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 A Promise Kept

There were still a few personnel from the base at Quinn’s, although the larger number had dispersed as the party wound down. Some of the airmen who had trained with Cam had organized the informal get-together celebrating his and Jessie’s engagement, or re-engagement, depending on how one viewed it. The news that Jessie was once again wearing her engagement ring had spread quickly through the grapevine in the mountain, and given the rocky history over the last several months, many felt a celebration was in order. Even more notable by everyone was the obvious change in Jessie over the last two weeks. Though one could still see the shadows from the trials she had endured, each day she was a little more relaxed and less reserved, especially when she was with Cam. A true healing was taking place, and all who knew the couple were celebrating that fact as well.

After a couple of rounds on the dance floor, Jessie and Cam took a break, with her heading to the restroom while Cam went back to their table. At the moment the only person there was Jack. Cam glanced around as he settled himself into his chair.

"Where’d Daniel and Casey go?"

Jack nodded towards the door. "They had to leave—said something about a meeting in the morning, but I’m thinking they wanted to be alone more than anything else."

Cam grinned. "Speaking of which, where’s Sam at?"

"Finishing up a doohickey in the lab. She called and said she’d be by in about thirty minutes to pick me up." Jack looked across the now-empty dance floor. "So how’s Jessie doing?"

Cam took a sip of the Coke the waitress had set in front of him. "She’s doing a lot better, slowly getting back to normal. The talk we had definitely helped."

"Well, it’s pretty obvious something happened to break through that armor she had around her."

Making sure no one else was within earshot, he replied, "I just basically turned it around; asked her if I had been the one on the mission and went through what she did, would she leave me. It helped her put things in perspective."

"Smart man. You…" Jack’s voice trailed off as he glanced back toward the dance floor, before suddenly rising from his seat. "Son-of-a-b…"

Jessie looked in the mirror as she washed her hands at the sink, happy to see the dark circles that had been permanent fixtures under her eyes were fading nicely. There were still small telltale signs of what she had gone through, but time was softening the edges. She smiled at the two women who were coming into the restroom as she was exiting, recognizing them from the base, and thanked them as they congratulated her on her engagement. Jessie stopped for a moment outside the door, her eyes adjusting to the dimmer light before making her way across the deserted dance floor. She saw Cam and Jack sitting at the table talking, and Jack had just glanced in her direction when she felt a heavy hand clamp down on her shoulder.

"You’re the little bitch who broke my nose, aren’t you?" The words were slurred, but the venom was undeniable.

Jessie knew who it was in an instant, and her instincts kicked in simultaneously. Grabbing the man’s hand, she dug her fingers into the pressure points between the phalanges and twisted his wrist as she turned, bringing him to his knees with an audible thud. She was surprised her reaction hadn’t been one of fear—in fact, she was pissed. Focused as she was on the man now kneeling before her, she didn’t realize the place had gone silent nor was she aware of the wall of airmen that immediately formed and started closing in. Her voice was clear and steady as she spoke. "You know, son, you’re not the brightest bulb in the box." Jessie had his arm twisted behind his back at an obviously uncomfortable angle, and didn’t relinquish the dig she had on his pressure points. "Apparently your momma didn’t teach you any manners, did she? Well, your first lesson starts here. Women are to be treated with respect. All women. Understand?"

The growl that came from him was not the response she wanted and she yanked up on his arm, changing the growl into a yelp of pain. "I believe the appropriate response is ‘yes ma’am’. You wanna try it again?"

"Yes ma’am," came the strained reply.

"You got your nose broken last time because of your mouth, and your stupidity. When a woman says no, she means no. You don’t cuss, and you don’t stalk. Understand?" She dug her fingers in deeper, and he groaned.

"Yes ma’am."

"Now, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m going to bet you’re not so drunk that you have at least two brain cells knocking around together in there, and you’ve had a coming to Jesus, so to speak. I’m also guessing you’ve seen the error of your ways, and you’re going to be a better person because of that realization, as well as this quick course in Etiquette 101." Stealing a quick glance over her shoulder, she bent down until she was eye to eye with her assailant. "Just in case those two brain cells haven’t had that meeting yet, and you’re thinking of attacking me when I let you go, I’ll spell it out for you. Try it, and I’d hurt you—but they’ll kill you."

