Author's Note: This fic was meant to be a oneshot but it quickly spiraled, but the story is the result of a conversation on Twitter between a few Sam/Jack shippers. Essentially, one of the emergency services sent out a tweet to advise drivers that they should have a winter driving survival kit in their car when out and about – and one of the items on the list was a car jack… well, it was soon decided that the only Jack that we would need, would be Jack O'Neill. And apparently, that was all the encouragement I needed to start writing.

Super special thanks have to go to my lovely Minnesotan ladies Michelle and Sarah for their help on getting the story details right so far. Honestly, they beat this Irish girl's idea into amazing shape and I'm so, so grateful! Thank you also to Aoibhi for being my ever-present sounding board.

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 1

1500 hours
Saturday, November 30
Northern Minnesota

"– and blizzard warnings remain in effect across most of the county this afternoon. Between ten and fifteen inches of snowfall is expected within the next –"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack muttered to himself as he turned the volume down on the radio. He had eyes; he knew the approaching storm was going to be more severe than had been predicted, but the way his knee was starting to act up told him the storm was also going to reach the town a lot earlier than anyone had anticipated.

Switching off the truck's engine, he reached across the dash and grabbed his hat. Not that it would offer much protection in this weather. He glanced out of the driver's window and grimaced. It had started snowing two hours earlier, but now it was falling heavier and faster and starting to accumulate on the roads. With a sigh, he got out of the truck and quickly made his way towards the patrol station.

He closed the outer door of the building tightly behind him and was immediately thankful for the warmth of the station.

"Uff da, it's really snowing out there," he muttered.

He stamped his boots against the mat to dislodge the remaining snow around the heels and toes, unzipped his jacket, and pulled the hat from his head before he made a beeline for his office. He'd only just thrown his hat onto the desk, and had to watch helplessly as it slid across the surface, leaving a wet trail in its wake, before it landed on his chair.

"Great," he mumbled.

"Um, Captain O'Neill?"

"Yeah," he answered, as he made his way around the large desk to retrieve his hat. Giving it a final shake and disapproving glare, he hung it on the nearby coat rack. He then glanced at his chair and shrugged before he sat down. "What's up, Walter?" he added, finally looking up at his assistant.

"I have the latest weather report for you, sir, plus the updated emergency plan. Chief Hayes called while you were out. We've been advised to implement it as soon as possible."

Jack nodded as he reached for the folder. The news wasn't surprising in and of itself, but what did surprise him was that his superiors had – for once – seemed to realize just how serious the impending storm really was going to be. It was going to hit their town – and the surrounding areas – hard.

"Thanks," Jack acknowledged as he started to read. "Where's Kawalsky?"

"We received more calls over the past hour," Walter offered and Jack raised a brow, silently ordering him to continue. "Both he and Officer Mitchell were tasked to deal with a traffic accident on the outskirts of town."

Jack frowned at the information. He always worried when his officers responded to call-outs, but the current weather conditions made the situation even more hazardous – especially where the roads were concerned.

"Any injuries?"

"No, sir."

"Good," he said with a final nod. "Keep me posted."

"Yes, sir," Walter answered as he turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.

Jack spent the next few minutes reading over the information he'd received and then he phoned Hayes to confirm that the town's emergency plan would be in place within the hour; including coordinating emergency communications, prioritising service requests, and deploying resources where the need was currently the greatest. When Hayes finally ended the call, Jack sighed heavily. Although he never admitted it over the phone, he'd had already started to implement some of the plan the previous day and he and his officers had, so far, tried their best to minimize the impact of the snow. His main priority now, however, was just to get the people of his town safely to their homes this evening and advise them to stay put until the worst of the weather had passed.

He ran a hand over his face. He was proud to say that he loved his job, but more and more lately he'd thought about calling it a day and handing the role – and responsibilities – over to a younger man. He'd already ran the idea by George Hammond one night over a game of chess, and in the end, the former Air Force General had just chuckled and with a fatherly pat on Jack's shoulder said he always had projects needing finished around the lodge. In all honesty, Jack knew he'd go stir crazy with full retirement, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit interested by George's proposal of some part-time work.

He shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his mind; now was not the time to start dwelling on the issue. He'd get through the rest of the year and then seriously think about retiring.

With a newfound resolve, Jack got to his feet and made his way through to the main office space where the sound of his officers' conversations reached his ears and the smell of coffee and donuts invaded his nostrils. Out of habit, Jack cast a quick glance around and, aside from Kawalsky and Mitchell, he let out a breath when he was sure the rest of his men – and women – were accounted for. He watched them all fondly for a moment as they enjoyed a brief respite from their duties before he clapped his hands together to get their attention.

"Okay, listen up," he said. "Here's the plan…"

From his desk to the window.

From Walter's desk to the coffee machine.

From Mitchell's desk to the window.

