Reflective Fate I: Division of Fate: Parts 9 - 12

~*~

Part Nine

~*~

It took less than ten minutes for their curiosity to get the better of them. The elevator doors parted and Janet stepped in to find Daniel and Kawalsky already there. She smiled warmly at them as the doors closed behind her. “ Have you had any luck talking to Colonel O’Neill?”

“ We can’t find him,” Kawalsky answered. “ He’s not in the gym, the locker room, his office or on the surface.”

“ We were just going to find Sam, to see if she’s okay and to ask if she has any idea where Jack is,” Daniel added.

Janet nodded her approval and the three got off the elevator at the floor Sam’s lab was on. They were talking amongst themselves but stopped when Teal’c passed them, looking pleased with himself. Daniel was about to stop him when Janet took his arm and pulled him along to the lab. They stood in the doorway, their jaws dropping as all three saw what had made Teal’c so happy.

As usual, Sam was sitting at one of the workstations, piecing together the smallest of components to make the greatest of machines. The unusual thing was that Jack was standing closely behind her, murmuring things only she could hear that were making her chuckle softly.

Finally, she stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, trying and failing to look stern. “ You’re going to get us into trouble, Colonel. General Hammond said to keep this kind of thing till we were off duty.”

“ Well.. We could leave early then we would be off-duty,” he murmured suggestively and she rolled her eyes tolerantly.

“ I have work to go, you have an office full of paperwork and if you want me to be able to keep our date, you really need to let me get on with this.” She noticed their shocked audience in the doorway over his shoulder and smiled slightly. “ And in case you haven’t noticed, we do have another audience asides from the guys watching through the security cameras.”

Jack turned and smiled at their friends, pulling Sam to stand in front of him so he could wrap his arms round her, unwilling to let her go now it was okay for him to hold her. “ Hey guys, you know if you really want to catch flies, there are other ways of doing it than standing with your mouths open like that.”

All three mouths snapped shut, making Sam smile further. She rolled her eyes and untangled herself from Jack as he tried to pull her back against him. “ Later,” she promised in a murmur, raising her voice when it came to speaking to the others. “ Is there any reason in particular you guys are here or were you just spying in general?”

“ We were.. Well, Janet was here for some gossip..” Kawalsky started, stopping when Janet nudged him sharply in the ribs.

“ We were wondering if you knew where Jack was,” Daniel finished with a soppy grin. “ And obviously,” he motioned to the two of them with his hand. “ You do.”

“ Yeah and now you’ve found him, you can take him with you when you leave,” Janet hinted. “ Which would be now.”

“ Now?” Jack looked to Sam with an arched eyebrow, sighing in defeat at her nod of agreement. “ If we must.” He walked to the door, passing Janet as she walked towards Sam. He stopped to cast a glance back over his shoulder. “ See you at seven, Captain.”

“ Yes, Sir,” Sam confirmed with a smile. He answered with a grin before sauntering away, flanked by Daniel and Kawalsky, both who were firing questions at him so quickly he barely had a chance to answer them.

Sam shut the door to her lab and turned to find Janet sitting on the only clear surface in the lab, gazing at her expectantly. She moved to the bench opposite her friend and sat down in front of the pieces of machinery she as working on.

The silence lasted all of two seconds. Janet got down from the bench and crossed over to her friend, standing with her hands on her hips. “ Okay, I give. Out with it, I want to know everything.”

Smiling to herself, Sam gave in and soon the two were deep in conversation over the ‘date’ and the all-important question – what to wear.

~*~

Seven o’clock came nearer and nearer. Sam grew shy, Jack grew nervous and Charlie grew even more excited with every passing minute. He couldn’t stay still for more than five minutes, he kept jumping around and asking a dozen or so questions every five minutes about where his father was planning on taking Sam.

“ Where ya going? When’ll you be home? Will Sam come here after?” Charlie asked excitedly, jumping up and down on his father’s bed as Jack struggled to decide what colour shirt to wear.

“ Blue or black or white?” Jack asked no one in particular as he rummaged through his closet.

“ What are you wearing with it?” Charlie continued jumping up and down. “ You gotta look nice for Sam.”

“ My leather jacket and black jeans,” Jack answered distractedly.

“ Wear the grey t-shirt thing,” Charlie suggested, still bouncing up and down. “ It goes nice with black stuff.”

Jack shot his son a surprised look as he got the shirt from the drawer. “ How’d you come up with that?”

“ Aunt Janet and Sam were talking,” Charlie shrugged casually, stilling to sit cross-legged on the bed. “ They think grey really goes with black.”

Jack stopped in the process of pulling the shirt over his head. He raised an eyebrow and a grin spread slowly across his face as he finished pulling it on all the way. It was a charcoal grey in colour and clung in all the right places, showing his muscled arms and chest. Thinking back, he had only wore this type of top in front of Sam and Janet once before. And if Sam liked it.. Who was he to argue?

Charlie watched his father grin to himself and smiled. *Finally* something was going right! He grinned again as he followed his father downstairs to wait for his babysitters also known as his three ‘uncles’ who Jack had taken to calling the Three Stooges, much to their annoyance.

~*~

For the tenth or eleventh time, Sam stepped out of her bedroom to get Janet’s approval on her outfit. She had tried on most if not all of the none-military clothes she had but so far to no avail. It soon became clear Janet wouldn’t be happy unless she looked as feminine as possible so Sam reluctantly tried on the few dresses she had. None of them were ‘right’ in Janet’s opinion, but when she came out of the bedroom in a blue halter-neck top and a long black skirt with a small slit up one side, Janet’s eyes lit up. It was as feminine as Sam would be willing to go.

“ Well..” Janet gazed at her speculatively. “ I think you look great.” She noticed Sam’s sceptical look. “ And that’s what bothers you about it.”

Sam sighed and bit her lip. “ I feel over-dressed,” she admitted nervously with a sigh. “ It’s just.. We’ve gone out before and I haven’t gone to this much trouble.. Well, not like this. I always wear jeans and something casual. What if that’s what he’s expecting tonight? What if I’m getting ready for something that doesn’t happen? What if he doesn’t like me like this? Oh God, I can’t do this. I can’t go out on a *date* with him!”

“ Sam, honey,” Janet smiled fondly and moved to her side to give her a reassuring hug. “ You’re stressing too much. You have a distinct advantage over lots of other women going on first dates. You know Jack and you know he’s crazy about you. He has a hard time keeping his eyes and hands off you as it is and you look even more beautiful than usual tonight.”

“ A little over-dressed for dinner and a movie, though.” Sam stated ruefully. “ Maybe I should change..”

“ If you’d feel more comfortable,” Janet relented with a sigh. Then her eyes lit up. “ I know, you can wear those trousers you got last time we went shopping. The black hipsters with the flared legs. They’re feminine without being too dressy.”

Agreeing, Sam disappeared into her bedroom and came out wearing the trousers in place of the skirt. She looked a little more comfortable but there were telltale signs of nervousness in her eyes.

“ What now?” Janet asked, fighting another sigh. “ You look wonderful so that can’t be the problem.”

“ How far do you think it’s gonna go tonight?” Sam asked shyly, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. “ I mean.. You know what I mean..”

Janet chuckled softly as her friend fidgeted uncharacteristically with her watch. “ I.. Things won’t go any further than you want them to, Sam. The Colonel.. Jack.. isn’t going to rush you. You guys have all the time you need to take this slowly. It’ll stop where you want it to.”

“ That’s the problem,” Sam mumbled quietly, almost too quietly. When she looked up, embarrassment was clearly written across her features. “ Janet.. I don’t know where I want it to stop. I don’t even know if I want it to stop at all..”

“ I’m not seeing a problem here,” Janet smiled again. “ You’re both adults, you know each other and you care about each other which is more than some. Being doctor to you both.. There are no problems that side of things if you’re worried..”

“ There’s Sara,” Sam blurted out. “ And Charlie and the fact I haven’t.. you know.. in a while. A *long* while..”

“ Sara isn’t an issue. She’s out of the picture, they’re divorced or at least very close to finalising their divorce,” Janet pointed out firmly. “ And Charlie loves you as much as his father does. He’d be thrilled if you started spending more time with them.” There was a slight pause. “ And the other thing.. It’ll all come naturally..”

“ Like riding a bike?” Sam asked doubtfully.

“ Yeah.. But it’s more fun and there’s less chance of scrapes and bruises,” Janet grinned mischievously. Sam giggled nervously, which set Janet off. The two passed the time by giggling and teasing each other like teenagers until there was a gentle, almost hesitant know at the door.

~*~

Before Sam opened the door, Janet helped her tidy some of the mess created by scattered clothes from their attempts at trying to find something to wear. Then Janet settled herself in the kitchen, watching from the doorway as Sam greeted Jack shyly.

Sam took a deep calming breath before opening the door, her lips curved up in a shy smile when she saw him standing there. For a few moments, they stared blatantly at each other, drinking in every detail.

“ Hi,” Sam was the first to speak, blushing under his intense scrutiny.

“ Hi,” Jack grinned back at her, staring deeply into her eyes. “ You look..” He motioned to her with his hand, taking her in again from head to toe. “ Wow. You look amazing. Really amazing.”

“ You look great, too,” she smiled and then laughed at the way they were acting, in spite of her own nerves. “ Well, this is awkward.”

“ Ya think?” He chuckled to take the edge off his sarcasm. “ Should we go?”

“ Yeah, I’ll just get my jacket and purse.” The two of them left and Janet watched from the window as Jack opened the car door for Sam, grinning to herself as he snuck in a quick kiss before shutting it and heading round to his side of the car.

