyes at himself. “Fine. It’s just a little morning wake up call for… Daniel and Teal’c.”

She nodded enlightened, but disbelieving. “Of course. That’s why you have three there.”

“Well, I thought I’d… uh... get Daniel twice,” Jack said sheepishly.

She nodded sarcastically. “Of course you did, Sir.”

“Ah! No Sirs, remember?” he artfully changed the subject.

She shrugged. “You called me Carter, first; fair is fair.”

He gave her a blank glare. “I think you’re forgetting rule number two.”

“So, hang on,” she interrupted her own rebuttal. “You’re going to wake up Teal’c by throwing a frozen water balloon at him while he’s still sleeping?” she asked incredulously. Did the man possess no fear?

Jack straightened to his full height as if it would somehow make his plot more respectable. “Not frozen, Sam. Just… cold. Very cold.”

She bit her lip to stop from grinning so broadly. “Right. This I’ve gotta see. - Assuming you make it through the door without him hearing you.”

Jack did grin. “Now that’s more like it.”

-/\-

Jack and Sam had stayed up through the early morning hours together in the living room in the name of turning the water balloons so they didn’t form too much ice while thoroughly adjusting the temperature of the water far below lukewarm.

Sam had suggested that it would be easier if they’d just filled the sink with ice water, but Jack insisted that it wouldn’t be cold enough, nor did they have a sure-fire way of doing such a thing quietly. He had a point, and so they had a so-called valid excuse to be watching the sunrise together, chatting very quietly.

As 0630 approached, Sam finally gave into the urge to lean against him. He had positioned himself in silent, open invitation a good half hour ago, but she’d refused, fearing that she’d fall asleep rather than enjoy the soft, casual conversation with him. But the time was now close to Jack’s Wakeup Call for Daniel and Teal’c, and even if she did drift off for a moment, it would only be a short one.

Jack let out a contented sigh under the guise of a yawn successfully avoided. He was easy to read sometimes, her Jack. And from her comfortable position of lying on his shoulder, she didn’t rebuke herself for her last thought.

He wanted more; he always had, she knew now. Maybe she had always known, but he had been so successful in hiding that from her that she’d believed she was merely an old flame to him. Perhaps she had been a willing accomplice to his deceptions considering the revelations she’d had while on the Prometheus, but as she often found about herself and relationships, she had been wrong. Why she had taken her own hallucinogenic advice to heart, she wasn’t sure: some truth didn’t necessarily amount to the whole truth. His recent actions over the past few weeks had revealed the whole truth of the matter, though, and somehow, she knew he didn’t care to keep it a secret from her any longer. Not in a malicious way or to inspire pity. In fact, she had the feeling that his purpose wasn’t even to attempt wooing her.

He was simply being there. Always, as he had promised.

He was going to love her whether she did him or not. Unconditionally and selflessly.

As she fell for him yet again in that moment, her heart ached. Suddenly, her thought process of getting over Dad and Pete seemed a hollow excuse keeping them apart again. Her father had made his wishes clear, though she’d denied them, and Pete… If she was honest, there really wasn’t much to get over.

Except that she didn’t want Jack to think that he was her rebound.

He was so much more than that, deserved so much more than that. But she didn’t know how to tell him, how she could possibly make him understand.

Without thinking, Sam tightened her grip on him and snuggled closer. “Jack,” she said softly.

Not missing the thump of his heart, she felt him peer curiously down at her, rubbing her arm slightly as if he believed she’d dozed on him. Maybe she had. “Hey. You okay?” he asked.

Sam nodded against him. “Yes.”

He pressed her further though, and she realized he was inquiring about more than just the particular moment. “Really, Sam. You’ve been through a lot lately. Are you sure you’re all right?”

She lifted her head, meeting his concerned brown gaze and holding it. “I’m fine, Jack. Happy, even.”