Jack had trudged the same path for the past three hours as they'd launched the town's plan for the storm. He knew he would need every single member of his team to help everyone get through the next few days safely, so to be at their best, he'd divided his people into two teams and implemented a rota, sending one group away to get some much-needed rest before they took up the mantle in a few hours' time when he and the other team got their break.

With his workforce already halved, Jack dispatched as many officers remaining as he could with orders to help people get home quickly but safely, and also to help keep the roads as clear as possible for the emergency services; while he and a skeleton crew remained at the station to monitor the situation and await updates. A part of him though desperately wanted to be out there, on the front lines helping, as opposed to from behind his desk – even if it was his job now.

The shrill ring of the phone pulled him from his thoughts. "O'Neill."

"Hi Jack."

"Daniel," he answered, his attention switching to the window. "Is everyone home okay?"

"Everyone's safe."

With a relieved sigh, Jack leaned against the edge of the desk but then he frowned. "Daniel," he said slowly, "while I'm glad you're all okay… that isn't what I asked."

"There's been a slight change in plans."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. We're at Hammond Lodge," he added after a beat.

"What about Janet and Cass?"

"Teal'c is making sure they get here safely and then he's going to head back out to see how he can help."

Despite the seriousness of the entire situation, Jack couldn't help but smile at the thought of how his closest friends – those he considered family – always looked after each other, and sought each other out and, somehow, seemed to spend most of their free time together. So, being stranded together in a snowstorm, while a new scenario for them all, wasn't as surprising as it otherwise should have been.

"Sir?"

"Hang on a sec," he said to Daniel as he turned to find Walter standing at the other side of his desk. "Yeah?"

"We've just received a call from a driver stranded two miles out."

"Same spot?"

Walter nodded. "Yes, sir."

Jack closed his eyes and sighed. There was a bend in the road around two miles outside of town that had been a hotspot for accidents since the snow started to fall. This would be their sixth call-out to that particular location this afternoon alone.

"Injuries?"

"No. Just stranded."

"Who've we got?"

He could see Walter visibly pale and Jack knew instantly what was coming next.

"That depends, Captain. Do you want to know who is closest, or who is free?"

"Alright," he said. "Give me two minutes."

He waited until Walter left before he switched his attention back to his phone call. "Listen, Daniel I hate to do this but –"

"I heard," his friend interrupted, "and it's fine. We'll look after Charlie until you get here."

"Thanks. Can I talk to him?"

"Sure, hang on."

Jack could hear background noise on the phone so he took the opportunity to close the door to his office.

"Dad?"

"Hey, kiddo," he answered, his mood immediately better. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Daniel says you have to work late."

"I need to make sure everyone gets home safely tonight."

There was a pause on the other end of the line and Jack closed his eyes. Even though he liked his job, this was an aspect he could really do without. He hated being away from his son longer than he needed to be.

"That's okay," Charlie eventually answered. "When you get home can we play in the snow?"

"That depends," Jack said. "It might be past your bedtime."

"There's no school tomorrow."

"That is not the point," he chuckled, "but we'll see." A knock on the door caught Jack's attention and he looked up to find Walter hovering. "Charlie, I need to go. Make sure you behave for Uncle Daniel, okay?"

"Yes, sir!"

With a final laugh, he asked the little boy to give the phone back to Daniel. As he waited for his friend to answer, Jack already had his winter coat on and grabbed his hat.

"What's up?"

"Don't let Charlie play out in the snow too long. I don't care if the kid has no school tomorrow."

An amused laugh was his answer and Jack instinctively knew his friend had absolutely no intention of listening to his orders. So, with a grin of his own, he shook his head. "See you later, Daniel."

"You too, Jack. Stay safe."

"Thanks."

He barely had time to end the call before Walter handed him a piece of paper.

"The driver believes their tires locked just before the bend on the road and they slid into the ditch."

As Jack listened to the details, he placed his cell phone into his pocket and started to leave his office, knowing his assistant would follow.

"No passengers. No injuries; and the vehicle is off-road, so it's not causing any further obstructions."

"Great." The last thing Jack needed was for another driver to come along and hit the vehicle. "Did you tell them to stay inside the car?"

"Yes, sir," and Jack couldn't help but wince at Walter's silent – but clearly obvious – 'duh' tacked onto the end of his answer. As he reached the main door to the building, Jack glanced over his shoulder. "When Kawalsky gets back, let him know he's in charge."

He didn't wait for a response before he stepped outside and made his way towards his truck. He quickly jumped inside, turned on the engine and stuck his fingers against the air vents to warm them up. After a couple of moments, he pulled the piece of paper Walter had handed him from his pocket and studied the details once again before his eyes landed on the information he was looking for.

Sam Carter.

He didn't recognize the name, but that didn't necessarily mean much around this time of year. Many people from out of town – and state – tended to stay in the area for the holidays.

He set the note on the passenger seat and started to reverse out of the parking lot.

"Okay," he muttered as he pulled onto the street. "Let's see what trouble you've gotten yourself into, Carter."