She waited until they were gone before leaving the apartment, hoping everything would go as perfectly as they deserved it to.

~*~

The date didn’t go exactly as planned but then things rarely did when a member of SG-1 was involved, let alone two members. Despite this, it was pretty much perfect in the minds of Sam and Jack.

The first change in their plans happened when they stayed too long in the restaurant where Jack had made reservations. It wasn’t that the service was bad or they were late in eating, it was that after they’d finished their meal, they spent a long time talking about everything and nothing.

By the time they glanced at their watches, they had already missed the start of the movie they had been planning to see. Then they went to a small, out of the way club Sam and Janet had stumbled across on a girl’s night out. It wasn’t what Jack had planned but he wasn’t complaining. After all, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to dance slowly and closely with Sam in his arms had they gone to see a movie.

“ This is nice,” he murmured as they swayed gently to the music, having lost count of how many songs they’d danced through.

Sam lifted her head from his shoulder to look him in his eyes, a soft dreamy smile playing on her lips. “ Hmm, nicer than sitting in a crowded theatre?”

“ Much nicer,” he grinned down on her, one hand impulsively slipping under her top to draw patterns on her back. His gaze softened. “ But all good things have to come to an end.”

“ Do they?” She looked at him curiously. “ I thought it was just the night that had to end.”

“ Does it?” He asked softly, raising an eyebrow.

She smiled again and pulled back as much as he would allow. “ The night officially ended almost half an hour ago. Charlie will be expecting you home some time soon.”

Jack nodded but was unwilling to let her go. “ What about you? You could stay..”

Their gazes locked and the look they shared was heated to say the very least. Sam lowered her gaze, her cheeks feeling warm. “ I would..”

“ But..?” He prompted with a small frown.

“ But I’d like to keep that aspect of our relationship to us,” she raised her eyes back to his, hoping he’d understand. “ If I stayed tonight, the guys would know and then word would spread.. Can we keep this to ourselves? Wait until we know whatever happens will stay between us?”

“ I understand,” he kissed her forehead and smiled reassuringly. “ And I agree. It seems like everyone’s been involved in this relationship so far, doesn’t it?”

“ Until tonight,” she smiled shyly. “ Tonight was ours.”

“ Certainly was..” He let her pull away and followed her back to their table. He helped her into her jacket and led her out to the car with a hand to her back.

They kissed sweetly before getting into the car and when they reached Sam’s apartment, Jack walked her to the door. She leaned against the wall as they kissed again, her arms going round his neck as he deepened the kiss. It was passionate without being too demanding, playful but meaningful.

They broke apart, breathing heavily, knees feeling shaky. Both were grateful for the extra support of the wall.

“ I should go,” Jack murmured against her lips as he stole a chaste kiss from her lips.

“ You should,” she agreed, stretching up to kiss him again as the small part of her mind that was able to think was wondering if he had any idea how addictive his kisses were. “ I’d invite you in but..”

“ ..I probably wouldn’t leave,” he finished her thought with a knowing grin as she blushed. Jack kissed her forehead and then her nose and then finally her lips tenderly. “ Goodnight, Sam.”

“ Night, Jack,” she smiled as he moved away, reaching for the key to her apartment from her purse. “ Sweet dreams.”

“ They will be, Angel,” he called out over his shoulder, knowing that if he looked back at her, he wouldn’t be able to walk away. “ Sweet dreams, Sam.”

She waited until he had left her sight before going into her apartment, smiling to herself. She shut the door and leaned against it with a sigh, closing her eyes. She took a few minutes to herself, allowing herself the rare opportunity to dream about the future and what it could bring.

~*~

The general atmosphere within Cheyenne Mountain improved ten-fold over the next few days. Word spread and a few lucky officers and civilians, Kawalsky, Daniel, Ferretti and the General included, made a small fortune on the various betting pools. As soon as one pool was closed, another few were opened, only these were about Janet and Kawalsky, as well as when Jack would pop the question to Sam. Sam and Jack’s relationship moved forward discreetly, with their friends respecting their privacy enough not to pry too much.

Their missions continued as though nothing had changed, much to General Hammond’s relief. Sam and Jack kept their personal relationship as far away from work as they could, clearly defining the differences between their relationship as friends and lovers and their relationship as CO and second-in-command.

SG-1 continued, in Kawalsky’s opinion, in getting the best assignments, although he and Jack constantly but playfully argued over which planet their team would go to. They learned of the Asgard, and began to hope that they weren’t fighting a losing battle and they met up with Ernest and Catherine, two of the first people involved in the Stargate project. Catherine was no stranger to them all, Jack and Daniel had met her before their first mission to Abydos and Sam had met her before the mission when she had been working to get the program opened and keep it open.

There were a few more surprises in store for the team. No one had been more surprised that SG-1 when it was revealed Teal’c had left his family on Chulak to join them in their fight against the Goa’uld. He had a wife and a son, Drey'ac and Rya’c. Although his wife had married another in his absence, it was clear there was still something between the two. Teal’c had tried to get them to come back to Earth with him but they chose not to, instead re-locating to The Land of Light after being warned revenge could be taken against them for Teal’c betrayal of the Goa’uld.

There was also more heartache in store for the group of friends. After a visit to a planet named Oannes, the team returned minus one. Daniel was apparently dead. They were devastated; Sam, Jack and Teal’c mourned the loss of their close friend and team mate in their own ways as did Janet and Kawalsky whilst all five of them tried to comfort Charlie.

The sparkle in Sam’s eyes died, Jack lost his sarcastic edge, Teal’c didn’t ask any questions on human culture for a while. A part of them was missing, as Janet explained to Charlie at the wake for their friend. Which was why they were all indescribably relieved when it was found the memories of SG-1 were false, and that Daniel was actually alive.

The team was reunited, only to be challenged by the next threat to come their way, a Goa’uld named Hathor who seduced the men on base, leaving it to Sam, Janet, Teal’c and their female colleagues to save the day.

Once it was over and the men were beginning to get over the embarrassment, Sam and Jack were able to concentrate a little more on their personal relationship. It had taken a back seat to all the excitement they had been put through and they were both missing spending time together and with Charlie, as a family. So they arranged to spend a long weekend away, travelling to San Diego to visit Sam’s brother and his family although they’d decided before they got there they would rent their own place to stay, somewhere they could have some privacy.

They had rented a small beach house and already spent one day together, just the three of them. Charlie was thrilled to have his two favourite people all to himself for the weekend and was making no secret of it.

“ Do we have to go? Can’t we just stay here?” Charlie asked with a pout as he watched his father pace nervously from the couch, both of them waiting for Sam to come downstairs. Jack’s anxiousness was palatable, he was meeting her brother for the first time and wanted to make a good impression. Charlie, however, couldn’t see what all the fuss was.

“ Don’t you want to see Luke and Abby again?” Jack asked, pausing in his pacing to look at his son.

“ Yes..” Charlie nodded enthusiastically. “ But..”

“ But what?” Sam spoke up as she came out of the bedroom. Both father and son turned to look at her and stared. She was standing in a long light blue summer dress with thin straps. She smiled and blushed as they stared at her. “ Guys? Hello? We were talking about Charlie?”

“ You look beautiful,” Jack told her sincerely. “ Wow. Ya think Hammond would consider changing the female uniform to something like that?”

She rolled her eyes and moved to sit down next to Charlie. “ What’s wrong, Sweetheart? You don’t want to go out tonight?”

Charlie looked at his hands and then up at her warm smile. He smiled back, he couldn’t help it, and moved to cuddle into her side. “ I wanna spend more time with you and Daddy before you go away again. I get lonely when you’re not there.”

“ Charlie..” Sam looked up to Jack for some help. He nodded back at her and sat down on Charlie’s other side.

“ We have to go away sometimes, what we do is very important,” Jack explained softly. “ Don’t you like staying with Uncle Charlie or Aunt Janet when we’re away?”

“ I do, but it’s not the same,” Charlie sniffed. “ They’re not you and Sam and when they’re busy, it gets lonely. And I can’t play at the base so I have to go to Mrs. Johnson’s and there’s no one there to play with since Dylan went to live with his Daddy.” He looked from Sam to Jack with big round eyes shining with tears. “ I know you gotta go to work but I miss you.”

“ We miss you, too,” Jack responded ruffling his son’s hair. “ Don’t we, Sam?”

“ Of course we do,” she nodded and smiled genuinely at Charlie. “ And I promise, the next downtime we have will be spent with you. Maybe you and your Dad could go away for a weekend without me tagging along? He could take you fishing..”

“ I want you to be there,” Charlie spoke up quickly, clinging onto her hand. “ I want you to be there all the time, forever and ever.”

“ Forever’s a long time,” Sam murmured softly. “ And I know I’ve been taking a lot of your father’s time, I think it would be good for the two of you to spend sometime alone together.” She gave them a small smile and stood. “ Why don’t you two stay here? I’ll be fine going to see them myself.”

“ Sam, we’re going. All three of us,” Jack also stood and gave her a firm look. “ And we’re going to talk about this later, all three of us.”

“ Yes, Sir!” Sam rolled her eyes and saluted, with Charlie copying her salute with a giggle, the tension dissipating. She went out to the car with Charlie, aware Jack was watching her from the doorway where he was locking up but completely unaware of the direction his thoughts had taken.

~*~

The drive to Mark’s house was silent with the exception of Sam’s occasional direction to Jack, who had insisted on driving. Charlie’s sombre mood disappeared as he remembered the fun he’s had with Luke Carter at the picnic and started to look forward to seeing him again.

They pulled up outside the house and Jack stared at is for a few seconds, biting his lip until Sam reached out and put a hand on his cheek.