He took in her meaning quickly, the understanding flashing through his expression. Without hesitation, he raised his hand to caress her face, thumb stroking her cheek. “Good,” he replied absently.

But then, instead of kissing her like she’d hoped, he stood up, facing the kitchen. He turned, grinning roguishly at her, a playful spark taking up what had been something far more serious in his eyes. “It’s time. I thought you wanted to see this?”

Sam shook off her surprise by his sudden actions and smiled back, standing to follow him. D--- the man and his keeping her best interests in mind. She loved him all the more for it, but she wanted him to know that he couldn’t take advantage of her, because he was it. He was her everything.

But, romantic interlude put aside in the backs of their minds, Jack retrieved his little bombs from the freezer.

“Ohhh yes…” he said quietly, and passing her, he brushed her arm with one of the balloons: she nearly jumped out of her skin.

They were going to kill him, and not for the first time that morning, she found herself grateful that she hadn’t been able to sleep!

Grinning widely to hold back her giggles, she rushed after him as he crept up the stairs. They stopped at Teal’c’s room first, knowing that Daniel’s reaction would wake the Jaffa into action if done the other way around.

Silently, Jack opened the door, peering in to ensure he’d not been caught. Apparently he hadn’t been, and he opened the door wide enough so that Sam could easily see inside, as well.

Teal’c lay serenely on the bed above the covers oblivious to his nosey teammates, hands linked with each other over his stomach.

Jack picked the biggest balloon for him; it only took a moment for him to lob it, and even less for it to explode in a freezing watery pool on Teal’c’s chest.

“O’NEILL!!” He sprang to life, murder in his eyes, as Jack sprinted down the hall to Daniel’s room.

Sam burst into laughter as down the hall, she heard the door open, and then…

Splash! “S---!! JACK! YOU-” Splash! “AHHH!”

“Rise and shine, Danny boy!”

“You are so dead!”

And Jack tore stomping down the stairs, a drenched Daniel sliding after him on the wooden floor. “JAAAAACK!!” A moment later, the back door slammed shut once, twice.

In the meanwhile, Sam had been so mirthfully distracted that she hadn’t realized that Teal’c had risen from his bed and was supplanted in front of her. She didn’t notice until she felt a series of cold drips splash on her bare toes.

“Samantha Carter,” Teal’c said severely, towering above her in all his intimidating glory.

She gulped, laughter completely forgotten. “Now Teal’c,” she started calmly. “Teal’c, I didn’t-”

“I shall have my revenge on you and O’Neill when you are least expecting it.”

Her eyes bulged. “Revenge?! Teal’c! I wasn’t-”

“I shall have it,” he reiterated and stalked to the bathroom without another word.

-/\-

Sam had originally intended upon telling Jack of Teal’c’s intentions, but considering that she was actually the… well, not-so-innocent bystander in this, she felt not informing him was a justified way of getting back at him. After all, he was the one who had actually thrown the balloons, not her. She’d only watched.

So she’d been on pins and needles for the past two days, waiting for Teal’c’s sworn revenge, but it had yet to come. Perhaps it was because she slept with the door closed, a dangerously stacked pile of books directly in the way of any unauthorized opening which would warn her in enough time to escape. But if she thought about it, that was a far too obvious course of revenge for Teal’c – and Daniel, who she had seen quietly discussing something with him, both casting glances at the military half of SG-1. (Even if they were officially no longer a team.)

And while she was a bit disconcerted that the two had disappeared for a little while to fill up the cooler with ice and beer, she felt confident that for the here and now, they were okay. No, she now had a feeling that their greatest point of danger would be on the drive back in two days. She would have to keep a watchful eye out; hopefully they would know not to do anything while she was driving.

And so she and Jack were fishing on his dock. They’d enjoyed a lazy conversation here and there, but had mostly sat in comfortable silence. The sun was warm, a beautiful clear sunny day, and the fish weren’t biting. Which, most people enjoying a bit of fishing would say was a bad thing, but she couldn’t think of anything better than simply sitting beside her former CO on a warm, summer afternoon, waiting for non-existent fish to be tempted by their bait.

