Title: Meeting Charlie - The Prequel (1/1)

 

Author: Lisa Yaeger

 

E-mail: lisayaeger@hotmail.com

 

Rating: G

 

Category: General

 

Pairings: Sam/Jack

 

Content Warnings: None

 

Summary: Sam meets Charlie for the first time.

 

Season/sequel: This happens in season 3 during the time Jack was on

Edora.

 

Spoilers: Up to and including 100 Days

 

Archive: SJD & whoever wants to- I'd be flattered!

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the

property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This

piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary

purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.

Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are

copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or

dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

 

Authors? Notes:  Thanks to Allison West for the great idea of writing

a prequel!

 

Status: Complete.

 

Feedback: Welcomed!

 

Date: 15-12-2002

 

*****

 

This was weird.  Not just a little, but a lot.  She managed to make

herself smile a little at the thought that he might say "way weird."

If he knew where she was and what she was doing, that is.  Which he

didn't.  He couldn't.  Because he wasn't here.  Which was why she was.

And that's where the weird part came in.

 

She tried coming yesterday, but hadn't gotten any farther than the

main office to find out where she was supposed to go.  The map of the

place made the stargate system chart look easy to read by comparison.

After deciphering the layout of the grounds, she had ended up driving

right back out onto the main road, nearly in tears.  A decent meal and

a good night's sleep later, she resolved herself to returning to the

cemetery the next morning.  Which was where she was now.  Very weird.

 

The last time she had been to a cemetery was when she and Mark had

gone to visit their mother's grave at the 15th anniversary of her

death.  Had that only been a few years ago?  It seemed like much

longer.  Her feet stopped just shy of her eyes being able to focus on

the letters etched into the gravestone.  She already knew the name and

the dates imprinted on it.  She sat on the concrete bench just

opposite, trying not to focus on the words in front of her.  Still

denying to some part of her that she was actually here.  That this was

actually happening.

 

She wasn't sure if a minute or an hour had passed, but the sun was

rising and the heat felt good on her skin.  Mornings in Colorado were

still quite chilly this time of year, and she knew it was now or

never, so she finally spoke, "Hi, Charlie."  She half-expected an

answer, which was ridiculous, but finally registering that one would

not be forthcoming, she continued, "We've never met, but I work with

your dad.  My name is Sam."

 

The self-imposed awkwardness continued as she sat straight up, hands

folded in her lap and tried to find the words to say aloud what her

heart couldn't yet admit, "I'm here to give you some bad news."  Now

that was an understatement.  Although, if she had been the kind of

person to believe in those kinds of things, she might have considered

that Jack was already with Charlie, in another place, watching her

together.  But she wasn't really that kind of person, and those

weren't the kind of thoughts running through her mind.  "I'm sure

you've noticed that your dad hasn't been to see you lately, and I just

wanted to come and explain why."  That she couldn't really explain it

to herself was beside the point; she had to do this for him.  And for

herself.

 

"Your dad was on a mission.  There was an accident.  We think... well,

we hope that he's just fine.  But he can't make it home yet, and we're

working really hard to bring him back, but it could be about a year.

I know that must seem like an awfully long time, and I can't tell you

how sorry I am."

 

Silently kicking herself for getting choked up, she decided to

continue in what she hoped was a calmer voice, "I know your dad used

to come and visit you when he could, and I just didn't want you to

wonder where he was.  And I wanted you to know that I- his friends, I

mean- haven't stopped trying to bring him home.  It's just going to

take awhile.  I'm really sorry that I can't think of anything that

will be faster; I'm sure you miss him a lot. And I know he misses

you."

 

Leaning back into the cold bench, she relished the feel of the sun on

her face and relaxed a bit.  It had felt good to say the words aloud-

that he was going to make it home.  It was just taking longer than she

wanted it to.  Than anyone wanted it to.  She wished- and not for the

first time in the past few years- that she had actually met this

little boy whose death had left a void in the soul of the man she

worked day in and out with.  Well, had worked day in and out with.

She missed that.  Just working with him.  Just seeing him.  Just

thinking about seeing him.  Now all she could do was think about the

day when she *might* see him and work with him again.  And that had to

keep her going.  That and the fact that he wanted to come home to see

them.  His team.  His friends.  Her.  That was enough to fuel the late

night hours.  The early mornings.  The lack of sleep.  Him coming

home.  It was enough.  It had to be.

 

Smiling at the renewed hope that had settled on her heart since

arriving, she rose from the bench, ready to get back to work.  She

wondered if Jack felt the same kind of peacefulness when he came here.

She hoped so.

 

"Goodbye, Charlie.  It was nice meeting you."

 

*****

 

I've been on vacation for a week, so it's going to take me awhile to get through all of the posts I've missed.  Would still love feedback though: lisayaeger@hotmail.com