The man was drunk, but not so drunk that he couldn’t see. Focusing on the floor behind her, he realized he was seeing approximately a half dozen pair of combat boots. Dragging his gaze up, his stomach sank as he realized those boots belonged to a line of men, obviously military, standing behind the woman he had intended to settle a score with. There was no doubt in his mind those men would do exactly what she described if he continued on his current course.

"I don’t believe I ever caught your name, son. What would it be?"

The subtle dig of her nails into his nerve endings caused him to stammer. "B…Bobby."

Her grip tightened. "You left something off there, Bobby. Try again."

A low groan rumbled in his throat. "Bobby…ma’am."

"Better. There may be hope for you yet, Bobby. Did you come here alone tonight, or did you bring some buddies with you, Bobby?"

Given the crowd gathered around them, he felt it best to answer truthfully. "I came here with Jason and Jimmy…ma’am."

"They still here?" With his nod, Jessie yelled out. "Jason! Jimmy! Front and center!" Several seconds later two of the bar patrons were ushered onto the dance floor by a couple of airmen. They stood uncomfortably next to Bobby, who at the moment was still on his knees. She eyed the two men closely, assessing his scrawny companions. "Are either one of you not drunk?"

Mindful of what had happened to their buddy, Jason was on his best behavior. "I’m not, ma’am," he replied respectfully.

"Well, there’s a miracle. I want you to take Bobby home, and make sure he gets there safe. Can you do that for me, …"

"Jason, ma’am."

"…Jason." She looked down at Bobby. "You really should pay more attention to Jason, Bobby. He seems to have the manners part down pat." She loosened her grip slightly. "We understand each other now, don’t we Bobby? There’ll be no more trouble from here on out, right?"

"No ma’am, no more trouble," he replied gruffly, glancing again at the men behind Jessie. If he could make it out to Jason’s truck, he just might get home in one piece.

Jessie took a step back out of arm’s reach as she released the hold she had on Bobby’s wrist.

While Jason and Jimmy were ‘allowed’ to escort Bobby outside, they were followed by a few of the gathered observers who wanted to ensure they left as they were supposed to. As Jessie turned to go back to the table, she found Cam and Jack standing behind her, neither of them trying to hide their amusement.

Jack was the first one to speak. "Looks like someone’s got her mojo back," he said with a grin.

Jessie shrugged, slightly self-conscious. "Just tired of inconsiderate assholes."

Cam couldn’t resist adding in his own two cents. "I don’t know about you, General, but I think she’d make a damned fine drill sergeant. She’d whip those new recruits into shape in no time." Cam slipped his arm around Jessie as they walked back to the table, and it was a like a soothing balm on her slightly frazzled nerves, ratcheting down the adrenaline pumping through her.

Jack had watched her closely throughout the entire episode, pleased with how she had handled herself. So much so, he decided it was time to broach what was on his mind. "Given how well you took care of that Neanderthal, have you given any thought to getting back on the roster, Jess?"

She glanced at Cam, recalling their conversations on the exact same subject. "Actually, Cam and I discussed that not too long ago. General Hammond has a few meet-and-greets coming up, and the consensus is it’d be a good way for me to ease back into rotation. Dr. Bailey gave it a thumbs up, too."

Jack nodded in agreement. "A cake walk or two sounds like a plan. Not that I have any doubts you could handle unexpected developments, but light duty for the first couple of rounds would be better."

"Speaking of which, I promised Casey and Daniel I’d go in early for them in the morning, since they won’t be getting to the base until later." She turned to Cam. "Would you mind dropping me off at the house?"

"Not a problem, ma’am," he replied with a grin as he stood up. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Smartass. You could hold your own just fine, and you know it." Jessie slid her arms into the lightweight jacket she had brought with her. "You need a lift home, Jack?"

"Nope. Sam should be here any minute to pick me up."

Jessie smiled at him as they turned to leave. "See you tomorrow, then."

Several people discreetly watched the young woman leave with the Colonel, surveillance that didn’t end until they had pulled out of the parking lot. Now that Cam had managed to get the ring back on her finger, not to mention her return from the brink of insanity, most of the personnel from the base would do whatever it took to ensure things continued on an even keel—including running interference between morons and drunks. Jack nodded his thanks to several of them when he left with Sam a short time later. It was an eccentric safety net, but it served its purpose nonetheless.

