Coming home
Title: Coming home
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Trying to gear up for NaNoWriMo by writing more than 2000 words a day. This will probably come back to haunt me come November, when my brain will tell me I've run out of words to write this year. Anyone else doing NaNo?
Coming home
His apartment was definitely too small for two people. His apartment was too small for him, most of the time. He’d started renting it while she’d still been in Colorado, at a point of his life when he hadn’t been sure how long he’d be in Washington for. Secretly he’d wanted to get out of Homeworld Security quickly again, retiring to Minnesota and waiting there. Hoping she would follow quickly.
But then he’d ordered her back on SG-1, and then he’d stuck around while she was in Atlantis, and then he’d been the one to back her up when she resumed command of the SGC, trying to shield her from all the politics undermining everything. When she’d taken command of the Hammond, well, he hadn’t been able to leave then, either. For some reason he’d always felt as if she would be safer out there if he was her one trusted, secure connection to Earth.
It was the same reason why he’d refused to leave her during the zatarc incident, only now she was miles away and he was the person paving her way, smoothing out the waves of her ride as much as he was able to. Hoping, praying even, that she would come home to him, day after day, night after night, in one piece.
This time she was coming in by plane, the normal kind, where she’d be squished like a sardine. She’d beamed down to the SGC earlier this week for a set of briefings and the attempt to get a piece of technology up and running that SG-13 had brought back.
One of these days the world really was going to end, it was simply going to stop spinning while she was off in some other galaxy and they’d all… fall off. He often wondered how much recognition she was eventually going to get for saving the world on a nearly daily basis. Most likely some very important politician would take the cake for all of her hard work, furthering his own career with her successes. That was the way the world worked, they both knew that.
He checked his watch again, rocking back on his heels as he checked the screen with all the arrivals on it. It just was unfathomable to him that the Air Force had enough money to build and maintain a spaceship, yet their most valuable asset had to fly in on a commercial airplane. No doubt they’d stuck her in coach, and now she was already ten minutes late.
Sighing, he found a chair to sprawl in, watching the regular goings-on of an airport. Families reunited, lovers having to say goodbye. Harried people in polyester uniforms, pilots whose hair had more shine to them than their shoes.
Thankfully he’d changed out of his uniform, wearing comfortable civilian clothes that allowed him to blend in. With his uniform people always stared at him, wondering what he was up to standing there, or sitting there, or walking there. As if his entire life was a mission just because he was wearing a uniform.
He had briefly considered buying her flowers, even though he knew she wasn’t too fond of any kind of flower that didn’t still have its roots attached to it. He would have felt silly sitting here with a potted plant, so he had chosen not to bring anything. That plan also freed up his hands, which would make hugging her much easier.
If she ever made it here. Half an hour late now, he was starting to get bored and briefly considered just walking around the airport, maybe finding a shop that sold things like yoyos. Things he could play with while he waited.
Just as he was about to get up, the screen above him changed, showing that her plane had landed. He fought down the urge to do a fist pump and decided to merely stand up and watch for her to walk through the milky glass doors that currently separated them.
***
She was utterly tired; her feet feeling like balloons as she discreetly slipped them out of her heels on the plane. Back on SG-1 she’d been able to go on little sleep and lots of coffee. Now she seemed to have to go on no sleep at all, which would have been okay if she’d been hooked up to a coffee IV. As it was she was tired down to the very core of her bones, sighing as she leaned back against the seat’s uncomfortable headrest.
Sleep didn’t come; it never did on commercial planes. Her mind was still running a mile a minute, running through the briefings she’d held again, the reports she’d still have to write. At least she’d gotten the nameless piece of technology SG-13 had brought back to work. It had beeped and glowed, Jack would have liked it. Now an army of curious scientists were attempting to find out what they could do with it, and for once she was happy not to be a part of them.
She was going home, finally, after eight weeks on the Hammond without a break, and another week at the SGC. One week of downtime before she’d be off again, taking her crew out to the edge of the galaxy.
Going home, thankfully, no longer meant unlocking the door to an empty house, chasing dust bunnies underneath the bed as she climbed into it. Going home meant Jack, and an apartment that would have been too small if she’d been stationed in Washington permanently, but which she’d never the less come to love. It was small and cozy, and even though she was only home every once in a blue moon, it truly felt like home.
She still remembered when he’d offered for her to move in with him, right after the decision for her to be commander of the Hammond had been made. It had made more sense to sell her house in Colorado and move in with him instead of keeping the house and worrying about it because when she actually did get to be on Earth, she wanted to be with Jack.