“ Jack, it’ll be fine. He’s just my brother,” she told him with a smile.

He gave a wryly smile in response. “ That’s the problem. Big brothers are notorious for being over-protective of their baby sisters.”

“ How would you know? You’re an only child,” she reminded him, arching an eyebrow.

“ I know, but I’ve met my share of big brothers,” he answered slyly.

She rolled her eyes as Charlie giggled. “ I don’t want to know any more. Besides, you have nothing to worry about,” she added cheekily. “ This baby sister is an Air Force officer and is perfectly capable of keeping both you and her big brother in line.”

“ Yes, Ma’am,” he grinned boyishly and they got out of the car with Charlie. Jack was still nervous, though. He trailed slightly behind Sam and Charlie. This wasn’t just any normal first meeting. This was his first meeting with any member of Sam’s family, asides from her nephew and her niece. Yep, meeting the big brother ranked right up there with meeting the father in Jack’s opinion.

Sam had barely knocked on the door when it suddenly swung open and Abigail and Luke engulfed her in a big hug. “ Aunt Sam!” They echoed one another, hugging her tightly as she hugged them back with a smile.

“ Hi guys,” she laughed when they released her. “ Wow, if that’s the type of welcome I’m gonna get every time I come here, I might have to visit more often.”

“ You should do that,” Mark Carter spoke up from behind his children, studying his sister intently. There was something about her, something that hadn’t been there last time he saw her. She was radiant, smiling, and happier than he’d seen her in a long time.

“ Mark,” Sam smiled and gave a small nod of acknowledgment before turning her attention back to the children. “ Hey, you remember Charlie, don’t you?”

“ Uh-huh,” Luke nodded and beamed at his friend. “ Ya wanna go play a game? I got some new ones for my birthday.”

“ Cool!” Charlie exclaimed, his eyes brightening. He and Luke were last seen scrambling upstairs as Sam concentrated on her brother and Abigail turned her attention to Jack.

“ You look wonderful, Sam,” Mark murmured as they embraced, a little awkwardly at first. “ Something obviously agrees with you.”

Sam blushed as she pulled away, catching his meaning and smiling shyly. “ Guess so.” She turned to see Jack effortlessly lift Abigail into his arms as he stepped over the threshold. “ Mark, I’d like you to meet Jack O’Neill, Charlie’s father.”

“ Charlie being the kid who Luke’s playing with,” Mark interjected with a grin.

“ Yeah. Jack, this is my brother, Mark.” Sam finished the introduction, moving to stand by Jack as if to offer him her extra support. Once there was little distance between them, Abigail climbed out of Jack’s arms and into Sam’s.

“ It’s nice to finally meet you, Jack. I’ve heard a lot about you, from Sam and the kids.” Mark offered his hand out to the other man, wondering if he looked as ill at ease as Jack did.

Jack took the offered hand and shook it, feeling some of the tension leave his body as he did so. “ Nice to meet you, too.”

“ Aunt Sam, you gotta see my room!” Abigail spoke in a loud stage whisper. “ It’s so pretty. Can we go now?”

“ Sure, I think that’s a great idea, Princess,” Sam smiled sweetly and innocently at both her brother and her lover. “ We’ll leave you two to get to know each other better.” And with that, she left. Leaving Jack and Mark standing awkwardly, staring at each other.

~*~

Part Ten

~*~

Jack rolled his eyes as she blew him a kiss before heading upstairs with Abigail. Mark shut the door firmly, shaking his head at his sister’s tactics as he led Jack into the living room.

“ Can I get you a drink or something?” Mark asked civilly. Jack opened his mouth as if to answer but faltered so Mark continued. “ There’s some beer, I’ll be getting myself one.”

“ A beer would be great, thanks,” Jack smiled and sat down. Whilst Mark was out of the room, he wiped his clammy hands on his trouser legs, repeating over and over that he had nothing to worry about. Not much, anyway.

The return of Sam’s brother with two beers cut his musings short and Jack took one when it was offered to him. “ Thanks.”

Mark sat down in the chair opposite him and a small silence fell across them like a blanket of snow. Clearing his throat, he looked Jack squarely in the eyes and spoke bluntly. “ There’s something we need to get straight. You know it and I know it so we might as well get it out of the way so we can get over the awkwardness. You hurt my sister and I will hurt you ten times worse.”

“ I hope that’ll never happen but if it does, you won’t need to bother. Sam and myself are perfectly capable of taking care of the ‘hurting’ thing,” Jack answered without even pausing to blink.

“ Good, then that’s settled,” Mark nodded solemnly and then grinned. “ I’m glad that’s over with. I hate the over-protective big brother stage. So, Jack, tell me about you.”

“ Me?” Jack took a swig of beer from his bottle. “ What’d you want to know?”

“ Anything and everything. I wanna know about the man my sister’s in love with,” Mark shrugged. “ Like.. You work with Sam. I know, I know, most of that’s probably classified. But you’re her superior, right? You outrank her. Isn’t there something that says you can’t date or something stupid like that?”

“ Regulations,” Jack nodded. “ Ordinarily, yeah, they’d be a problem because I’m Sam’s CO. But the work we do.. The division of the Air Force we work in has it’s own set of regulations and General Hammond gave us the all clear to date.”

Mark grimaced. “ I’d hate living like that, needing someone’s permission to love someone else. You can’t control who you’re attracted to or fall in love with, right? So that whole rule seems.. wrong to me. But then I never cared much for the military way of life. Never understood the attraction to live your life to someone else’s rules.”

“ Guess it’s a matter of personal choice,” Jack shrugged. “ Though it’s a pain in the ass most of the time.”

“ I’ll drink to that,” Mark grinned again. “ Would you have kept your distance if your boss or superior or whatever had said you couldn’t see Sam?”

Jack studied the label on his bottle for a few minutes before answering. “ No, not feeling how I do and being at this point in my career. I would’ve retired if that had been his decision.”

“ Sam wouldn’t have liked that option, though, would she?” Mark prompted softly.

“ No, but it would have been my choice and I think she’s worth it,” Jack murmured, thankful it hadn’t come to that.

“ Good,” Mark looked at him with a new respect and approval in his eyes. “ You’re good enough for her then.”

“ Not by half,” Jack looked up with a grin. “ I just got lucky. Real lucky someone like Sam would be interested in me.”

Mark nodded and they lapsed into silence, each pondering and contemplating what had been said. However, when Sam came downstairs with the children, they were animatedly talking about a subject that appealed to both of them without the conversation being awkward – hockey and fishing.

“ Please tell me you haven’t just been discussing the finer points of hockey,” Sam groaned as she stood in the doorway. “ You both do that all the time anyway.”

“ Would you rather we talk about you and the things you got up to as a kid?” Mark challenged only half-teasingly.

“ Oh, no. Please, go back to talking about men trying to out-do each other in a so-called civil manner, I insist,” she rolled her eyes again, smiling a little at the lack of tension in the room.

“ Actually,” Jack smirked as she sat down next to him on the couch. “ We were talking about a certain someone trying out for an all-male basketball team in high school just to make a point a little while ago..”

Sam paled and looked at her brother, horrified. “ Mark, tell me you didn’t bring that up. Please tell me you didn’t bring that up.”

Mark chuckled and held his hands up in mock-defence. “ Hey, you made the team. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“ That’s not the point,” Sam mumbled, burying her head in Jack’s shoulder as her cheeks went from being colourless to being flushed pink.

“ Aw, Angel, I think it was cute,” Jack chuckled, wrapping an arm round her shoulders.

“ Cute?” Sam lifted her head and arched an eyebrow. “ Did I just hear you right?”

“ There’s nothing wrong with being ‘cute’,” Mark chimed in as he stood, preparing to get some food into the three children who were engrossed in the video Luke had put on – his and Abigail favourite movie of the week , ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

“ This isn’t happening,” Sam shook her head in disbelief.

“ What isn’t?” Jack asked, wearing the puzzled expression Sam found adorable – under the right circumstances.

Sam groaned. “ That you two are ganging up on me and that *that* movie seems to be following me everywhere.”

Jack glanced at the television and a slow grin spread across his and Charlie’s favourite movie, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ kept cropping up in most conversations the team had and played at least once a week in the O’Neill household thanks to Charlie and Jack or on base thanks to Jack and Teal’c. He knew Sam was beginning to tire of it, especially as she’d had three dreams in a row set in the wonderful Land of Oz..

Chuckling, he pulled her closer and whispered in her ear. “ Don’t worry about it. When we get home, I’ll make sure the videos take a little vacation. And,” he added in an even lower voice. “ We’ll find something else for you to dream about.”

Mark witnessed his sister smile lovingly and felt a wave of certainty wash over him. Jack O’Neill was good enough for his sister, more than good enough. Anyone who made her smile like that was more than welcome in the family as far as Mark was concerned.

~*~

The evening ended on a pleasant note but seemed to be over much too quickly. After his initial willingness to share Sam and Jack with everyone else, Charlie started enjoying himself and was reluctant to leave and say goodbye to his friends. Jack and Mark hit it off, much better than Sam had hoped, and the three adults enjoyed each others company, the atmosphere relaxed between brother and sister for the first time in a long time. They left on the promise they would keep in touch and see each other more often, with Charlie exchanging addresses with Luke.

The weekend continued in much the same way, entirely relaxed and enjoyable for all three of them. As for the matter of Charlie wanting to spend more time with them and Sam beginning to feel a bit like a third wheel, Jack took it upon himself to sort out.

Sam arranged to meet up with some old friends on their last morning in San Diego, mainly to give her companions some father-son quality time and Jack decided it was the perfect opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with Charlie. The two talked and decided it was important Sam knew they both wanted her with them and Jack promised to try and find somewhere else for Charlie to stay other than Mrs. Johnson’s when he wasn’t at school or with one of his ‘family’.