Cam entwined his fingers with Jessie’s, feeling the warmth as she grasped his hand in return. Climbing the steps onto her porch gave him a slight sense of déjà vu, the porch light illuminating the area much like the first time he had given her a ride home. And in a way, things had been reset back to that starting point.

Standing by the door, Jessie glanced down the street. "Well, it doesn’t look like anyone followed us, although I wouldn’t have been surprised if they did."

"You mean the guys from the SGC?" At her nod, he grinned. "I think you’ll find everyone’s going to be a little more protective for a while, considering everything that’s gone down."

She smiled back. "Well, it is kind of nice having those extra sets of eyes watching out for us." Looking down, she brushed her thumb over the back of his hand, trying to gauge her own feelings, and what she was ready for. She felt him squeeze her hand reassuringly in return.

"I guess I’ll head on back to the apartment, since we have an early start in the morning." He saw the puzzlement in her eyes, knew what she was trying to work out in her head. Reaching up, he brushed his fingers over her cheek. "When you’re ready, you won’t question it, Jessie. There’s no rush."

She sighed as she leaned against the doorframe. "That’s the problem," she said softly. "It’s not that I want to wait. I just worry that…I wonder…"

Cam brought his hand down to her shoulder, caressing her upper arm. "Worried about flashbacks?"

Biting her lower lip, she nodded her head silently.

Stepping closer, he kissed her forehead gently. "When the time’s right, you’ll know. We’ll take it slow, and if you do have flashbacks, we’ll work through them together. The most important thing is to be open and honest with each other. If we do that, we’ll be able to make our way back to where we were before."

Jessie looked up at Cam, and her breath caught in her throat. Their close proximity and the warmth of his body permeated her senses, but it was the look in his eyes that sent a shiver up her spine. This man knew her, and the look he gave promised a type of pleasure she’d have to be dead not to respond to. At that moment her worries faded into the background, and instead she became focused on the pleasurable tension growing between them. Neither one of them stepped away, unwilling to break the spell. Jessie couldn’t help the tiny grin that tugged at the corner of her mouth. Cam was literally smoldering; there wasn’t a woman alive who could mistake the look in his eyes, but he resolutely stood his ground, making no move whatsoever. It was sweet…touching…and made her literally ache, wanting to feel his lips against hers. Realizing he wasn’t going to make a move, she did the only thing a woman in her right mind would do. Leaning a fraction of an inch closer, she looked at him and said, "Are you gonna at least kiss me, or not?"

Cam almost groaned out loud. He was absolutely certain this woman was going to make him to lose his mind. At that moment, it was pure Jessie in front of him—no hint of the walking wounded she had been for so long. Desire waged war with common sense, him being well aware one wrong move could jeopardize all the progress they’d made. In the end, he couldn’t resist her simple request, but even as he acquiesced he simultaneously berated himself as well as fought his baser instincts.

There, with the faint illumination of the porch light, it was so easy to raise her lips to meet his halfway, feeling their softness, exploring the contour of them with her own. Feeling his controlled response ignited a fire within her, knowing he would only go as far as she was willing to go. For a while they stood there, just exchanging soft kisses, enjoying the simple touch of their lips. As her desire grew, Jessie opened her eyes to find Cam watching her as they kissed, as if he already knew what she was thinking.

Cam was patient. He followed Jessie’s lead, reciprocating her movements touch for touch, never moving beyond that which she offered. He knew it was important for her to set the pace, and he was cognizant of any hesitation on her part, waiting for a sign of her wanting…needing to stop. Instead, he felt her shift a little closer to him, saw her open her eyes, not with fear, but with longing. When she parted her lips against his, he waited to see if her expression changed; when it didn’t, he followed suit, brushing the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, feeling the edge of her teeth before she touched her tongue to his.

Jessie’s heart was hammering in her chest. Mentally she was hyper-vigilant, waiting for any reflex, any sign of panic. Physically, she was tuned into the man standing in front of her, his smell, his taste. Taking a chance, she brought her arms up, entwining them around his neck, making a conscious effort to relax as she pressed her body to his. In this position, she was more than aware of how much he was controlling himself, his arousal quite evident pressing against her lower abdomen. At this point her body didn’t give a damn what she had gone through before; a sharp shaft of desire shot through her, acutely amplifying an ache between her legs. A low moan reverberated in their joined mouths as instincts tried to take over.

