Trust

Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: Sadly, the show is not mine and neither are the characters. Sigh...

Tiny spoilers for Chain Reaction.

XXXX

"Louis," the president said, leaning forward and pressing the button that connected him to his secretary, via speaker phone.

"Yes Mr. President," the woman's plainly New England accent flooded the room, causing Jack and Sam to look over at each other with curiosity, and squeeze each others hands encouragingly. For all thew knew, he wanted Louis to get the military police in his office so they could be arrested for fraternizing. It seemed unlikely, but it was still possible.

"Please tell my visitor to come in," he replied, glancing up at the two Air Force officers sitting in front of him.

"Yes Mr. President," she repeated, and Jack wondered briefly if her vocabulary contained any other words. Of course, she had spoken to him and Sam before they entered, so he already knew the answer to that question. She had seemed a bit stuffy to him, at the time.

His thoughts on the president's secretary had taken over his mind and Jack had completely ignored the fact that the man wasn't yelling at them or threatening to court marshal them, let alone the fact that he was brining somebody else into the room. Sam, however, was scared out of her mind and more nervous than she had ever been in her life, and her eyes were wide and panicked and directed towards the door. Her nearly spotless record flashed across her mind for the shortest of moments before she pushed it away, telling herself that if it meant she could be with Jack a black mark didn't matter at all. Lying to herself, as it were, but it got the job done and she waited for the door to open.

What, or rather, who came through the frame ended up giving both Jack and Sam the biggest shocks of their lives, and both took a moment to stare at each other, before turning back to the visitor, mouths agape. The man standing before them grinned slyly at the astounded looks on their faces, before entering the room and pulling up an unoccupied chair. He then looked towards the president and his grin broadened, "It's nice to see you again, Henry. How are the children?"

"They're just fine, thank you for asking. And your daughter?"

"Still adjusting, but she's doing great. I'll let her know you were thinking of her," he informed the man, causing Jack and Sam to fidget nervously in their seats. What in the world was he doing here? In the president's office... while they were asking for special privileges?

"Likewise," Hayes replied with a friendly smile.

The visitor turned his attention back towards them, "Colonel Carter," he greeted, "General O'Neill."

Sam was at a loss for words. She tried over and over in her mind to come up with an appropriate sentence to reply to the man's greeting, but found all of her verbal skills fleeting, and she cursed herself for having such a panicky reaction. "S... S... Sir," she finally managed to choke out, covering her chest with her free hand and coughing slightly, trying to hide the fact that she had been stuttering. She blushed lightly and excused herself for the cough.

"Sir," Jack echoed, smiling warily. "Not to be insubordinate in any way; but... why are you here?"

Lieutenant General George Hammond chuckled softly to himself, giving Jack an amused grin, and replied. "What do you think, son?" he questioned. "I'm buying back your soul."

XXXX

Jack sat in silent shock for a few seconds, before shaking his head to clear his mind, and snapping back into reality. "You're what?" he inquired, "...sir?"

Another bubble of laughter from the man told Jack that he shouldn't be so paranoid, all was going to be well, soon enough. "Buying back your soul. I recall a few years back you requesting that of me, correct?"

Of course it was correct. Jack didn't even have to think back to remember the incident. Hammond had been threatened by The NID and Jack had come to his rescue, with the help of Maybourne, no less. When questioning Jack on what he owed the man, after things had returned to their norm, O'Neill had replied that one day, his soul might need to be bought back.

And Hammond was fairly sure that today was indeed that day.

"Uh..." a curious voice called from Hammond's right, where Colonel Carter was currently seated, all three men looked at her and she blushed slightly. "Sirs... if I may," she shied back in her chair, taking a deep breath, "I'm a bit confused as to what exactly is going on at the moment... Could somebody please explain?"

Since Jack himself was a little confused, he left it to the other two men in the room to do the explaining, and sat back in his chair, still a bit worried about the end results of all of this. Hammond once again took over, looking at Sam with affection, recalling the day when he met the now woman, when she was 8 years old and fussing about not being able to play soccer with her brother and his friends. To him, it was almost strange to see her so grown up and, as he had known for many years prior, in love. "You know," he explained, still smiling, "I have been waiting for this day for nearly a year?"

He was greeted with looks of puzzlement and continued on further, "Contrary to the belief of many, I am neither old nor blind, and I still remember the way two people in love behave. Now, having said this, I noticed many years ago that the relationship between the two of you was more than just CO and 2IC. True as it is, I know that neither of you would ever cross over the boundaries set before you, so I, ashamed as it makes me, ignored it. When I was promoted and moved to D.C. I decided that I wouldn't procrastinate any longer and the president and I had a long talk, in which the two of you were discussed immensely.

"Months ago, I requested that the president retract the fraternization regulations put forth for the SGC, not only for the benefit of the two of you, but for all of those who work there. I, myself, am aware of how difficult it is to be in a relationship built on a lie, and would not wish it on any of the men and women who had once served under my command. I had one stipulation; the fraternization regulations would not be changed unless somebody from the SGC asked that it be done. As involved in the manner as I am, I would not allow the president to give those working at Stargate Command special privileges simply because I asked him to." Hammond glanced at Hayes, and the man smiled slightly. "He agreed, after hours of convincing on my part, to the request and my terms. Since then, both of us have been waiting for one person, or more than that, as it were, to come forward and ask that he do what he has already promised he would."