She couldn’t believe she hadn’t come up here sooner, and she told him such.

For his part, he smugly gave her an, “I told you so.”

Behind them, she heard Teal’c and Daniel approach with the cooler, setting it down back by the cabin.

“’Bout time, guys! I was about ready to take a swim!” Jack called without looking.

“Actually,” Sam heard Daniel faintly say to Teal’c. “Since we’re all going to be sitting up there, why don’t we just take it up?”

Teal’c must have nodded his consent, because she heard the swishing of ice and water approaching them, and with a quick smile to Jack, she leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and relaxing.

Swish swish swish.

“Oh s---!” she exclaimed, figuring it out.

“Carter?” Jack asked turning to her.

But she was already trying to escape – a large dark arm caught her, scooting her chair with his foot towards Jack’s at the same instant, and then she was seated again, the roar of ice above.

She screamed. Like a girl. In all of her years on SG-1, it had never happened!

Freezing and drenched, she barely made out the sting of curses Jack was hollering beside her through her mortification.

She did, however, hear Teal’c’s triumphant gloat: “My revenge is complete, Jonathan.”

Glancing at Jack, she saw his mouth hung open. “You-!”

“It is your name, is it not?” he countered.

“My name is Jack!”

Both stood, wobbling on the ice, and glared at their teammates.

The other half of SG-1 were laughing heartily, Daniel doubled over and Teal’c with the widest grin she’d ever seen on him. He was, indeed, laughing.

And suddenly, Sam felt her anger dissipate. Their mirth was contagious. She joined in with their laughter, and Jack soon followed after.

-/\-

“To SG-1,” Daniel said, raising his root beer bottle with the others. They were seated on Jack’s deck at a small, round card table enjoying their last dinner together on the trip: corn-on-the-cob, salad, mashed potatoes, and burnt steaks smothered in Jack’s beverage of choice. Of course, they were all drinking root beer, a silent agreement they’d come to when Jack had pulled the bottle out of the cooler rather than a Guinness.

“To victory,” Teal’c added.

“To fishing!” Jack said, grin obviously saying “I told you so.”

Sam smiled between them and paused before adding her toast, garnering a little bit more courage from the warm looks in their eyes. She’d been thinking it all week, and for years, if she was honest. It was time one of them said it.

“To family,” she said, and was pleased that her voice didn’t crack.

Their steady gazes faltered and they looked around the table at each other, smiles disappearing first and then slowly returning.

“To family,” Daniel repeated seriously, if a little emotional, and it was no secret why.

“To family,” Jack agreed, and then nudged her. “You’re still the brains of this operation, Carter.”

Something about the look in his eyes made her flush and she turned away quickly only to tentatively meet his gaze again.

“Though we go our separate ways,” Teal’c said stoically, drawing the attention of all three. “May the bonds that tie us together never be severed or weakened.”

“Here here,” Jack tipped his bottle to clink with the other three. They all took a swig. “Let’s eat!” he announced.

And they all dug in, each commenting on how everything tasted as each had prepared a part of the meal.

“I love you guys,” Daniel said, shoveling steak and potatoes into his mouth.

“Daniel! I told you to stay away from the beer!” Jack pointed his fork at him across the table.

“I only had one!” he defended himself, mouth full.

Sam snickered and quickly took a sip of her root beer, barely able to keep herself from choking.

-/\-

Dinner had turned into a long affair, the four sitting outside long after the food was gone, alcohol once again distributed amongst them minus Teal’c. When eight o’clock hit, though, the mosquitoes made their presence known, and Jack and Sam had retreated inside to do the dishes, he washing and she drying, while Daniel and Teal’c offered to tidy their mess outside – though Daniel seemed more a hazard than help.