Most of her things were in storage now until, some day, she’d be back on Earth permanently. Everything else was at the apartment, mingled with his things to make up the life they lead between her galaxy quest and his battling of politicians. She had no doubt that he made her job a lot easier, watched out for her so that while she was on the ship, she could concentrate on the tasks at hand. She didn’t have to worry about politicians like Wolsey. As far as he was able to, Jack kept all the things not directly related to her ship off her back.
She knew that one of the reasons, possibly even the only reason why he wasn’t already retired was her. Regardless of the things he said, the excuses he came up with, she could read that message loud and clear in his eyes. If they were ever going to leave, they’d most likely do it together.
And god, on days like today she was almost tempted to jump at the chance. But then tomorrow would roll around and the days after and she’d be reminded again of how much she loved this job, of why she’d joined the Air Force in the first place.
Lost in her thoughts she didn’t even notice the plane slowly descending towards Washington, surprised at how fast the trip seemed to have gone by.
***
She finally poured through the doors with a group of teenagers wearing matching fleece jackets. He saw her before she saw him, thought she looked stunning despite the dark circles beneath her eyes and the airport’s fluorescent lighting washing her out.
When her eyes landed on his, she cracked a smile, the kind that made his heart skip a beat. This was his smile, the one that truly reached all the way up to her eyes, the one she smiled simply because he was there.
He walked towards her, opening his arms to her with a smirk. She walked into them, dropping her briefcase and duffel bag at her feet before she wrapped her arms around him. With her head nestled against his neck, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“God I missed you,” she sighed, clinging to him for a moment before she let go.
“Feeling’s mutual,” he quipped, leaning down to kiss her gently.
There were questions in her eyes, questions he knew because they’d gone over them before, many times.
How much longer do we wanna do this?
When are we going to stop?
Where do we draw the line?
They hadn’t found the answers quite yet, had maybe even been unwilling to find them. He shook his head at her, pressing his lips to hers again.
“Let’s get you home, everything else will fall into place,” he whispered, picking up her luggage and holding out his hand.
“Sounds like a plan,” she answered, lacing her fingers through his with a grin.
***
He’d ordered her favorite food while she was in the shower, knowing she’d be in there for a while. It had become a ritual for her, coming home and washing a few layers of interstellar dust off. He knew from experience that she’d be even more exhausted afterwards, as if the hot water stole the last of her resolve against sleep.
He didn’t mind, liked to watch her wind down, enjoyed the fact that here, with him, she really allowed herself to let her guard down completely.
When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she was dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of wool socks, hairbrush clutched in her hand, meandering over to where he sat on the couch.
“Food will be here in a little while,” he said, watching her as she folded herself down onto the floor in front of him, handing him the brush.
“Good.”
This had become another ritual, one that spoke of how utterly exhausted she was. Sara’d always had short hair, just like Sam at the beginning. He’d watched her grow it out, had seen the awkward stages when she’d wanted to chop it all off again, and had one day taken the brush from her, running it through the silky strands of blonde hair.
He remembered how quiet she’d sat, relaxing with each stroke, the brush’s bristles massaging her scalp. Since then she occasionally let him brush her hair, closing her eyes and letting her thoughts wander.
“It’s getting really long,” he said, twisting a strand around his finger.
“Yeah. Like it?” she asked, leaning her head against his thigh.
“Love it.”
***
Sometimes their lives seemed entirely too ordinary, he thought as he put the dishes in the dishwasher and stacked the leftovers in the fridge. While her spaceship floated above Earth, orbiting the planet, while in some other galaxy a couple of wars raged, he got to spend an evening with her that wasn’t disrupted by anything unusual. He loved those days, the quiet normalcy they got to have so very little of.
She walked into the kitchen, grinning at the sight of him cleaning up. With her hair now dry, she squeezed in between him and the counter, looking up at him through her bangs.
“I’m ready for bed,” she mumbled, a crooked smile on her lips.
He wrapped his arms around her, resting his forehead against hers.
“Want me to tuck you in?” he asked, earning a snort.
“Naw, just a kiss is fine. If you promise me you’ll come keep me company soon.”
“I can do that,” he said, lifting her chin up and pressing a kiss to her lips.
Later, when he crawled into bed beside her, she instinctively searched out his warmth, tangling her legs with his, snuggling up to him until he could feel her breath evening out against his neck.
Those moments were what made everything worth it, when things did fall into place, when he knew that one day, sooner or later, she’d come home and wouldn’t have to leave again.