"In many ways," Hayes added, speaking for the first time since his greeting to the General, "I had hoped it would be the two of you that came with the requisition. I have a great deal of admiration for both of you and when George told me of the situation I was ready to suspend the regulations straight away."

Sam looked between the POTUS and the man who was liken to her uncle, stunned and once again at a loss for words. In her mind, a million different 'thank you's coursed, and many of them would have been overly appropriate, but she just couldn't find the words or ability to express them. Jack, too, sat in a similar predicament, but, he, himself, already being a man of few words, wasn't as bothered by it.

"I don't know what to say," Sam finally admitted, her cheeks flushing slightly at her embarrassment.

"I do," Jack added with a grin, "we shoulda come sooner."

XXXX

"So, what do we do now?" Sam questioned, after learning that she could finally be with the man she loved, and that she could have long ago. "Isn't there a bunch of paperwork that has to be filed? All kinds of systems that said paperwork has to go through... months of waiting?"

"It's already been done," the president informed her. "All that has to be taken care of now, is my signature on the dotted line."

"Really?" Jack asked, now past the point of being shocked or stunned, and eagerness taking over. "That's it?"

"Like I said, Jack," Hammond replied, "we've been waiting almost a year."

"Right," he replied with a sigh. "A year..."

"Don't feel bad about it, son." Hammond told him. "Don't think of it as time lost. That year got you to where you are today."

"You're a very insightful old geezer, you know?" Jack inquired, smiling at the man.

Hammond only smiled back. "I can't stay any longer, I have a meeting that I need to attend. But," he looked at Sam and grinned, "I have an hour free around lunch time... how about we meet up somewhere and catch up?"

"I'd love that, sir," she replied. "I know the perfect place. There's a café in my old neighborhood that I would like to visit. Adeline's on the corner of 23rd and Main."

"That sounds wonderful, I'll be there at 1300." he excused himself from the room, said goodbye to the president, and hurried out the door, headed towards his car, which would take him to the pentagon.

When he had gone, Sam and Jack turned their attention towards the president. "I don't know what I can say that can express my gratitude, sir," Sam admitted to him.

"Don't mention it, Colonel." Hayes replied, nodding slightly towards Sam. "I was more than happy to do so."

"Thank you, sir," Jack said. "This means a great deal to the both of us."

"I'm sure it does," the man smiled. "Now, let me get that paperwork and sign it so you two can get on with your visit."

"Yes, sir," Sam and Jack said in unison.

He, too, got up from his chair and left the room, returning moments later carrying a file. Setting it down on his desk, he pulled a pen from his pocket and pulled out the papers contained in the folder. He signed the first page, flipped through a few more pages, then signed again. "There," he said with a sigh, setting the pen down and looking over at the two, "it's done."

Sam was about to thank him once more before Jack stood, asked the president to excuse him, but he had something that needed to be done, as he pulled her up from her chair and into his embrace, catching her by surprise and pressing his lips firmly against hers. After a few seconds, Sam pulled back, remembering where she was and suddenly feeling her cheeks flush.

"Jack," she hissed, looking anywhere but at the president, who she could clearly hear chuckling.

All O'Neill did was smile at her, his brown eyes dancing with laughter. "Come on, Carter, let's get out of here."

XXXX

Hours later, after the lunch with Hammond, shopping in the city, walking around her favorite DC park hand-in-hand, an intimate dinner at a classy restaurant, and a late-night stroll through the same DC park, the two found themselves exhausted and retreated to their hotel, intending on catching a few hours of sleep before waking up early to make their plane the next morning.

Their hotel room had two, full-sized beds, on Sam's request. She wanted to take things slow, make up for all the lost time, and just enjoy the way it felt to be in a new relationships, not worrying about all the complex issues that came along with dating. That would come, with time, but for then, she just wanted to be in the beginning stages of dating. Hand-holding, stolen kisses, long glances, separate beds. Jack went along with her decision, although he wouldn't have minded rushing through the first few 'stages' of dating and skipping to the fun stuff. He loved her though, and was willing to wait. She was worth it.

She had taken a long shower, emerging from the hotel bathroom at nearly half after 2300. He would take his early the next morning, while she got ready, so as to save time. Her hair was damp and clung to her face, and her oversized Air Force Academy tee shirt was covering her short sleep shorts, giving the illusion that she wasn't even wearing them. Jack bit back the thoughts running through his mind and smiled sweetly at her, forcing himself to resist the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her to forget taking things slow, they had waited long enough.

To his surprise, she climbed onto the bed he was laying down in, although, she didn't get under the covers as he was. She slid closer to him, laid down, her face inches from his, and gave him a radiant, but nervous, smile. "What happens next?" she inquired, her blue eyes wide with unasked questions. Where would they go from there? How would their relationship change, now that they were, and could be, more than friends? Would these feelings; the butterflies in her stomach, the permanent lump in her throat, the rush of adrenaline flowing through her veins, and the intense beating of her heart, last?

"I don't know," he admitted, kissing her softly, as he pulled her into his arms and gave her a comforting squeeze. "But that is the beauty of it all. We get to decide."

The End

XXXX

Authors Note: That is all folks! I would like to take this time to thank everybody who has reviewed as of yet, you guys rock! I hope that you enjoyed my story and will continue to read my other fics, and review to them! Please, let me know what you thought of this one. I live for feedback.