Gathering every bit of self-control he had, Cam threaded his fingers through her hair, cradling her head as he reluctantly broke off the kiss. Having her pressed so intimately against him was driving him to distraction, and he couldn’t afford to lose sight of the situation at this juncture. He silently started counting backwards from 100, recited gate addresses in his head, anything to divert his attention from the sweet arousal of the woman in his arms. Keeping his eyes closed, he whispered hoarsely, "You need to go in the house…now."

Jessie held him close a few moments longer. "You don’t want to come inside?"

Cam almost winced at the innocent innuendo. "More than you’ll ever realize, darlin’, but we have to take it slow. I’m not willing to risk your recovery because I can’t control myself. Dr. Bailey and I have had several discussions about this."

Jessie looked at him, puzzled. "You talked with Dr. Bailey?"

"Uh huh. I needed her advice on how to get back the woman I love without screwing up. She’s a good doc—I wouldn’t have let her near you if she wasn’t."

She was definitely surprised. "Not many guys would go to a shrink…much less a woman…and ask for advice."

"Not many guys have something as precious as I have with you," he replied honestly. "I don’t wanna have to tell Dr. Bailey I screwed up, not to mention I want to do things right. Given that, you need to get inside, and I need to get back to my apartment."

Jessie knew he was right, but it didn’t make leaving his warm embrace any easier. She kissed him softly, savoring the feel of his lips against hers. "Sometimes I hate it when you’re right," she muttered in return.

Cam chuckled as he hugged her. "Get inside, woman, before I change my mind." He watched as she unlocked the deadbolt before deactivating the alarm. Just as she opened the door he grasped her arm, pulling her back into his embrace, giving her a slow, thorough kiss that left her breathless. "I love you, Jessie," he whispered against her lips before releasing her, taking a couple of steps back to put some space in between them.

"I love you, too, Cam," she said before she stepped across the threshold, watching as he turned and walked back to his car, biting her lip against the not-so-innocent thoughts running rampant through her mind.

Cam slammed the door to his apartment shut, tossing his keys on the sideboard as he strode to his bedroom, muttering to himself, only bits and pieces audible as he pulled off his clothes before disappearing into his closet. "Born and bred…Southern gentleman…Sunday Baptist…Eagle Scout…fighter pilot…fricking Colonel…can’t control damned hormones…wisp of a girl…" The sound of drawers being yanked open and slammed shut drowned out the rest of his mumblings. Naked as the day he was born, a pair of boxers in hand, he stomped into the bathroom, his frustration evident as he turned on the cold water in the shower and threw the boxers onto the countertop. Glancing in the mirror, he irritably ran his hand through his hair, gripping the back of his neck as he glared at his reflection. "Do you want to fuck it up?" he asked himself. "It’s a miracle you got her back, and you’re damned lucky she let you put that ring back on her finger. Are you willing to screw that up because you can’t keep your damned hands off her? Jesus H. Christ, Mitchell! Are ya stupid?"

Pushing away from the counter, he pulled open the shower door and stepped inside, a yelp sounding out seconds later as the cold water hit his skin. For a man who prided himself on his self-control, he was not exactly pleased with himself at the moment. Jessie was too precious to him, their relationship too important to endanger her recovery because he couldn’t control himself. He had had every intention of just giving her a chaste kiss goodnight…and those intentions had been blown to hell as soon as he felt the softness of her lips against his. Dr. Bailey had emphasized how important it was to take things slowly—he just never thought it was going to be so incredibly difficult.

After spending enough time in the shower to clean up as well as numb his extremities, his anger had quieted to the point he was no longer seeking self-punishment. Toweling off the wetness from his skin, he pulled on his boxers before crawling into bed. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before reaching out and turning off the bedside lamp. Not long after he closed his eyes, he drifted off into an unusually deep slumber.