The only thing left to do was for them to let Sam know they wanted her in their lives. And Jack personally wanted to talk to her about how she felt like she was putting a strain on his relationship with Charlie. She wasn’t, and he didn’t like the idea of her thinking she was.

That conversation, however, had to wait until they were back in Colorado. Their plane left later that afternoon and they arrived at the airport in Colorado quite late into the evening. The three of them got into Jack’s car and silently started driving home.

“ Hey, that was my turn-off, Jack,” Sam spoke up suddenly, breaking the silence. She looked quizzically at him. “ I have to go home before work tomorrow.”

“ You are going home,” Jack told her without taking his eyes off the road. “ You’re coming home with us.”

“ Jack..” Sam started to protest, keeping her voice low for Charlie’s benefit. “ I have to go home and check everything’s okay,”

“ Janet was supposed to be keeping an eye on your apartment,” he answered. “ Sam, please. We need to talk and we all have to get back into some sort of routine tomorrow. Charlie won’t be able to sleep properly if you’re not there and neither will I.. Please?”

Sam crossed her arms and said nothing further, accepting her fate but obviously not entirely happy with it. Jack stifled a sigh and continued driving, wondering if his timing could have possibly been worse. She was tired, they all were, and they were going back to work and school tomorrow, which was bound to add some pressure.

A short time later, he pulled onto the driveway. Sam turned in her seat to wake Charlie and they got out of the car without really speaking. The moment the door was unlocked, Charlie sleepily stumbled up to his bedroom, rubbing his eyes. When Sam and Jack went up ten minutes later, they found him sound asleep on top of the covers, fully dressed.

“ Poor kid,” Jack murmured. Sam smiled tenderly and they worked together to get him changed and under the quilts. As soon as that was done, Sam left to get ready for bed and Jack sat watching his son sleep for a few moments.

He stood and left the room, determined to talk to Sam about anything and everything until their relationship was back on track. He looked for her in the bedroom and bathroom but she wasn’t there. She wasn’t in the spare room or Charlie’s room or the study either so he checked the only other place he knew she liked sneaking off to – the roof.

Jack wasn’t disappointed. Sam stood in her version of nightclothes – shorts and a tank top – leaning against the balcony, eyes closed and face tilted up to the stars. Grinning to himself, he moved over to her and embraced her from behind, nuzzling her neck and shoulder.

“ I’m sorry if I forced you into staying here tonight,” he murmured, tightening his arms around her. “ But you know I can’t sleep without you. And I don’t want to wake up without you beside me, Angel.”

“ You could have just asked, you know I’d have said yes,” she replied softly, opening her eyes as he moved round to kiss her fully on the lips. “ As much as I like this, shouldn’t we move it inside?”

“ If we do, I won’t be able to keep my mind on talking,” he responded with a sly grin. Sam turned round in his arms to face him, looking amused.

“ We were talking? That’s what they call it these days?” She smiled and tilted her head to one side. “ So what’s so important we need to talk about it right now and not tomorrow?”

“ A lot of things,” he answered, leading her to the deck chairs. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, winding his arms around her. “ Mainly our relationship, with each other and with Charlie.”

Sam sighed deeply. Serious talk, she hated it, especially when she was a little jet-lagged and more than a little exhausted. “ What about them?”

“ Charlie and I talked this morning.. We both want you to know you’re more than welcome in our lives and we don’t want you spending any less time with us or feeling like you’re unwanted because you’re very wanted, Sam. And we want you here with us,” he told her honestly. “ I want there to be some type of commitment between us if you’re okay with that.”

She looked at him, a small frown on her face. “ What are you suggesting, Jack?”

He took her hands and stared at her, his gaze unwavering. “ Move in with me, with us.”

“ I.. Jack..” She bit her lip. “ Are you serious? And you’re sure it’s what you want? What Charlie wants?”

“ I’m positive, Angel. This house only feels like home because you’re here. And you rarely use your apartment anymore between here and base..” He squeezed her hands reassuringly. “ Charlie loves you more than I could have hoped. I want us to be a family, as long as that would make you happy as well.”

“And you?” Sam moved from his lap and stood. She walked to the balcony, resting against it so she could look at him. “ You’ve said how Charlie feels and how you want him and me to be happy but you haven’t mention you. I don’t want this to start out like your relationship with Sara, not one of obligation. I don’t want you doing anything just to make other people happy or because you think it’s what they want.”

Jack stood and covered the distance between them in three long strides. He put his hands either side of her on the balcony and stared deeply into her eyes. “ I love you, Samantha Carter. Even though you are a scientist. And I want you here, with me, every morning and every night, hopefully for the rest of my life but I won’t push that.. Yet.” He looked hopeful. “ Sam? Will you move in with me?”

“ I love you, too,” she smiled a dazzling smile. “ And I’d love to move in with you.”

“ Really?” He looked at her in disbelief. “ You’ll move in?”

“ Yes,” she nodded. Jack beamed and spun her round, stopping to kiss her passionately.

“ I love you, I love you, I love you,” he murmured, punctuating each declaration with a kiss.

“ I think we should go in,” she giggled. “ Unless you want our neighbours to see..”

“ Neighbours can’t see past the trees,” he mumbled, unwilling to stop kissing her, even for a moment. In contradiction to his words, however, he reluctantly let her go long enough for the two of them to go inside, away from prying eyes as he set about showing her exactly how he felt.

~*~

The next morning came too early. Jack woke up and frowned at the alarm clock as he turned it off. He looked at Sam, still sleeping though not quite as deeply as she had been before.

Grinning, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. When she didn’t respond or show any signs of waking further, he kissed her again, a little more firmly, lingering close. As he started to pull away, Sam lifted her arm and put her hand on the back of his neck, keeping him there as she kissed him soundly, allowing him to roll her over gently.

“ Hmm, that’s better,” she smiled up at him sleepily as he lifted his head. “ Good morning.”

“ Morning,” he smiled back at her. “ Have I told you I love you today?”

“ Not today, no,” she chuckled softly. “ But you certainly made it clear last night.”

He grinned slowly. “ I’m glad. I’d hate for you to be in any doubt..” The sound of someone shuffling around on the landing put all ideas of an early morning repeat of last nights activities. Sam pulled herself from out of Jack’s embrace and got out of bed. She slipped her dressing gown on and got some clothes from ‘her’ drawer, blowing Jack a kiss before going into the en suite bathroom to shower.

Ten minutes later, Sam re-appeared, clean and dressed in fatigues only to find her lover snoring softly, one arm wrapped possessively around her pillow. Unable to fight a smile, she left the room and went downstairs to help Charlie with breakfast.

As usual, the young boy was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of orange juice as he waited for someone to join him. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Charlie to be the first one up. Sometimes it was Sam but it was rarely Jack.

“ Morning,” she greeted him with a fond smile, stooping to kiss his forehead as was custom. “ Did you sleep well?”

“ Fine,” Charlie grinned. “ Did Dad ask you to stay all the time?”

Sam laughed. “ You don’t beat about the bush, do ya?” Smiling, she nodded in answer. “ Yes, he did. I said yes, if that’s okay with you?”

Charlie nodded enthusiastically. “ It is, it is!”

“ Good,” she smiled again. “ So what do you want for breakfast? We haven’t got much, I think we’ll have to go shopping tonight if we want to eat.” She looked in the cupboards. “ We’ve got.. cereal but no fruit loops; there’s toast and some fruit but that’s it.” She shook her head. “ Not much to chose from.”

“ Sam?” Charlie nervously spoke up, staring intently at his glass of orange juice and the tabletop. “ Can I ask you something?”

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him in concern. “ You can ask me anything.”

“ Can I.. Can I call you Mommy now?” He asked in a small, uncertain voice. He looked up then, his eyes full of hope, looking every bit like his father had the night before. “ Daddy said I could if you said so..”

“ Sweetheart,” Sam felt tears sting her eyes. She gave Charlie a watery smile and moved to hug him. “ There’s nothing I’d like more in the whole wide world if you’re sure you want to.”

“ I do,” Charlie grinned and hugged her back tightly. “ I love you, Sam – Mom.”

“ I love you, too,” she smiled and willed the tears away. “ Wow, it’s.. it’s getting late.” They pulled apart, both smiling. “ Your Dad’s gonna make us all late if he stays in bed any longer.”

“ Should I go wake him?” Charlie asked sweetly.

A mischievous sparkle glinted in Sam’s eyes. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out some ice, putting it in a pitcher of water. “ Why don’t you use this to wake him up?”

Charlie giggled and nodded, taking the pitcher upstairs with him. “ 3..2..1..” She counted down softly.

“ ARGH!” Came the sound from upstairs, followed by a giggle and the sound of Charlie squealing and running away. Sam laughed to herself as she poured a cup of coffee, knowing without a doubt revenge would be on Jack’s mind as soon as he figured out she was behind it. She just hoped he’d see the funny side.

~*~

He failed to see the funny side, no matter how much Sam and Charlie insisted that they weren’t ganging up on him. Jack sulked all the way to the base, coming out of it only to say goodbye to Charlie when they dropped him off. Sam put up with it until they reached their floor and out of the elevator with him still not speaking to her.

“ Oh, for crying out loud!” She snapped, startling an airman and General Hammond who’d been passing by as the elevator doors parted. “ Grow up, Jack. You’re acting more like a kid than Charlie.”

“ And that stunt you pulled this morning wasn’t childish?” Jack retorted as they stepped out of the elevator, still oblivious to the General’s presence.

