Work Text:
It had been a long time since she had walked the White House corridors. She had been a somewhat frequent visitor when based at the Pentagon in the early years of setting up the Stargate Programme, attending meetings with the then-President to discuss the viability and potentiality of such a venture, pouring over anything and everything she could find about the original mission.
She thought back with a nostalgic smile at how young and eager (oh so young!) she had been then and what the endeavour had brought her since.
The administration had changed since her time, most faces around the offices were new save for a few here and there to whom she nodded a hello.
She turned into the outer office for the Oval and heaved a sigh as the butterflies rose again. Always! No matter what she did, who and what she saw and met, meeting the Commander in Chief always gave her a dose of the willies.
She gave her name to the secretary who called it through to the President. She heard his enthusiastic reply to send her straight in.
Sam smiled her thanks and clutched the files in her hand tighter as she entered the office.
“Colonel Carter!”
“Good morning, sir,” she smiled, taking the outstretched hand of President Hayes as he crossed the room to her.
“Good to finally meet you after all these years,” he gestured for her to take a seat. “I have, of course, been following your endeavours very closely.”
“Thank you, sir. We'd be happy to host you if you ever come out to Colorado Springs.”
“Oh, I'm dying to but the security guys keep putting the kibosh on my plans.” He clapped his hands onto his knees, “Anyway, you haven't flown out here to discuss that, what have you got for me from the world of Deep Space Radio Telemetry?”
She smiled and handed over a file of notes and graphs depicting the next request for financial support to enable further testing of technology found on P3X-453. The paperwork went into diagrammatic detail of its potential Earth-based medical usages and how, who and what would be needed to get there.
It took some convincing but Sam had an answer to every question and eventually Hayes agreed, promising to send the file to his 'budget guys' to get the wheels in motion.
“Thank you, sir,” Sam beamed.
“While I have you actually, Colonel,” the President sat back in his chair, crossing a leg over his knee and relaxing. “How long have you been in love with Jack O'Neill?”
Her eyes widened, heart sank and body temperature rose in half a heartbeat while her stomach clenched into a deep pit of dread and darkness. “What-I-we-I don't-sir-”
President Hayes started to chuckle, “I wanted to ask that and count how many shades of red and green you'd go. I counted seven. Would you like some water?”
She was still in panic mode, her heart beating furiously and loudly, her hands shaking on top of the files. “Sir-”
“I know, I know. You have both stayed true to your frat regs and have not done anything other than pining looks over DHDs or something. We should really give you guys medals for holding out so long, I mean, I know I couldn't do it.
“Anyway, I was thinking, with Jack's retirement coming up, I just want to formally say- no, in fact, you know what?” He jumped up from his seat and crossed to his desk whilst Sam attempted to swallow and figure out what the hell was happening, maybe formulate a plan. The President pressed his intercom, “Hey Jerry? Can we get General O'Neill in here? I have a strange feeling he's probably loitering out there somewhere.”
An amused tinny reply came from the device, “I'll send him in, sir.”
Sure enough, the door opened and there was Jack. She looked to him with palpable fear and confusion as she slowly, unsteadily, rose to her feet. How did she warn him he was walking into an ambush? It was an ambush, right? What the fuck was happening? “...Sir?”
“Jack!” Hayes stepped forward and slapped the top of Jack's arm, a grin that was slightly unsettling in how large it was on his face. “Just the fella!”
Jack looked between the President and Sam, unsure who to address first. “You called, Mr President?”
“That I did,” he smiled as Jack and Sam stood next to each other, shoulders practically touching. “I was just saying to Colonel Carter, Jack, with your retirement coming up, I didn't think a watch and a pat on the back would really be sufficient considering everything you've gone through for this office. Hell, this world. So,” he clapped his hands together and ignored the slight flinch from Sam, “I wanted to formally offer you my, well, permission if you like, to see what you two crazy kids would be like together.
“I'm not forcing you, of course, but if anyone even hints at an ounce of impropriety during either of your illustrious careers, well, they'll be shot down quicker than you can say 'Four score and seven years ago'. Well, not actually shot! And you'll still get the watch, of course, but this is a little thank you from me.”
Silence.
A palpable, almost awkward silence where both Jack and Sam would swear Delaware could hear their heartbeats, and the President just grinned. “I...” Jack began.
