Random Insanity

Next to her, the colonel rolled onto his stomach so he could see her face. His cheeks were slightly sunburned and his hair, now freed from his cap, was sticking up in impossible directions. She fought every urge to reach out and run her fingers through it. “It’s not bad,” he said, pulling up a long blade of grass to play with.

“It’s perfect.”

“The view’s good.” He squinted up at the horizon where three white-peaked mountains rose over the treeline. Like a royal family lording over their empire.

Sam let her head fall to the side, the bill of her hat guarding her eyes. He was staring down at his hands now as they twisted and pulled apart blade after blade of grass. “I bet the lake as fish.” She bit her lip and waited for his response.

Slowly, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Sam pressed her teeth deeper into her lip to keep her own grin hidden. “You think?” he asked, his voice sounding pleased.

“We could find out.”

She walked next to him, hands clasped behind her back but looking completely casual. He marveled at her. “I suppose.”

Their heels clicked on the polished stone floor of the Pentagon. Jack nodded at several startled servicemen as they exited an office to his right. They eagerly got out of his way. Rank did have some privileges he thought with a smirk.

“You don’t seem too enthused at the thought.”

She shrugged.

“And that means?”

That got a bit of a smile out of her. “I hadn’t really thought about it, sir. After Atlantis and the Hammond-” She trailed off, her gaze getting glossy. She shook her head slightly before continuing. “I’m not sure I want to go back to the field.”

They arrived at the elevators, and Jack slammed his thumb into the up arrow. “Carter,” he said, keeping his voice low, “you have to realize you are on the shortlist to take over for Landry when he retires. A very short list.”

She shrugged again, her eyes never quite meeting his. Jack frowned. At her, at the elevator, at the situation. She seemed to notice his agitation because she gestured with her head at the stairs. Jack shoved the door open with a little more force than necessary.

“You want out, don’t you?” he accused.

They say that your whole life flashes before your eyes when you are in a life-or-death situation. I’ve died enough times to know that isn’t true. Most of the time, death is chasing you down like a starving tiger, and you don’t have time to think of anything other than ‘this is going to hurt.’ Sometimes, though, there is opportunity to contemplate the upcoming death. It could be hours or minutes or a few stolen moments while exchanging knowing glances with your friends. In those times, I’ve found myself not dwelling on every minute detail of my life. No, I’m taken back to one absolute perfect moment.

The sun shines brightly this morning, glistening off the sand as it flutters in the wind. Sha’re looks beautiful as always—the thin fabric of her dress billowing around her body; the light of the morning giving it an iridescent glow and silhouetting her body. It’s early, but it’s already hot enough for beads of sweat to pop up on my forehead and slide down my sunburned neck. Or maybe it has nothing to do with the sun. I watch as she turns away, shooting me a coy look over her shoulder. I want nothing more than to follow her, but there’s work to be done, and her father is sitting just five feet away from me. I lick my parched lips and try to look away.

I have no illusions that she doesn’t know exactly what she is doing. She might not be a modern American woman, but she’s not stupid or simple. Next to me, Kasuf coughs indiscreetly. I pry my eyes away from the image of my wife. I’m sure I hear her laughter carried on the breeze. Kasuf is staring at me with a combination of amusement and warning.

“Go,” he finally says with a suffering sigh.

“Have I mentioned how much I dislike planets where I’m forced to dress up?” Carter asked from behind the privacy curtain in the corner. “They never end well.”

“We all have to dress up,” Daniel said as he pulled a pair of tight leather pants over his knees, struggling to get them any higher. The look of sheer concentration on his face was priceless. Across the room, Teal’c stared at what could only be described as a costume that he’d been given to wear. He held up a pair of minuscule looking tights. Jack hid his smile in the shirt he tugged over his head.

SG-1 were spread out around a plush guest room in the palace of King Ardu of P3X-649. The people of this planet had a thing about royalty that rivaled the British Monarchy’s reign on the imaginations of the people of Earth. And travelers through the Stargate qualified as royalty.

Jack finished slipping on his silk shirt. The burnt orange material slid over his skin, soft and cool. It felt nice. He tied up the front, leaving the leather cords hanging, then tucked it into his black leather pants. They weren’t nearly as tight as Daniel’s, and the legs thankfully flared enough to fit over his regulation boots. Carter continued to grumble.

“Oh come on, Carter, what could possibly go wrong at a banquet in our honor?” Jack said, stifling a laugh. He happened to agree with her, but she didn’t need to know that. Carter muttered something under her breath that Jack didn’t catch. He could imagine what the words were, though, leaving another grin on his face.

Daniel stumbled back, knocking into a dressing table. “I think these things are broken.” He suddenly lurched forward and fell hard to the floor. “Ow.”

“I do not see the purpose of such attire,” Teal’c said, still eying his clothing dubiously.

Daniel pulled himself vertical again. “It’s tradition, Teal’c.”

“It’s a stupid tradition,” Carter said. After a few muttered curses she added, “there’s a reason women on Earth stopped wearing corsets. This is impossible.”

 

After everything they'd been through, in the end, Jack would do anything for Sam, just to see her smile. Even if it meant giving her pre-wedding advice. AU after Affinity.
[I originally wrote this in 2014 and have no idea why I never finished editing it back then (It only took like twenty minutes). Apparently, I was in the mood for angst overload.]
Lyrics by Tim McGraw.

And yesterday I knew just what you wanted
When you came walkin’ up to me with him.
So I told you that I was happy for you,
And given the chance I’d lie again.

Just to see you smile.

Jack sat on the roof of his house, a beer dangling from one hand, watching the stars twinkle far above. Like so many other times, he wondered how many of those specks of light he’d visited. How many of them had planets orbiting them that they hadn’t yet discovered? Not that he’d be going to any of them. Being a general generally sucked most of the time.

He took a sip of his beer. The cool breeze tickled his skin, causing goosebumps to pop up all along his arms. It was getting colder—summer was over.

Slowly, his eyes slid shut, but he forced them open. He didn’t like what he saw whenever they closed. There was that little black box and that nervous expression on Carter’s face. It had taken every ounce of military training to keep his face neutral. How could she have asked him about that? He swallowed hard because he knew why. She was giving him one last chance to stop the whole thing. To make a move. And he didn’t take it because of honor and the regulations and he was a big fat chicken.

Stargate SG-1 | 708 words | [G]
Sam's leading her first mission, and the colonel has quite a bit of advice for her. Given in typical Jack O'Neill fashion.

Sam nearly collides with someone as she turns the corner into the conference room. She looks up into the colonel's mischievous, twinkling eyes. The corner of his mouth curls up in an adorable crooked smile that sets butterflies loose in her stomach. Blood rushes to her cheeks, and she has to look away before he notices. "Sorry, sir, I didn't see you."

"Not a problem, Carter. I was just on my way out."

"Out, sir? Aren't you staying for the briefing."

"Unfortunately, no," he says with an exaggerated sigh. "Apparently, I'm needed in Washington."

Sam cringes. "My condolences."

The colonel laughs at that. "I'll make sure to send you a postcard."