A light tingling was riding the borders of her awareness, but all in all, she figured she was merely lightly buzzed from the two beers she’d drunken most of. Beside her as he washed the last plate, Jack was just working on his third. He didn’t seem to be affected at all, and aside from Sam’s sometimes-inability to really think about what she said before she said it, she was largely unaffected as well.

Of course, this largely unaffected state she found herself in kept leading her and Jack into more sensitive areas of conversation.

He finished regaling his memories of one encounter with the Goa’uld as he passed to her the last plate, having drained the water from the sink, and turned to lean against the counter facing her, reaching blindly for his beer.

“I wish you weren’t leaving.” The words were out of her mouth before she had a chance to censor them. She felt an impending flush, but then, whether it was the small amount of alcohol running through her system or an intense desire to be honest with him, she realized that she didn’t really regret telling him.

He paused mid sip, surprised by her admission, and lowered the bottle from his lips. “Well, with the three of you guys leaving, it wouldn’t really be the same. Besides, I don’t exactly have much of a choice. Hammond wants to retire, and he deserves it.”

“He does,” she agreed. She stilled her hands on the counter, though her fingers began absently worrying the edge of the towel she’d used to dry the dishes.

Jack placed his bottle beside him and then turned, still leaning on the counter, faced towards her. He was well aware that she had not made her decision about accepting the position at Area 51 until after he’d accepted the position in Washington. “Change is hard, Sam. But we’re all going where we’re needed, and that’s what we’ve always been about as a team.”

She smiled tightly. “Yes. As a team.” Where was she going with this?

“You want more?” he probed.

She looked up at him, holding his eyes with hers. “Aren’t we more?” It was a daring question, and she wondered at her wisdom, let alone ability to ask it.

He studied her before answering, looking for affirmation of which question she was actually asking, whether in reference to the team or simply the two of them, but she had no confirmation for him since she wasn’t sure which she meant, either.

His eyes shifted from hers for a moment to where they’d eaten earlier and then back to her. “Yes, we are,” he answered carefully. Again, it seemed, neither knew to which he was referring. But Jack broke eye contact before either could say anything more. “I thought you loved your new assignment?”

She nodded in agreement, “I do! I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to have the time to devote to all the technologies we and other the SG teams brought back. And Cassie needs me.”

He gave a crooked, half smile and said, “Well, there you go.”

She shook her head. “I know. I guess I’m just ready for a time when we won’t have to give up so much to do what has to be done.”

“I doubt such a day will ever exist, Sam” Jack said wisely. “Besides, I think Daniel and Teal’c are pretty happy with how things are now.”

It was true: Daniel and Teal’c were doing exactly what they wanted to do, what they’d dreamed of doing, even if it did mean leaving behind their friends for a length of time. Her position was a dream-come-true, too. Or so she thought. As much as she regretted not having time to devote to research, she really did love her job of traveling through the gate and being on the front lines. Not that there were really any front lines at the moment…

She sighed, still caught between the pull within herself, equal parts dread and glee for her new post. But at least the dread wasn’t overpowering anymore. “What about you, Sir?” she turned and caught his eyes again. “You’re going to hate Washington.”

He feigned being indignant. “What? No vote of confidence? No, ‘You’ll do great, Sir?’”

“Well, I’m sure you will do great, Sir,” she affirmed. “But you hate politics and diplomacy.”

He shrugged. “So? Has to be done, Carter.”

“But what are you looking forward to?”

It was a question he hadn’t been expecting, judging by the face he pulled, but he had an answer ready: “Retirement, I guess. Protecting the interests of the SGC in the meantime; making sure they have everything they need to do their jobs,” he said seriously. But then he continued, adding as an afterthought, “And my own limo. – I can watch the Simpsons in there, you know.”

She felt her grin burst through and leant towards him. – She counted it an effect of the beer and ignored the well-trained voice in her head to back away. “The President has no idea what he’s really asked for,” she teased.