Sam felt a smile tug at her lips as a mental image of his reaction when it happened flittered through her mind. “ It wasn’t. It was amusing and it worked. We’re not late, are we?”

“ No,” he pouted. “ But ya could have just woke me up.”

“ We did just wake you up,” she pointed out, rolling her eyes. “ I’ll see you later when you stop being such an idiot.”

She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving him scowling after her until he saw the General watching with an arched eyebrow. “ General Hammond, Sir.” He saluted as his superior walked over to his side.

“ Colonel, nothing serious I hope?” The General didn’t look very impressed.

“ No, Sir. Just a difference of opinion,” Jack stammered. “ Won’t happen again. Not on base.”

“ See that it doesn’t,” General Hammond nodded briskly before walking away. Jack closed his eyes and sighed with relief before heading to Daniel’s office to catch up on all he’d missed over the weekend.

After half an hour, he was back in his office. It had apparently been an uneventful weekend at the SGC so conversation turned to what he, Sam and Charlie had got up to in San Diego. Jack filled them in on the details of his first meeting with Mark Carter and then explained that Sam had agreed to move in with them and then told them of the developments in her relationship with Charlie. Daniel had been thrilled to learn both of these pieces of news, feeling more than a little pleased with himself as did Kawalsky and Teal’c when they dropped by to see Jack. The most surprising reaction to Charlie calling Sam ‘Mom’ came from Teal’c, who greeted the news with the comment: ‘Is it not about time, O’Neill?’

Unfortunately for Jack, their conversation ended when General Hammond called to pass on he message that he expected at least five of his long-overdue mission reports on his desk by five o’clock.

By one o’clock, he had finished only one report but was halfway through another. His stomach kept grumbling, reminding him he hadn’t eaten anything that morning except from a few cookies he’d found whilst Sam had her back turned and his thoughts kept wandering. Usually by now, Sam would have stopped by twice with a cup of coffee and a smile to brighten his mood. But she wasn’t talking to him, or she was waiting for him to make the first move, so he was stuck. If he left this office, somehow General Hammond would know.

Sighing to himself, he fought the temptation to get the game-boy from his desk drawer and stared at the report in front of him. The problem was putting off writing these reports was that when it was actually time to do them, half of the details of the planet they’d been were confused with another planet they’d visited since.

Another five minutes passed and the only progress he’d made was to start a new sentence with the word ‘Captain’. He had been about to explain what Sam’s role at the time had been but his mind drifted onto Sam and her ‘role’ in his personal life. Only a knock at the door stopped his thoughts from going somewhere they really shouldn’t be going when he was on duty. “ Yeah?” He called out grudgingly.

Sam put her head round the door and smiled hesitantly at him. “ Hey. Can we call a truce or a time out?”

“ Sure, come in,” he motioned for her to step in fully. When she did, he saw she was balancing a cup of coffee and two plates, one with some sandwiches on it and the other with some pie on it.

“ I figured you could use something to tide you over till you were free to leave,” she explained softly, shutting the door with her foot. “ And I thought it could be a peace offering of some sort. Do you accept?”

“ As long as you accept my peace offering later.. I over-reacted and I’m sorry,” he told her with his puppy-dog expression, pulling her down when she’d put the plate and cup on his desk. “ I just didn’t want to wake up, I was in the middle of one of the best dreams I’ve had..”

“ Oh, really?” She smiled and put her arm round his shoulders. “ Was I in it?”

“ Oh, yeah,” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “ You had a staring role, Angel.”

“ Well, as interested as I am to know the details of your dream.. Now isn’t a good time. If General Hammond or someone walked in..” Her voice trailed off as she leaned in to kiss him softly. “ Later, I promise. You can tell me all about it later.” She got up and moved to the office door, ignoring his protests.

“ Do ya have to leave?” He pouted. “ Can’t you stay?”

“ If you need help remembering anything, re-read some of my old reports,” she told him with a smile. “ I saved them to your computer so you’d have no excuse to confuse missions.”

“ Aw, Sam! Can’t you keep me company? Please?” He looked pleadingly at her.

Sam chuckled and shook her head. She left the office and Jack sighed. He looked down at the food she’d brought him and smiled. At least something’s were looking better.

~*~

A few days later, SG-1 were sent through the Stargate to P8X-987. They were supposed to meet SG-7 and witness an accretion disc, which was a black hole during a solar eclipse but their plans changed dramatically when they got there. They weren’t met by anyone when they got there and further investigation discovered everyone was dead. SG-1 contacted the SGC and more teams in proper hazard suits came through, including Janet, who was there to test them for the illness.

Jack was the first to be checked-over as he was the only one who’d touched one of the dead. He sat impatiently as Janet did her tests, wincing at the sight of the needles, wondering where Sam was. He’d expected her to be with him, watching as he was looked at and then it would be her turn. She wasn’t, Daniel was the second one to submit himself to Janet’s needle collection.

“ Hey, Space Monkey. Have you seen Sam anywhere?” Jack asked as he jumped off the bed.

“ I think she was outside, in the hallway,” Daniel answered sincerely before sneezing loudly. “ Sorry, Jack.”

“ Okay, thanks,” Jack nodded and went in search of her, troubled by her absence more than he rationally should have been. He found her standing just outside the doorway, leaning against the wall, with her eyes closed. “ Sam? You okay?”

One eye opened and she sighed. “ It was too close, Jack.”

“ Too close?” He frowned a little in confusion. “ What was too close?”

She made a sweeping motion with her hand. “ This, all this. What if we had both been infected?” She elaborated on seeing his confusion. “ What if you were infected and there was no cure? What would happen to Charlie?”

Jack sighed and leaned against the wall next to her. “ I.. I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

“ Well, we need to,” Sam sighed again. “ I can’t get the image out of my mind, of Charlie being alone if something were to happen to you or both of us. And I don’t know how long we’re going to keep coming out okay.”

“ No one does,” he answered softly. “ But we can’t quit. Our jobs are important.”

“ More important than your son?” Sam counteracted hotly, taking him by surprise. Jack was saved from having to answer by Daniel coming through the doors.

“ Sam, Janet’s ready for you,” he told her, obvious to the tension between his friends until Sam breezed past him without so much of a word in Jack’s direction. “ Ahh, was it something I said? Jack? You guys okay?”

“ I wish I knew, Danny,” Jack mumbled as he watched her leave. “ I wish I knew.”

~*~

Part Eleven

~*~

The moment SG-1 were cleared, they were given the task of tagging the dead and of searching for survivors, as unlikely as it was. However, surprising them all, there was one native who was alive, a young girl who either couldn’t understand them or was too afraid to speak to them.

She was given clearance to go back to the SGC and surprised everyone again, least of all Sam herself, when she clung to Sam the moment it was suggested they leave and Sam started talking about two of them staying behind.

Daniel, Janet and Teal’c left the two alone – three including the girl, and Sam took her new ‘friend’ back to the room she’d been sleeping in, with Jack following behind them. Sam got the young girl settled back on the bed and moved away a short distance so she could talk with Jack.

“ So.. Be careful, okay?” She was the first to speak, concern shining in her eyes as she looked up at him. “ Make sure you always have your suit on properly when you leave the building. And get Teal’c to check it before you go out.”

“ Yes, Mom,” he teased, rolling his eyes before seriousness took over. “ I’ll be fine, Sam. Will you?”

She smiled a small smile. “ Sure, I’m going home. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

“ I don’t know.. You just don’t seem very.. happy at the moment,” he answered with a shrug, trying to mask his concern.

“ I’m fine,” she assured him, staring at a point over his shoulder. “ I don’t know what made me say what I said before. I just.. I feel very protective of Charlie, and I know what I went through when I lost my mother and I see what that girl’s going through now.. I don’t want him going through the same thing with you.”

“ Or you,” he added softly. “ And he won’t.”

“ You can’t promise that,” she brought her gaze back to his eyes. After a tense moment, a ghost of a smile flickered on her lips. “ But I know you’ll do whatever you can to make sure it’s true.”

He grinned and looked over her shoulder at the young girl who was watching them curiously. “ You think you’ll be able to work your magic and get her to tell us her name?”

“ I didn’t know I had any magic but I hope so,” she turned and sighed. “ I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to her. We can’t keep her on base for the rest of her life.”

“ We’ll see, Sam,” he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the crown of her head. “ But whatever happens, she’ll be okay.”

Sam nodded and leaned back against him, allowing herself to shut everything out for a few moments before opening her eyes and pulling away. “ Guess I should help her get suited up so we can leave.”

“ I guess so,” Jack nodded. “ And don’t forget to give Charlie a hug from me.”

Less than half an hour later, Jack and Teal’c were left alone on the planet. They said in relative silence, waiting, each lost in their own thoughts of their families and the devastation that had struck the planet.

~*~

It soon became clear that Sam was the only one the girl trusted, so General Hammond gave permission for Charlie to be brought to her since she couldn’t go to him. Sam greeted him warmly and after reassuring him she was fine and his father was going to be fine, she introduced him to the girl, who was yet to speak, in the hopes someone near enough her own age would help her come out of her shell.

Eventually, she spoke and introduced herself as being Cassandra and that was when the nightmare truly began. After Cassandra complained of being in pain, Sam had tests done on her and it was discovered there was a reason, other than luck, that she had lived. The Goa’uld were behind the destruction of her race and were using her as a bomb, their aim being to use her to destroy Earth’s stargate.

Sam was devastated although she tried not to show it in front of either child. She refused to admit it to Kawalsky or Janet as they were both military, but faltered when it came to Daniel. He was the only one who actually didn’t expect her to keep from forming an attachment to Cassandra. When she was ordered to take Cassandra back through to P8X-987, she felt her heart break. She couldn’t watch as Cassandra and Charlie said goodbye, using the excuse that she needed to suit up as a reason not to be there.

