Due to popular demand...here is the last chapter of "Status Quo." Hope you enjoy! And keep reviewing!
She sat in her car outside his house, her thoughts running in a thousand different directions. Pete had stopped by earlier, and she had handed him his ring, telling him that she didn't love him. He hadn't taken it well…
Now, she sat in her car in front of her commanding officer's house, holding in her hand, the engagement ring that had started the whole chain of events.
Pete had seen the ring on her finger. "What? I was just a place holder? Until you could find something better?!"
"Pete, what the hell are you talking about?"
"It's O'Neill, isn't it? You've been trying to make him jealous…God, Sam…I love you!"
"No, you don't!" She yelled back. "For love to exist one has to also have trust. And one can't perform a background check on his girlfriend, who is in a classified operation, and still claim to trust her! I should have left you then!"
"You are such a whore!" He yelled, trying to insult her into taking him back. "You've been sleeping your way up the chain of command!"
She saw red for a moment. In an instant, the ring had fallen off her finger, and Pete's cheek was turning red from the slap, a white outline of Sam's hand adorning the smarting flesh. Not to mention that Sam's palm felt amazingly tender.
"Get out of my house." She hissed. "Or, so help me, I will kick your butt so far that they won't be able to find you in the next galaxy."
Pete had given her one look, and then looked at the ring on the floor. Within an instant, he had turned on his heel, and run, as if with his tail between his knees.
She sighed. Now that Pete was taken care of, it was time to take the ring back to its owner. What the owner did upon her arrival was completely up in the air.
She bit her lip. In all honesty, Jack's reaction was what she was afraid of. And that fear caused her to hesitate. And the longer she hesitated, the more she was afraid.
She mentally kicked herself. It was JACK! He wouldn't kick her butt, he would just say something incredibly inappropriate that she would find endearing, but the look in his eye would tell her everything that she needed to know.
Before she knew what was happening, she was knocking on his door, praying both that he would open it and that he wouldn't. She steeled herself for an ugly meeting when the door did open. After all, she had insinuated that the ring she was returning to him was given to her by Pete. She hung her head in shame. She hadn't even insinuated it, she had outright lied.
"Carter? Something I can help you with?"
She stared at her commanding officer, at a loss for words. She had been here to do something, but she no longer had any idea of how to go about it. The awkward silence probably only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like several eternities had just passed.
"Carter?"
She held out her hand, almost mechanically, and he looked at it. "That's a nice hand you've got there, Carter…"
She closed her eyes as she unfolded her fingers from around the precious article in her palm. He stared at it in recognition.
"Carter? What's this?" He managed to make himself ask with a fairly steady voice.
"Yours."
"Thought you and Pete were on your way to happily wedded bliss…"
Sam looked at him, a pained expression on her face. "I lied."
"Ah. So…you found the ring…"
She nodded. "In your jacket pocket."
"And?"
"It's a long story…that I probably don't have time for because I've gotta go…"
"I like long stories, Carter…and you're not due at the Mountain for at LEAST another week…what's up?"
"I put it on." She whispered in humiliation.
"Yeah, I noticed that…why?"
"I can't exactly explain, sir."
"Jack."
She complied. "Yes…Jack. And I wasn't talking about the ring necessarily…I had to put your…your jacket on…"
"You HAD to?"
She gave a very sheepish smile. "It was the closest thing to having your arms around me…"
"Carter…" Jack said, getting very uncomfortable.
"Wait, sir…" She begged. "I know it seems kind of…unlikely, but…it helped me do the right thing…"
"Right thing?"
"I broke up with Pete."
Jack looked at her, somewhat shocked. "You what?"
"He wasn't too happy, but…it's all for the best."
"Well, I can't say that I'm disappointed." Jack said, soberly.
"Really?"
"Carter, he was STALKING you! None of us liked the guy."
She flinched. "He had the nerve to say that I was sleeping my way up the chain of command…that was what finalized it…and got him landed on his butt out of my house."
Jack watched her carefully schooled features, seeing a clear hurt and frustration in them. He was tempted to close the door and let her deal with it on her own, but compassion got the best of him. "C'mere."
He pulled her into an embrace as sobs overcame her. "How did I let my life get so screwed up?" She whispered.
"It's not screwed up," he whispered softly. "Just a little confused, maybe."
After a few moments, Jack led her into the living room, and he sat her down. "Can I get you a beer?"
She nodded. "Thanks."