“Well, if he really knew, I doubt he would have asked,” Jack replied succinctly.

It was then that she realized she wasn’t merely leaning, but slipping. The careful fuzz that had been riding the edge of her mind prevented her from determining the cause – were both feet planted securely on the ground, or was that a rug? In either case , Jack was certainly a lot closer than he had been a moment ago. Not that she minded.

One hand reached out to her waist, steadying her and preventing her descent. “Careful, Carter,” he said. “You’ll fall.”

“I think it’s a little late for that,” she mumbled more to herself. And then she giggled; apparently, she’d had more to drink than she’d thought, and it was really kicking in.

If she hadn’t had all eyes on his chest, she’d have seen his eyebrows raise. “And here I thought we were having a serious conversation.”

She looked up to him suddenly, her grasp of reality clearing for the moment. “You were. I think I’m being a little more honest than usual.”

His brown eyes twinkled. “You lie, Carter?”

“Just don’t always tell the whole truth, Sir.”

He muted a laugh, apparently amused by her understated assessment of herself. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said quietly.

She blinked, smile disappearing to be replaced with a thoughtful frown as she looked downward. She reached up and touched his chest, watching as she brushed across the general area of his heart before meeting his eyes again, just then taking into account how close they were. “Please do,” she said softly.

Neither misunderstood her meaning.

“Carter…” he trailed off quietly, seeming about to give a weak protest.

Sam didn’t know who initiated the kiss, but it really didn’t matter. All other thoughts ceased as their lips brushed together, and she clutched the fabric of his shirt to ground herself. It was a brief, fairly chaste contact, and they broke just a sliver apart.

She whispered his name.

And Daniel yelled it just as they were coming together again.

“JACK!!” A huge crash followed the archeologist’s cry.

Jack and Sam jumped, but neither moved from the other. Jack cursed under his breath, looking beyond her to the back porch.

“Ohhhh crap…” they heard Daniel say dumbly to himself.

“Daniel Jackson, what have you done?” Teal’c’s muffled accusation approached the general location of the disaster – whatever it had been.

“I… uhm…” he stuttered.

“Oh, for cryin’ out loud,” Jack muttered, passing by her gently and touching her shoulder as he went. He erupted as he opened the back door. “What the-?! Daniel! How the h--- do you manage to knock over my grill?!”

“I don’t know,” Daniel replied simply.

“Jonathan-“

“Teal’c, I swear, I am so not in the mood!”

But Teal’c continued as if he’d not been interrupted. “A few of the coals appear to still be hot.”

“I can see that!” But instead of acting, he cast a lingering glance over his shoulder at Sam, and she held his gaze evenly.

“We must act quickly, O’Neill.”

“Yeah, I think it’s burning your deck,” Daniel offered helpfully.

“If it is, Danny-boy,” he said as he turned from her, closing the door behind him, “You’re paying for all damages.”

Sam sagged against the counter; she didn’t know what had come over her. Over them. But she set about making some coffee – decaf, as it was all Jack had – and by the time the boys had finished cleaning up Daniel’s mess, she was sitting in the den with Star Wars and three additional mugs waiting.

They passed the rest of the evening without incident, falling into the oldest traditional rut of SG-1 as a fitting end to their vacation. Aside from a meaningful gaze with Jack when he sat next to her and again just before they all retired to their rooms, neither of them mentioned what had happened in the kitchen.

-/\-

“Well,” Jack said as they came to a stop outside her house. “I guess this is it.”

She looked at the structure, and she felt as though she’d rather remain seated in Jack’s truck, uncomfortable as it may be after hours upon hours, rather than enter the four lonely walls of her house.

“I guess it is,” she said quietly. Daniel and Teal’c they had already dropped at the SGC; Teal’c was leaving for Dakara immediately and Daniel had a few things to tidy in his office before being whisked to Atlantis. Jack and Sam both had packing to do for flights leaving in the next day or so; Jack’s on-the-job training started in two days with General Hammond. Sam still had a week to get settled in her new location, but Cassie needed her there, and she’d no intentions of making the young woman wait.