Author: ardvari
Rating: PG
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Trying to gear up for NaNoWriMo by writing more than 2000 words a day. This will probably come back to haunt me come November, when my brain will tell me I've run out of words to write this year. Anyone else doing NaNo?
Coming home
His apartment was definitely too small for two people. His apartment was too small for him, most of the time. He’d started renting it while she’d still been in Colorado, at a point of his life when he hadn’t been sure how long he’d be in Washington for. Secretly he’d wanted to get out of Homeworld Security quickly again, retiring to Minnesota and waiting there. Hoping she would follow quickly.
But then he’d ordered her back on SG-1, and then he’d stuck around while she was in Atlantis, and then he’d been the one to back her up when she resumed command of the SGC, trying to shield her from all the politics undermining everything. When she’d taken command of the Hammond, well, he hadn’t been able to leave then, either. For some reason he’d always felt as if she would be safer out there if he was her one trusted, secure connection to Earth.
It was the same reason why he’d refused to leave her during the zatarc incident, only now she was miles away and he was the person paving her way, smoothing out the waves of her ride as much as he was able to. Hoping, praying even, that she would come home to him, day after day, night after night, in one piece.
This time she was coming in by plane, the normal kind, where she’d be squished like a sardine. She’d beamed down to the SGC earlier this week for a set of briefings and the attempt to get a piece of technology up and running that SG-13 had brought back.
One of these days the world really was going to end, it was simply going to stop spinning while she was off in some other galaxy and they’d all… fall off. He often wondered how much recognition she was eventually going to get for saving the world on a nearly daily basis. Most likely some very important politician would take the cake for all of her hard work, furthering his own career with her successes. That was the way the world worked, they both knew that.
He checked his watch again, rocking back on his heels as he checked the screen with all the arrivals on it. It just was unfathomable to him that the Air Force had enough money to build and maintain a spaceship, yet their most valuable asset had to fly in on a commercial airplane. No doubt they’d stuck her in coach, and now she was already ten minutes late.
Sighing, he found a chair to sprawl in, watching the regular goings-on of an airport. Families reunited, lovers having to say goodbye. Harried people in polyester uniforms, pilots whose hair had more shine to them than their shoes.
Thankfully he’d changed out of his uniform, wearing comfortable civilian clothes that allowed him to blend in. With his uniform people always stared at him, wondering what he was up to standing there, or sitting there, or walking there. As if his entire life was a mission just because he was wearing a uniform.
He had briefly considered buying her flowers, even though he knew she wasn’t too fond of any kind of flower that didn’t still have its roots attached to it. He would have felt silly sitting here with a potted plant, so he had chosen not to bring anything. That plan also freed up his hands, which would make hugging her much easier.
If she ever made it here. Half an hour late now, he was starting to get bored and briefly considered just walking around the airport, maybe finding a shop that sold things like yoyos. Things he could play with while he waited.
Just as he was about to get up, the screen above him changed, showing that her plane had landed. He fought down the urge to do a fist pump and decided to merely stand up and watch for her to walk through the milky glass doors that currently separated them.
***
She was utterly tired; her feet feeling like balloons as she discreetly slipped them out of her heels on the plane. Back on SG-1 she’d been able to go on little sleep and lots of coffee. Now she seemed to have to go on no sleep at all, which would have been okay if she’d been hooked up to a coffee IV. As it was she was tired down to the very core of her bones, sighing as she leaned back against the seat’s uncomfortable headrest.
Sleep didn’t come; it never did on commercial planes. Her mind was still running a mile a minute, running through the briefings she’d held again, the reports she’d still have to write. At least she’d gotten the nameless piece of technology SG-13 had brought back to work. It had beeped and glowed, Jack would have liked it. Now an army of curious scientists were attempting to find out what they could do with it, and for once she was happy not to be a part of them.
She was going home, finally, after eight weeks on the Hammond without a break, and another week at the SGC. One week of downtime before she’d be off again, taking her crew out to the edge of the galaxy.
Going home, thankfully, no longer meant unlocking the door to an empty house, chasing dust bunnies underneath the bed as she climbed into it. Going home meant Jack, and an apartment that would have been too small if she’d been stationed in Washington permanently, but which she’d never the less come to love. It was small and cozy, and even though she was only home every once in a blue moon, it truly felt like home.
She still remembered when he’d offered for her to move in with him, right after the decision for her to be commander of the Hammond had been made. It had made more sense to sell her house in Colorado and move in with him instead of keeping the house and worrying about it because when she actually did get to be on Earth, she wanted to be with Jack.