As he got her the drink, he looked at the ring in his hand. She was vulnerable right now…he couldn't get her involved in yet another complicated relationship…
He sighed. At any rate, she knew it was there…and so, she knew where he wanted to end up.
He reached for the velvet box that was on the table and placed the ring back into its protective satin. For some reason, his heart sank as he saw it lying there once again. He shouldn't have had to place it back there…in its cage. It was just like the za'tarc incident. No matter how much he and Carter pretended, they couldn't just sweep a closely guarded secret under the rug once it had been revealed…so-called superheroes or not…
He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Carter approach. "I'm sorry, sir." She said, seemingly sensing his thoughts.
He turned toward the fridge, getting the beer now. "'Bout what, Carter?"
"For not listening to you when we were finished with the za'tarc testing."
"Course you listened…" Jack muttered as he handed her the cold bottle.
"No, Jack, I didn't. I was too consumed in my own fear. I could see that you had something you wanted to say, and I cut you off. I'm sorry."
He took an uncomfortable breath, much like he had that day. "Don't worry about it, Carter…that was years ago."
"Yes…and I still make the same mistake."
"Carter, what do you want me to do? We still have regulations." Jack said, releasing his frustration.
"I don't know, Jack…but that's the point. I'm finally willing to admit that I DON'T know."
He looked down. "I don't know if I can keep living like this." He admitted, softly.
"I know I can't…"
"So, what now?"
Sam shrugged. "One of us can resign, but…other than that…"
Jack looked at the velvet box on the table, and then he looked back at Sam. He picked up the tiny box and held it out to her.
She looked at him, confused for a moment. "I…I couldn't…"
"It's yours, Sam. Take it, please…we'll figure out how to work this out, but…knowing that you have this will…will make it easier…"
She took a deep breath as she accepted the box. Tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. "Thank you."
Jack shrugged in nonchalance.
"No, Jack, you don't understand…thank you for your forgiveness."
He looked at her. "How could I not forgive the keeper of my heart?"
--
A few weeks later, she fingered with the ring on the chain around her neck. It was dangerous to do that here on the base, but she couldn't seem to keep her fingers off of it. It symbolized hope, forgiveness, and a future.
She had put in her papers to request a transfer to Area 51, but she hadn't told Jack…yet.
Footsteps outside her door forced her to stuff the necklace back to where it had lain against her skin, protected by her BDUs.
"Carter!"
She tensed. He'd just heard about her request.
"Sir." She greeted, nervously as he entered her lab.
"You requested a transfer?"
"Jack, I couldn't…"
"I requested a transfer!"
She stopped, her breath suspended for a moment. "What?"
"Hammond's retiring, they offered me his position."
Her eyes widened. "And…so…"
"We're back in the same chain of command."
She closed her eyes in frustration. The Fates were against them.
"I'm sorry." She said, as a single tear escaped and trailed down her cheek.
Instantly, Jack's gruffness melted away. "Don't…" He begged. "Please…"
She looked up. "When do you report?"
"Three weeks from tomorrow."
"When do I report?"
"Next week."
Her face brightened with a solution.
"What?"
"That's two weeks where we're not in the same chain of command…"
His eyes widened with the realization. "Carter…marry me."
Her heart fluttered. "What?"
"I know this is sudden and all that, but…marry me."
She looked at him, and the sense of urgency mingled with absolute adoration struck her. "Yes."
"Yes?" He asked, almost disbelieving.
"Yes." She said, smiling.
"Sweet."
She laughed. "So…are we gonna tell Daniel and Teal'c?"
"Of course!" He said, as if there hadn't needed to be any question about that in the first place.
"When?"
"We'll have a team night tonight…"
"No, Jack…when're we getting married?"
"Well, your flight arrangements and such are scheduled for next Wednesday…I think Saturday would be a nice day to get married."
"Yep." She agreed. "Give me some time to devote myself to my job only to request time to unpack my things…"
"And I could give Hank a nice little trial period…say, for a weekend…"
She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him, but as they were on the base, she was unable to do so, but while this thought weighted down her thoughts, she was quickly lightened once again by the thought that in a little over a week, she would be Mrs. Jack O'Neill.
"Well, Colonel…I expect you to go home and get some rest…you've got a long week ahead." Jack said, with a wink. "In fact, take off a little early…"
"If you insist, sir." She said, grinning.
"Oh, I insist."
As he left, she looked at the ring on the necklace around her neck. It may have taken eight years to change the status quo, but she had a feeling that it would be well worth the wait.