There had been tears, but she’d promised she wouldn’t cry with Jack. Not after… She turned to him, wondering if he’d bring it up. Neither had mentioned anything. They’d faced the greatest evils in the galaxy together, defeated them even, and they couldn’t acknowledge what lay between them?

She caught his eyes: no, they couldn’t. He was still holding himself at bay, and she… She wasn’t sure that she could start this just as they were parting.

But it didn’t stop her from wanting to tell him everything.

“I guess I’ll… see you around,” he said lamely. “I mean, head of ’51, you’ve gotta be summoned to Washington every now and then, right?”

She gave a bittersweet smile. “I don’t know, Sir.”

“Ah!”

“We’re not on vacation anymore,” she replied.

“I’m also not your commanding officer anymore.”

“No,” she said, eyes roving his face, “You’re not.”

He returned her bittersweet smile crookedly. “Keep in touch? Even if it’s just to say, ‘I’m glad you’re not here to destroy my doohickies.’”

She laughed, and a tear fell, which she quickly swiped away. “Are you kidding?” She launched herself across the middle to hug him fiercely. “I’ll miss your irritating visits and questions you pretend you don’t understand the answers to.”

“I never understand, Carter,” he said quietly. “I never will.”

She had a feeling he was talking about more, but neither was prepared to venture into that with the looming separation. So instead of telling him how much she cared, she whispered, “Don’t lose yourself up there, Sir. Washington’s a tough city.”

“I won’t,” he said gently, and let her go. "Relax, Carter. It's not like we'll be in different galaxies like some people."

She smiled at that. "No. And at least there won't be any hostile enemies where I'm going."

He huffed a chuckle and smirked. "Take care of yourself, Carter. That means sleeping and eating."

She grinned; he'd said the same to Daniel. "Yes, Sir, I promise. You take care of yourself, too."

"Will do," he replied happily as she slid out of the passenger seat and went to reclaim her baggage from the bed of his truck. She returned to wave him off, the window now rolled down. "Call me if you need anything, will you?"

She smiled. "Sure. Same to you."

"I'm serious, Carter," he said, holding her gaze. "My position has perks, so I might as well use them, even if you don't report to me anymore. If you need anything..."

"I know. You'll always be there, Jack." Of that, she had no questions. "Thank you," she said sincerely, hoping he understood she meant everything.

His eyes roved her features as she'd done before. He'd done the same for Daniel and Teal'c, but this was more intense, and she patiently waited for him to finish. "See you soon, Sam," he said at last by way of parting.

She stepped back, hand raised in a still wave. "See you soon, Sir."

Grinning, he teased her, "Work on that name thing while I'm gone." And with that, he drove away.

She watched until the tail of his truck disappeared from view, her heart heavy, before turning to approach her front door. As she turned the key, she thought that it felt like too many things were changing at once in her life. And yet, the spent time as a team together soothed the ache. Their working relationship might have been changing drastically, but their personal relationships were certainly benefiting.

She remembered their toast at dinner the previous night – the open acknowledgement that they were a family. It was something they told others sparingly, but never each other. (And by others, Sam could only count Janet on her list, who she had and did count a member of that family.) It was as if the regulations had come to encompass them all, the importance of silent acceptance so they could remain professional and dedicated and cling to an invisible layer of detachment. Perhaps it was foolish and perhaps they’d already known; in reality, it hadn’t made a bit of difference – nothing like it had between herself and Jack. And she couldn’t help but feel that though she and Jack wanted so much more than what they had, she knew they were content with the progression as things were for the here and now. The team had always been first, they both agreed.

Getting it out in the open, hearing it reciprocated – she couldn’t think of a better send off for them all as a team. As they worked through the major transitions in their lives, she knew it was the one thing they could all depend on, the one thing they knew would always be there, the one thing they could always come home to. It was what they’d fought for all the years together.