Then Jack and Teal’c returned with more bad news and Cassandra collapsed in her arms, lapsing into a coma. Charlie stayed with his friend in the infirmary, talking to her as though she were awake whilst at the same time his parents were told to take her to a disused nuclear facility. He cried as Sam and Jack softly explained to him what was going to happen and why. He clung onto Cassandra’s hand and then threw himself into Jack’s arms when he tried to get him to leave.

“ It’s not fair, Daddy,” he sobbed. “ I want Cassie to stay, I want her to stay!”

“ I know,” Jack murmured softly. He saw the look of distress flash across Sam’s face before her military training kicked in. “ Let’s go and talk about this somewhere else, Charlie,” he suggested softly, ushering his son from the infirmary to give Sam some time to compose herself.

Five minutes later, SG-1 were reluctantly leaving the base with Cassandra. During the whole of the short journey to the facility, Sam held the unconscious child tightly to her, staring into space, lost in her thoughts. Jack watched her from the other side of the van before moving his gaze to meet Daniel’s. He didn’t know what had been exchanged between the two whilst he was off world but whatever it was had Daniel concerned.

They reached their destination and slowly walked through the corridors to the elevator. The mood was sombre, barely a word spoken until they reached their destination and the group came to a half.

Jack turned to Sam. “ I’ll take it from here, Captain.” The offer was there, her way out, but predictably, Sam shook her head, refusing to take it.

“ That’s not necessary, I’ll do it,” she responded quietly, unwittingly tightening her grip on the child.

Jack nodded in understanding. “ There are 28 floors, it takes two minutes to get down, leaving you three minutes to leave the girl and get back up here.”

She nodded and stepped into the elevator, turning, her eyes locking with his as the doors slowly closed. As soon as the elevator began it’s descent, Sam let her walls crumble a little. A tear worked it’s way down her cheek as she stared at the ceiling, willing herself to stay together, at least until she was safe, at home, with Charlie and Jack there to support her, the military temporarily forgotten. The movement in her arms abruptly jolted her from her thoughts. She felt as startled as she looked, horror filing her as she looked down and found Cassandra staring back.

“ Go back to sleep,” she told the girl, hoping she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt.

“ I’m not tired anymore,” Cassandra protested as she shifted, leaving Sam with no choice but to put her down.

They continued down and Sam got Cassandra settled in the bunker, fighting the urge to cry as she said her goodbyes, promising to be back soon and telling the little girl that she was very brave.

If it was possible, Sam’s heart broke even more as Cassandra called out to her as she shut the door behind her. Her mask cracked as the elevator doors closed and she started back up. She cried bitter tears as she took her frustrations out on the walls before sinking to the floor, arms wrapped tightly around herself. She thought of Cassandra, how she was only a child with no say in what was happening. She thought of Charlie and part of her mind forced her to imagine the two children she loved as though they were her own flesh and blood in the other’s place. If it were Charlie, she would want someone to stay with him, to tell him it was okay and to make sure he wasn’t alone.

Her greatest fear was leaving Charlie without parents, Cassandra had already gone through that. And now Cassandra was going to die alone. A sudden moment of clarity hit her. Charlie would still have Jack.. But could she live with herself if she left Cassandra to face this alone?

~*~

An intense feeling of relief hit Jack as the elevator began its ascent. For a moment, he had feared the look in her eyes as the doors had closed was her saying goodbye. He looked down, closing his eyes and releasing the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding.

And then Daniel spoke. “ Jack.. She’s going back down.”

Jack’s eyes snapped up to the panel and sure enough, the lift was going back down to the 28^th floor. “ The hell she is.” He muttered, moving automatically to the intercom, pressing the button, ready to make the order. “ Captain Carter.. Get back up here, that’s an order. Captain Carter.. Sam..”

“ I’m staying,” was the first thing Sam said when she reached the intercom inside the bunker, shutting the door first. Before he could issue his order again, she explained softly. “ She’s awake, Sir.”

Daniel and Jack looked at one another in horror. It was bad enough that they knew the child was going to die but to have her awake at the time.. Daniel looked away, Teal’c stared at the wall and Jack stared at the intercom. He wanted to talk to Sam, wanted her to come back so she was safe.. But he knew she wouldn’t leave.

Hanging his head in defeat, he raised it only to look at Daniel and Teal’c. “ Why don’t you guys get out of here?” His team mates looked at each, then Teal’c stared at him blankly as Daniel shook his head, the expression on his face saying clearly ‘you’re staying, we’re staying. We care for her, too.’ Jack nodded and looked at his watch, waiting, counting down.

He watched the countdown on his watch go from 10.. 9.. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. 0 as Sam and Cassandra clutched each tightly, one aware and scared of what was supposed to happen, the other unaware and afraid because of what it could be. Everyone in the building braced themselves for the after-shocks of the explosion.. but nothing happened. Jack looked to Daniel and Teal’c for confirmation.

“ I didn’t feel anything,” Daniel answered the unspoken question.

“ We could have been wrong about the time..” Jack suggested, half-heartedly trying to be the voice of reason when all he could do was hope they had been wrong on all accounts.

“ We could have been wrong about what would happen,” Daniel murmured slowly. He watched as Jack moved over to the intercom, willing Sam to answer.

“ Captain Carter, can you hear me?” Jack asked. No answer. “ Sam, can you hear me?”

There was a split-second when he thought they’d been wrong about it not happening, that it had been wishful thinking.. And then he heard her reply, slightly breathless but he heard it. “ We’re fine, Cassandra’s fine, I’m fine.. Nothing happened. It didn’t happen.”

The relief in her voice and in the air was palatable. Jack leaned his head against the wall and sighed with relief, closing his eyes. He gathered his wits and strode towards the elevator, determined to have a few words with his Captain about disobeying orders.

~*~

He couldn’t stay mad at her. He, Daniel and Teal’c reached the bottom floor to find Cassie and Sam hugging and giggling with relief. Daniel was the first to hug both Sam and Cassie as Jack watched from the doorway, trying to ignore how close he had come to losing her. When she looked up from Cassandra and into his eyes, however, he couldn’t forget it. He crossed the distance quickly and took her in his arms, holding her tightly as she buried her face in his neck and clung on just as tight.

“ Don’t make a habit out of this, Captain,” he murmured. “ Obeying orders and putting your life in danger is not something I can deal with you doing on a daily basis. Is that clear?”

“ Yes, Sir,” her answered was muffled against his skin. “ I promise to try not to disobey your orders again.” She pulled away when she felt Cassandra at her side, looking down and smiling softly.

Jack grinned and swung the little girl up into his arms, making her squeal. “ Lets get out of here, this place gives me the creeps.”

“ I didn’t think anything gave you the creeps, Jack,” Daniel grinned as they got back into the elevator.

“ Don’t let it get around, it would ruin my reputation,” Jack retorted, his grin widening at Sam’s small smile when Cassandra moved into her arms.

“ If you say so,” Daniel mumbled with a sappy smile on his face, watching his two friends together again. It had been a close call, but luck must still have been on SG-1’s side.

~*~

Less than a day later, it was decided Cassandra would be adopted. Sam and Jack were the obvious choice, having become parents to her over the last few days. The only problem was Charlie, and whether he could cope with sharing his father and his new Mom with someone else so soon after Sam’s moving in. Jack talked with him and Sam talked with Cassandra and eventually a decision was reached.

Because Cassandra needed stability and Charlie needed as much attention as he could get from his parents, Janet would adopt Cassandra. That would mean Cassandra would have a parent on-planet and available most of the time and Charlie would still have his parents to himself whenever he could. When Janet was busy and Sam and Jack were away, Charlie and Cassandra would go to the same babysitters so neither of them would be alone. It also meant Sam and Cassandra could spend time together without Charlie feeling threatened.

To celebrate the decision, Jack surprised both of the children at the park. Charlie had been after a dog for a long time and Cassandra didn’t know what one was. So he arrived slightly later than the others, armed with two puppies, one for each child, much to Sam’s amusement. Charlie called his puppy ‘Max’ and Cassandra settled on ‘Penny’ since hers was a female.

For a few weeks, everything ran smoothly, they even made new allies in the Tollan, a race of aliens they had helped find somewhere else to live after their home planet had been destroyed. Then Sam and Jack got lost after the Stargate malfunctioned and were stranded on an ice planet that turned out to be Antarctica. Thankfully, Daniel and the others found them, but not before both were injured.

Jack was injured travelling through the Gate, Sam got concussion after unsuccessfully trying to find help. She made it back to her lover’s side, though, and was prepared to die there, and would have if they hadn’t been found. She snuggled close to his side, reassuring him she was there when he called out for her. Tear’s ran down her cheeks, freezing before they could complete the journey, as she got as close as she could, sending one last prayer to whomever was listening that Charlie was well-cared for.

In the hospital, Sam lapsed into an exhausted coma, pulling herself out of it only when Charlie pleaded with her to wake up. She learnt Jack was still unconscious, but because of the makeshift splint she had made him, the Doctor’s had been able to save his leg.

After much arguing with Janet and even the General, Sam was allowed to get out of bed – in a wheelchair – and see him. Charlie walked beside her and sat on her knee when they had reached their destination. Once she was at his side, Sam refused to leave. She held onto his hand and murmured softly, ordering him to fight and wake up because she needed him, they all needed him. A month later, he woke up and was greeted by two wonderful smiles, one from his son and the other from his lover.