The leaves crunched loudly beneath his boots, which annoyed him as he was trying to be quiet. The question crossed his mind as to why there was a need to be quiet, but he dismissed it as the boxwood maze finally opened up ahead of him. Coming out of the turn, he found himself at the entrance to the center of the maze. Three full moons above cast a silvery light over the area, the grass cut short, as manicured as the evergreen walls that had surrounded him moments before. A white marble bench sat about twenty feet away, but it was the figure on the bench that held his attention. Obviously female, she was sitting in profile to him, dressed in a black strapless gown, black ribbons winding up one arm. The upper half of her face was obscured by a mask of the same swirling ribbon design. In the play between shadow and light, her long hair seemed black, falling in waves past her shoulders, her skin luminescent. The only thing brighter was the white flower tucked behind her ear, the pearlescent petals shimmering in the moonlight. The sound of flapping wings broke the silence as a raven swooped in, landing on the woman’s knee. Folding its wings, it stood quietly, watching her. He saw movement near the woman’s back, and what looked like a set of midnight black wings slowly unfurled. Taking a step forward, the crunching of the leaves broke the silence once more, and the woman turned to look at him. It was Jessie.

Cam jerked upright in bed, and it took a couple of seconds for him to realize where he was. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was only a few minutes after midnight. Stretching back out in bed, he waited for his racing heart to slow to a normal pace as he examined the images running through his mind. Finally attributing the whole episode to stress, he slowly drifted off to sleep again.

General Hammond sat at his desk late the following morning, flipping through the most recent mission reports as well as the latest intel delivered in the last hour. There had been no indication that Ba’al or Camulus realized the SGC had possession of the Destroyer weapon; in fact, they were still busy accusing each other of absconding with it. The General grinned, knowing it was easier for Ba’al and his nemesis to go on blaming each other rather than admit there might have been a third party involved. The longer they squabbled amongst themselves, the better off everyone would be.

Mentally setting that situation aside, he turned his attention to the schedule and the dilemma at hand—where to send SG-7. While it was a given that any mission could go to hell in a hand-basket, he wanted to choose one with the least probability of that happening, at least for Dr. Watson’s initial reintroduction to the team. Despite the prior situation being beyond anyone’s control, he couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for what happened to the young woman. In his eyes he should have been able to pick up on Delek’s deception, at least to the point where he would have been more hesitant sending someone in. While there wasn’t anything he could do to change the past, he was going to do his best to make Jessie’s transition back to work as smooth as possible.

"It is good to see you once again, General Hammond."

The General jerked, startled, not having heard anyone enter the room. His face registered his surprise as he took in the individual in front of his desk.

"Lya? How did you…"

"Never fear, General, your security measures remain in place. I am merely projecting my image in order to converse with you. I apologize for not visiting in person, but at the moment that is not possible."

General Hammond was a little confused, but did his best to hide it. "No apologies necessary, Lya. What can I do for you? Is everything all right?"

The dainty woodland being smiled benignly at the concern he expressed. "Everything is fine. Actually, what I can do for you is the reason I am here."

"And what would that be?"

"There is a planet, Herboren, that is part of the Stargate system. It would be…beneficial…for you to establish contact with the inhabitants."

Hammond waited, but Lya said no more. "Okay. Is there a particular reason why we should go there?"

"The very young do not always do as they’re told. It doesn’t necessarily mean they should suffer for their actions."

He frowned slightly at the cryptic response, not sure if she meant ‘the very young’ being the Tau’ri, or something else. "And where exactly is Herboren?"

"The coordinates will be relayed to you shortly. The visit should take place tomorrow. Have SG-7 leave in the morning."

"SG-7?"

The young female smiled again. "Yes. The entire team—they will find the history of Herboren interesting in that it ties into some of the myths and legends from Earth." Lya stepped closer to the desk, focusing her gaze on the General. "No harm will befall any member of SG-7 on this mission. They should join in the activities and festivities, and experience the unique culture. With Dr. Watson’s interest in history, this will give her an opportunity like no other to see how societies can share certain aspects because of a few common fundamentals." She watched as the General unconsciously began to massage his temple, the subtle action conveying more than he realized. "You should see Dr. Fraiser. I believe she has remedies for your discomfort." Glancing to the side, it was obvious that something had caught her attention. As she took a step back, she smiled at the General. "I must take my leave now. Check with Walter for the coordinates, and have SG-7 ready on the morrow." With a sudden shimmer, Lya’s image disappeared.

General Hammond continued to rub his temple, trying to stave off the tension headache that was beginning to grow. Reaching for the phone, he punched in a number. "Have SG-7 meet me in the briefing room immediately."

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