And as she thought back to the shared holiday, maybe, just maybe there was another transition looming on the horizon. That in itself was certainly something to look forward to, and with a renewed spring and determination to her step, she set about packing.

AN: There were some quesions at the end of Moving Forward - valid points, I thought - about Jack's proposal. I, of course, already knew this part of the story, so for those of you that raised those valid issues, I hope this makes ends meet for you at least a little more.

Thanks for reading, all! :)

Continued in Moving Forward
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Comments

[sinistercircus.livejournal.com]

Brilliant. It was so comfortable and so familiar. You really painted a beautiful setting of team-life. Though bittersweet (but with a dash of hope) it was so well written, each character allowed to grow in the warmth that only SG1 has.

Absolutely brilliant. Your work is solid and always above quality. Thank you so much for sharing this.


♥!!!

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!! I really wanted this to be as much about SG-1 as it was about Sam and Jack, because as much of a Shipper I am, I really do love the bond between the four of them. I have several other plunnies for the fishing trip, but I think this one falls in line with what I think as most canon. :)

Thanks so much for the wondeful compliment! You're more than welcome, and thanks for reading and reviewing!

[triciabyrne1978.livejournal.com]

*happy sigh*

This is lovely.

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

:D Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[a-loquita.livejournal.com]

This was very nice. Very realistic. I always felt that not a *whole* lot happened up at the cabin just for the reasons you give. Sam has a lot of healing that she needs to do, even though basically she's OK. And more importantly, she wouldn't want to give Jack the wrong impression that he's the rebound guy or he's the only reason that she broke it off with Pete. Plus, I think these two need to talk about some stuff before they go jumping into bed together. I like that you've shown them starting the conversation at least. It's a start and that's perfectly them. Nice.

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Well, I really wanted this to be SG-1's vacation rather than the common Sam and Jack's vacation where Daniel and Teal'c are awkward third wheels. I really don't think Sam and Jack would exclude them that much, nor do I think it was their real purpose in going - but they'd still be afforded time together just because Daniel and Teal'c are closet shippers!! Also because I really don't think after everything that happens in Threads, there's no way they can simply ignore it, and so they had to have at least started something. :)

Thanks very much for your comments! I'm really glad you liked it!

[mrspollifax.livejournal.com]

Finally got over here to read the sections I hadn't before. =) I just love seeing the four of them together and *happy*, even if it is a little bittersweet since we all know what comes next. And I love the tentative movement between Sam and Jack - seems so small, but really is such a huge thing for them considering the walls they've built over the years. Thanks so much for sharing this.

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Original SG-1 is awesome - nothing can beat them! There ended up being more solid S/J in here than I thought there would be, though - I was going to leave a lot of it rather ambiguous. I think my inner shipper escaped, but for the better of the ficcy. LOL I think a lot of movement needed to happen before the next part so it would be believable.

I also didn't think this was going to take such an angsty turn towards the end, but there really wasn't a way to avoid it. Not that I'm unsatisfied with it, but it just reminds me of when I reach Moebius's end and look at that first disc of 9... I'd just rather start over at Season 1 again a lot of the time!

Thanks so much for reading and reviewing and helping me get it written! ;D

[hadeschild.livejournal.com]

Wow, very very nice. I usually don't like the 'immediate post-season 8' fic but this was very nicely composed. A realistic domestic situation for all teh characters but it still maintains the feel and characterizations from the series. Very nice.

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Thank you!! I'm flattered I was able to succeed past your reservations!

My purpose in writing it like this was to give just a natural sense to what was happening rather than propelling it forward through a plot or real leading factor. They were on vacation, (all of them, not just S/J) so the style itself was rather loose to reflect that, as well.

I also just couldn't resist getting Teal'c to loosen up, because I think that if he ever does it at any point during their years together thus far, that trip would be it!