“ It’s about time,” Sam tried to sound firm but her relief was too great to hide. Tears shone in her eyes as she leaned in to kiss him, able to move about without being ordered by Janet to stay in a wheelchair. “ Don’t do this to me again, okay? I’ll get General Hammond to make it an order if I have to.”

Jack didn’t answer, he just grinned and kissed her back as Charlie giggled, happy his family was together again. But the same old feeling was starting to sink in. They had beaten the odds so many times already.. How long could they keep doing it?

~*~

Several missions later and the Stargate program was closed down. This was the beginning of the bad luck, in Sam’s opinion. She secretly worried that it was long over-due, and confided as much in Kawalsky as Jack went after Daniel. Teal’c wanted to return through the Gate to his wife and son and General Hammond was working on getting him clearance. Daniel had taken the news very badly, having seen first hand what could happen if the Goa’uld attacked Earth and the loss of the program meant he lost any chance of finding his wife.

Sam was sat in the briefing room, alone, biting her lip and tracing the wood grain on the tabletop when Kawalsky found her. He watched from the doorway as she fought back tears of her own and knocked lightly on the frame before entering. She looked up, a little startled at the intrusion, relaxing when she saw it was him. “ Hi, Charlie.”

“ Hey,” he greeted her with a small grin. “ Mind if I join you?”

“ Go ahead,” she motioned to the empty chairs. “ Pick a seat.”

He sat down beside her, his hazel eyes conveying his concern. “ You want to talk about it? Or are ya just gonna sit there and chip the varnish away till they come and remove you?”

She smiled weakly. “ What’s there to talk about? It’s over, isn’t it.” It was a sad statement, one that he didn’t need to reply to and couldn’t completely deny.

“ From the expression on your face, it seems like it’s more than just the end of the project,” Kawalsky answered quietly. “ And it’s not the end of the world, unless I missed the memo saying so.”

“ It might as well be,” Sam responded sadly. “ Daniel’s world is ending because without the SGC he can’t find Sha’re, Teal’c is most likely going to leave us and we’ll never see him again. We’re all going to be reassigned to different places, Jack.. Jack’s probably going to retire and there’s no way I’m going to be responsible for uprooting Charlie.. And if Daniel’s right about the Goa’uld, we’re all going to be dead anyway in a few weeks or months. Or at least wish that we were.”

“ Sam..” He frowned. “ This isn’t like you..”

She laughed bitterly. “ Because I’m not being little miss optimistic? Come on, Charlie, no one can be that perky all the time.” She sighed heavily. “ I should have seen this coming. It’s been on the cards for a long time.”

“ What do you mean by that?” His frown deepened and he reached out to still her fingers on the desk, making her look him squarely in the eye for the first time since he’d sat down beside her. He saw the fear and the pain and felt his own double. Sam meant a lot to him, not only was she his best friends soul mate for want of a better term but she was also his friend, the little sister he felt protective of. “ And what do you mean about you and Jack? I thought everything was going fine between you two.”

“ It is, it’s going perfect. Too perfect,” Sam sighed again. “ I’m going to get reassigned, probably back to the Pentagon. Which means moving to DC, which means being away from Jack and Charlie. I won’t let them move out there with me, Charlie is too happy and settled in Colorado and I don’t think seeing them on weekends is going to be enough. So either I quit the Air Force..”

“ Or you quit them,” he finished softly. “ Jack won’t let that happen, he won’t let you quit the Air Force and he won’t let you walk out of his life, Sam. He loves you.”

“ I know, and I love him and that just makes it harder for all concerned,” she murmured sadly.

There was a silent pause as Kawalsky tried to digest what she was telling him. Then he remembered his earlier question and realised she hadn’t answered it. “ What did you mean when you said you should have seen this coming?”

She gave him a one-shouldered shrug. “ Everyone’s luck has to change eventually, I guess the time is now for SG-1. And the rest of the base.” She shook her head. “ So. What are you going to do now?”

“ I don’t know..” He shrugged. “ I guess go where they send me.”

“ What about Janet?” Sam asked curiously. “ You might be able to fool everyone else but I know there’s something going on between the two of you. Not just through my own observations, either. Girl’s talk, you know. And Cassie loves to gossip.”

That got a small chuckle out of him. “ I bet she does,” he mumbled, blushing slightly. “ Whatever she’s told you, it’s not that serious. I mean, I care for Janet, a lot. But it’s only been a few weeks and we’re talking it really slow so.. I don’t know, it depends on what she wants to do. Where she gets assigned to, that kind of thing.”

“ Well,” Sam stood up. “ Good luck, Charlie. I hope it works out for you. God knows the two of you deserve it. Three, including Cass.”

“ So do you and Jack, Sam,” he called out after her as she left the room. “ So do you.”

~*~

SG-1, plus Janet, Cassandra, Kawalsky and a few others had a get-together at the O’Neill (and Carter) household that night. They tried to keep the mood light, talking about the good things but every so often, the room would lapse into silence and they’d wonder separately how they were going to say goodbye in a few days.

Sam stood suddenly and walked out of the room, heading up to the roof to get away from it. They watched her leave in concern, concern that grew when Jack followed. The atmosphere between the couple had been strained all evening and it wasn’t until they were gone that Charlie’s bottom lip began to quiver. Cassandra held his hand and Janet moved over to give the little boy a hug, murmuring that it was going be okay.

“ No, it isn’t,” Charlie sniffed. “ Daddy and Mommy were arguing.”

“ People argue all the time,” Daniel chimed in reassuringly, although he knew as well as the others it was a rare occasion in Sam and Jack’s personal lives. They had both joked that it was because they got rid of all the tension and anger with each other at work. “ It doesn’t mean anything.”

“ Mommy might have to leave us to work somewhere else.” A tear ran down his cheek that was instantly licked away by Max, the much-loved puppy who was never far from his side.

The other exchanged looks, each knowing this could happen and would, most likely, happen. They didn’t know what to say, no one wanting to make any empty promises that they couldn’t keep.

At the same time, Jack had joined Sam on the roof. He walked up behind her silently, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. He heard her sniff and pulled away to see tears running down her cheeks, even though she was trying to stop.

“ Aw, Sam.” He turned her round in his arms and pulled her close, kissing the crown of her head. “ Don’t cry, Angel. Please don’t cry.” He rocked her soothingly in his arms, waiting until her tears had slowed before saying anything more. “ I’m not going to let you go, Sam. Even if you get reassigned to Alaska.” She pulled back to argue but he stilled her with a finger to her lips before she could even begin. “ I need you, I’m not letting them take you from me. I can’t let them take you from me.”

“ And what if I do get transferred somewhere where it’s not even possible to visit every weekend? How do we make this work when we’re not together?” She cut in, taking his hand from her lips.

“ It’ll work if we love each other, and if we make it a little more.. permanent,” he answered, a serious expression arranging his features. She gazed at him questioningly and he led her over to the chairs. “ Sit here and wait, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Sighing, Sam did as she was told, wiping her cheeks and taking a deep, calming breath. He was back by her side in less than a minute, looking more than a little nervous about something. Instead of sitting beside her as she was expecting, Jack got down on one knee in front of her.

The next few moments were a blur as it sunk in what was happening. She missed half of his speech, which had taken him a week to perfect, but it didn’t matter. She tuned in to hear the most important part of it, anyway.

“ .. Sam, I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you and I don’t want to even try. Please say you’ll do me the honour of becoming my wife.” His brown eyes stared deeply into hers and she saw the hope and the fear and, most prominently, the love shining in their depths. “ Will you marry me?”

Tears choked her first attempt at answering. She looked down at the floor and swallowed the lump in her throat before bringing her eyes back up to meet his. “ Yes, I will.”

Jack blinked once, and then again as a face-splitting grin spread across his face. He leaned up to his her lingeringly before opening the box he’d been clutching tightly in his hand – so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Both of them grinning inanely and fighting tears, he slid the ring on her finger, keeping a hold of her hand once it was on. Sam admired the ring, a band of gold with the centre stone a turquoise gem that was a one of a kind on planet Earth, beautifully complimented by two small diamonds either side.

Raising her eyes to Jack’s, she leaned in and captured his lips with hers in a kiss that was sweet and tender. “ I love you,” she murmured against his lips. “ Never forget that.”

“ Hopefully, I won’t be able to,” he murmured back. “ Because you’ll be here to remind me.”

Nodding and smiling, Sam took Jack’s outstretched hand and let him lead her into the house. They joined the others, sharing secret smiles when everyone looked at them in confusion and then relief when they settled back into their roles as the ‘lovebirds’ of the SGC. Charlie’s beam made the nauseating feeling they used to get at seeing two people so happy together somewhat more bearable.

“ So what were you guys talking about?” Jack asked conversationally as he pulled Sam closer into his side.

“ And more importantly, why’d you stop when we came back in?” Sam added with a suspicious glance around the room. Charlie giggled and moved over to her, sitting on her knee as Max, who’d followed, settled at her feet. He was the first one to notice when Sam wrapped her arms around him and he covered her hands with his own.

“ Mommy..” His voice trailed off as he looked up into her eyes, looking hopeful. Sam looked to Jack who nodded and Charlie squealed, hugging them both tightly as the others looked at them as though they were mad.

“ Hey, what’s going on?” Kawalsky spoke up from across the room where he was sitting with Cassandra and Janet. He looked from Sam to Jack and back again but the only thing their faces gave away was that they were both extremely happy about something. “ What do you know that we don’t?”

“ A lot?” Jack shot back with a grin.

“ Ha ha, very funny,” Kawalsky narrowed his eyes and started at them through narrowed eyes. “ Come on, don’t keep us in suspense.”

“ There’s nothing to tell,” Sam shrugged one shoulder. “ Jack asked me to marry him and I said yes. No big deal.”