Most of her things were in storage now until, some day, she’d be back on Earth permanently. Everything else was at the apartment, mingled with his things to make up the life they lead between her galaxy quest and his battling of politicians. She had no doubt that he made her job a lot easier, watched out for her so that while she was on the ship, she could concentrate on the tasks at hand. She didn’t have to worry about politicians like Wolsey. As far as he was able to, Jack kept all the things not directly related to her ship off her back.
She knew that one of the reasons, possibly even the only reason why he wasn’t already retired was her. Regardless of the things he said, the excuses he came up with, she could read that message loud and clear in his eyes. If they were ever going to leave, they’d most likely do it together.
And god, on days like today she was almost tempted to jump at the chance. But then tomorrow would roll around and the days after and she’d be reminded again of how much she loved this job, of why she’d joined the Air Force in the first place.
Lost in her thoughts she didn’t even notice the plane slowly descending towards Washington, surprised at how fast the trip seemed to have gone by.
***
She finally poured through the doors with a group of teenagers wearing matching fleece jackets. He saw her before she saw him, thought she looked stunning despite the dark circles beneath her eyes and the airport’s fluorescent lighting washing her out.
When her eyes landed on his, she cracked a smile, the kind that made his heart skip a beat. This was his smile, the one that truly reached all the way up to her eyes, the one she smiled simply because he was there.
He walked towards her, opening his arms to her with a smirk. She walked into them, dropping her briefcase and duffel bag at her feet before she wrapped her arms around him. With her head nestled against his neck, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“God I missed you,” she sighed, clinging to him for a moment before she let go.
“Feeling’s mutual,” he quipped, leaning down to kiss her gently.
There were questions in her eyes, questions he knew because they’d gone over them before, many times.
How much longer do we wanna do this?
When are we going to stop?
Where do we draw the line?
They hadn’t found the answers quite yet, had maybe even been unwilling to find them. He shook his head at her, pressing his lips to hers again.
“Let’s get you home, everything else will fall into place,” he whispered, picking up her luggage and holding out his hand.
“Sounds like a plan,” she answered, lacing her fingers through his with a grin.
***
He’d ordered her favorite food while she was in the shower, knowing she’d be in there for a while. It had become a ritual for her, coming home and washing a few layers of interstellar dust off. He knew from experience that she’d be even more exhausted afterwards, as if the hot water stole the last of her resolve against sleep.
He didn’t mind, liked to watch her wind down, enjoyed the fact that here, with him, she really allowed herself to let her guard down completely.
When she finally emerged from the bathroom, she was dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of wool socks, hairbrush clutched in her hand, meandering over to where he sat on the couch.
“Food will be here in a little while,” he said, watching her as she folded herself down onto the floor in front of him, handing him the brush.
“Good.”
This had become another ritual, one that spoke of how utterly exhausted she was. Sara’d always had short hair, just like Sam at the beginning. He’d watched her grow it out, had seen the awkward stages when she’d wanted to chop it all off again, and had one day taken the brush from her, running it through the silky strands of blonde hair.
He remembered how quiet she’d sat, relaxing with each stroke, the brush’s bristles massaging her scalp. Since then she occasionally let him brush her hair, closing her eyes and letting her thoughts wander.
“It’s getting really long,” he said, twisting a strand around his finger.
“Yeah. Like it?” she asked, leaning her head against his thigh.
“Love it.”
***
Sometimes their lives seemed entirely too ordinary, he thought as he put the dishes in the dishwasher and stacked the leftovers in the fridge. While her spaceship floated above Earth, orbiting the planet, while in some other galaxy a couple of wars raged, he got to spend an evening with her that wasn’t disrupted by anything unusual. He loved those days, the quiet normalcy they got to have so very little of.
She walked into the kitchen, grinning at the sight of him cleaning up. With her hair now dry, she squeezed in between him and the counter, looking up at him through her bangs.
“I’m ready for bed,” she mumbled, a crooked smile on her lips.
He wrapped his arms around her, resting his forehead against hers.
“Want me to tuck you in?” he asked, earning a snort.
“Naw, just a kiss is fine. If you promise me you’ll come keep me company soon.”
“I can do that,” he said, lifting her chin up and pressing a kiss to her lips.
Later, when he crawled into bed beside her, she instinctively searched out his warmth, tangling her legs with his, snuggling up to him until he could feel her breath evening out against his neck.
Those moments were what made everything worth it, when things did fall into place, when he knew that one day, sooner or later, she’d come home and wouldn’t have to leave again.