“I'm not pronouncing you man and wife or anything... though I'm pretty sure I could actually. I'm just saying you've done your duty, shown your loyalty, so please, reap the rewards. I've read all the reports, heard all the conspiracy theories and gossip and-”
The word 'gossip' repeated around Sam's mind. Oh God, people were talking.
“-I know you've kept it all at arm's length due to puritanical American workplace ethics. So, well, now's your chance.”
Sam slowly turned her head to look at Jack, sure she was in some alternate reality or dream (nightmare) or computer simulation and definitely, definitely , not in the Oval Office with the Commander in Chief being given the okay to screw her boss' brains out.
“Sir,” Jack began again. “I...we..want to ensure you know that nothing has ever happened between Colonel Carter and I during our service and our priority has always been on the Programme.”
President Hayes smiled, it wasn't often you could make a decorated and highly respected US Air Force General blush. “I've known you a long time, Jack, and read all of the files I could get my hands on. I have no doubt at the priorities nor the propriety of yourself and Colonel Carter.”
Jack nodded, swallowing down a dry throat. “Okay. While I cannot, um, speak for Colonel Carter, I want to thank you for the...consideration,” he felt like everything he was saying had a question mark at the end because he had no damn clue what to say. “And for the watch. Well, um, I guess we have things to talk about, Mr President. Me and Carter! Not... you and me... because like I said, nothing-”
“You're rambling,” the President grinned again.
“I hear that. Yes. So, we'll go...if that is okay with you, Mr President.”
“Go, go,” he made 'shoo' gestures.
“Okay,” Jack looked to Sam who was still wide-eyed, flushed and speechless. “Thank you, Mr President.”
He nudged Sam to jolt her awake, “Thank you, Mr President”
Neither Jack nor Sam uttered a word as they walked the halls, signed out and were finally,blessedly, in fresh air. Sam doubled over, hands on her knees as she took deep breaths.
“You doing okay?”
“I don't know,” she answered honestly. She still had waves of nausea coursing over her. She thought she was about to lose her job, get a courts-marshall, anything but...that.
“I need a drink.”
“Yes.”
He led them to a darkened bar not far from Pennsylvania Avenue and ordered two malt whiskies. Then another after he gulped his down as soon as it was set in front of him.
Sam secured them a corner booth away from listening ears, curling both hands around the tumbler when Jack made it over to her. His breath was already spicy and loaded, and she didn't blame him for having shot a drink at the bar.
“This used to be a fifties diner when I lived here,” she finally spoke.
“A guy at the Pentagon recommended it once. Said they didn't ask questions.”
Sam nodded, it was a good choice then. She knew of a few bars like that from her tenure in DC.
“So...”
“Yeah.”
“Was that panicked look in your eye in there just from the President essentially sliding us a hotel key...or from the thought of...us? It's been a long time, I'd understand if-”
She reached out and touched his hand, “Nothing's changed.”
“No?”
“No. Do you-”
“Oh yes.”
She blushed again, a smirk tilting at her lips just slightly. She look a gulp of whisky and savoured the burn down her throat. “Did you say anything to him?”
He shook his head, “No.” What could he have said? 'Good morning, Mr President. My, Carter was looking mighty fine when I saw her last.' “Never said a word.”
“I thought he was gearing up to Courts-Marshall us.”
“Me too for a minute there. Certainly wasn't expecting that.”
“Now what?”
“When's your flight?”
She checked her watch, “Damn. An hour.”
They both gulped down their drinks. “We'll talk later?” she asked as they got to their feet. The nausea was still there, but more from the come-down of panic and the fluttering of anticipation now.
She looked down to rebutton her jacket and saw Jack's hands come to her tie, straightening the knot to her collar and risking the lightest touch to her chin. Her breathing stopped again, feeling her body swaying just the slightest to follow his retracting hands. “My retirement date is in five weeks.” His voice was low, hoarse, just for her ears.
She swallowed, “I could ask for leave.”
He lightly fingered the knot of her tie again, not trusting his eyes to lock with hers, nor his self-control to not just dip and kiss her like he had last time. Retirement first, that was always his plan. “That could be good,” he nodded. “The cabin, maybe?”
“No Teal'c or Daniel this time.”
“Good God, no.”
She smiled, but it quickly tilted into a smirk. His eyes were darker. “Meet you there?”
His tongue snaked out to wet his bottom lip, her eyes watching the path. “Yeah sure yeah betcha.”