“ None at all,” Jack added, kissing her forehead softly before they were drowned in congratulations and hugs and people trying to see the ring. It seemed that even in one of the darkest hours, a little bit of joy could do wonders for everyone’s spirit.

~*~

Part Twelve

~*~

The months passed. SG-1 triumphed over those determined to close the program down by preventing a Goa’uld attack on Earth from happening. Their joy at that particularly successful battle with the Goa’uld was short-lived, however, as Sam soon found herself an unwilling host and Jack was forced to come to terms with possibly losing his fiancée in the worst possible way.

Thankfully, the Goa’uld revealed its self to be a Tok’ra, a small group that was a resistance against the Goa’uld. Jolinar, the Tok’ra that took control of Sam, died before telling them anything more about the Tok’ra, almost taking Sam’s life with it but ultimately saving her in it’s final moments.

The after-effects of the blending had consequences of it’s own for Sam. She had most of Jolinar’s memories although she couldn’t access them all as well as gaining the ability to sense a Goa’uld and using Goa’uld technology. The added emotions and memories she had put some strain on her relationship with Jack.

For two weeks, she lived with Janet and Cassandra, trying to sort out what feelings were hers for Jack and what were Jolinar’s for someone else. Jack was struggling, too, but their separation made things worse. He ended up dragging Charlie round to Janet’s house at 3am in the morning, asking, or pleading, Sam to come home with them. She did, and they settled back into a comfortable routine, the memories and dreams made easier to deal with with Jack at her side to hold her and comfort her and reaffirm what were her own thoughts and feelings with his tender ministrations.

There were ups and downs but that was the way it was. Their lives and the lives of their friends were in constant danger, but they understood that if they quit, the Goa’uld would surely win. They had to keep fighting, no matter how great the risk to themselves, because the alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

It wasn’t only their involvement with the SGC that put them through the emotional wringer. There was an accident with Charlie, when he was with Sara on one of the visits she’d insisted on having when she was in town, ‘trying to throw a spanner in the works’ Daniel had muttered when he heard.

Sam and Jack had been in a briefing when news reached them of ‘their’ son’s accident. They had been listening to Daniel’s report, Sam trying to avoid Jack’s attempts at distracting her under the desk. The intercom buzzed and General Hammond picked up the phone with a sigh, he hated being interrupted but he knew his officers wouldn’t have done so if it weren’t important.

“ Hammond,” he barked into the receiver. SG-1 watched in concern as their superior paled, his eyes darting anxiously between them. “ Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you. Yes, they’ll be there as soon as they can.”

“ Sir?” Sam and Jack asked in perfect unison when the older man had hung up the phone. He looked at them, with what could only be described as naked fear in his eyes.

“ That was the hospital, Colonel, Captain. Charlie has been in an accident, they want you to get there as soon as you can,” General Hammond explained softly although the panic in his eyes belayed the calmness of his tone. “ Dismissed.”

They were out the door before the word had left his mouth and he couldn’t blame them at all. Daniel and Teal’c lingered behind with the General, trading worried looks. The room lapsed into silence, a respectful silence that soon descended upon the whole base as news spread and all anyone could do was wait and pray.

~*~

Not a word was spoken as they sprinted from the elevator to their car. Sam took the keys from Jack’s shaking hands and ushered him into the passenger’s side, ignoring his glare as she did so.

She sighed to herself as she walked round to the driver’s side and got in, starting the engine. “ If I let you drive, you’d get us both killed.” She said as way of explanation.

“ You wouldn’t understand!” Jack snapped, his mind not on what he was saying or who he was saying it to but on his son. “ He’s not your son.”

An awkward silence filled the car. Sam’s lips formed a thin line as she tried not to let how much he had hurt her show. Jack realised his mistake but it was too late. Her eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.

“ Sam, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that..” He tried to apologise but she made no move to acknowledge his apology. “ I didn’t mean it.”

There was still no sign from her that she’d heard him. She drove on in silence, the remark having stung her deeply, tearing away at her from inside. Jack cursed and hit the dashboard but she ignored him. She knew he was angry and scared and on some level, she even knew his anger wasn’t aimed at her but at the person who was responsible for what fate had befallen Charlie.

Minutes seemed like hours but finally they arrived at the hospital. Jack raced from the car and Sam followed suit at a slightly slower pace. She caught up with him as he arrived at the reception and was being directed to Charlie’s room.

“ Your son is in room 208, Mr. O’Neill,” the aged woman smiled encouragingly at Sam as Jack once again sprinted off down the hall. Sam smiled back, half-thankfully and half-apologetically. Her own concern shined in earnestly in her eyes, leaving no doubt in the receptionist’s mind that this woman genuinely cared for the child as any mother would.

“ Ah, Mr. O’Neill,” a doctor, Doctor Andrew Gray, was saying as Sam arrived at her fiancé’s side. The doctor’s eye moved over to her and he nodded politely. “ And you must be Sam. Charlie has been asking for you both.” No one could miss the scowl on Sara O’Neill’s immaculately dry and calm face as she stalked off down the corridor.

“ Is my son okay?” Jack demanded hoarsely, his hand moving to find Sam’s. “ Is our son okay?”

Doctor Gray smiled understandingly. “ He’s in shock but it appears the actual injury is a lot less serious than we thought. Luckily, the bullet only grazed his head but because of the amount of blood at the time and because he’d fainted..”

“ Excuse me?” Sam interrupted with a frown. “ Did you say bullet? What.. What happened?”

“ I’m afraid I don’t know the details, Ms. Carter, but it appears he was injured playing with a gun he found in the house,” Doctor Gray explained, watching as the couple in front of him exchanged alarmed and puzzled looks. “ He would very much like to see you both.”

Sam nodded and squeezed Jack’s hand reassuringly. “ We would, too.”

They followed the Doctor into the room and found Charlie sitting up on his bed, arms wound round his knees as he buried his face. They could hear and see that he was crying and instinctively, Sam and Jack moved to the bed and sat down near him.

“ Charlie, Sweetheart,” Sam spoke softly, laying a soft and hesitant hand on his shoulder.

Charlie lifted his tear-stained face and stared at them for a few moments, trying to discern whether they were real or not. Evidently, he decided they were as a fresh batch of tears ran down his cheeks and he reached out for them both. He wrapped his arms around them, climbing to sit awkwardly between them. Sam gently moved him fully into Jack’s arms as the little boy sobbed, swallowing tears of her own as she saw Jack crying with relief.

Easing herself off the bed without disturbing them, she motioned to Doctor Gray and followed him outside of the room, wiping at her own eyes. It took two attempts for her voice to work. “ Can you.. Can you tell me where there’s a phone, please? There’s some people I need to tell he’s okay.”

“ There’s some opposite the reception,” Doctor Gray answered kindly. “ Are you okay, Ms. Carter? You look a little pale..”

“ I just need to sit down a moment,” Sam murmured, somehow managing not to crumple to the floor until the doctor had escorted her to some chairs. She leaned over and put her head between her knees, breathing deeply as tears stung her eyes and shudders wracked her body.

Doctor Gray sat next to her in concern. “ Can I get you anything, ma’am? Should I get Mr. O’Neill?”

“ No.. No, it’s okay. I’m okay,” Sam insisted, lifting her head and looking every bit as though she’d seen a ghost. “ I.. It just hit me, that’s all. I just realised he..” She broke off and took a deep breath that got caught in her throat as it met with a sob. She buried her face in her hands and silently cried.

Doctor Gray put a supporting hand on her shoulder. She barely noticed when it was put there or when it was removed. She didn’t notice he had left and someone else had taken his seat until Jack pulled her fully into his arms.

“ Shh, it’s okay, Angel, it’s all okay.” He rocked her soothingly, holding her securely.

“ We could have lost him,” she gasped into his neck. “ He.. God, Jack..”

“ But we didn’t,” Jack reassured her, repeating himself to set both of their minds at rest. “ We didn’t. He’s still here, he’s okay.” She pulled away and nodded, wiping her face. He gave her a small grin. “ He wants to see you, he needs his Mom.”

“ And you’re sure he means me?” Sam asked, doubt tainting her tone.

Jack leaned over to kiss her softly. “ You’re his mother, Sam. As much as I’m his father.” His expression turned guiltily apologetic. “ About what I said earlier..”

“ S’okay,” she answered, softly placing a finger over his lips. “ You were scared.”

“ That doesn’t make it okay, Sam. You’ve got to know I didn’t mean it,” he looked at her, with wide eyes. “ You know I didn’t mean it.”

Sam nodded and stood, bolding a hand out to him. He took it and stood beside her for a few moments in companionable silence. “ You gonna come with me?”

“ No.” Jack shook his head, bringing their entwined fingers to his lips so he could kiss her hand. He turned it over and placed a kiss in the centre of her palm. “ You guys need a moment alone. The three of us will be together tonight, and I should really call the General and the others.”

“ I was going to do that so you wouldn’t have to..” She shook her head and sighed heavily. “ Sorry.”

“ Don’t apologise,” he told her firmly. “ You, my Angel, have nothing to apologise for. I’ll see you in a few minutes, I want to find out how and why Sara had a gun in the first place and how she could be so stupid and leave it where Charlie could find it.”

Sam stopped him from leaving tightening her grip on her fingers. “ Jack.. She might have a good reason.. Go easy on her, okay? This has got to be taking its toll on her..”

He tugged on her hand and pulled her towards him with a tender smile, kissing her lovingly as soon as she was near enough. “ You’re too sweet, you know that?” He kissed the tip of her nose gently. “ Now go, our son is waiting and you know he’s as patient as his father.”

“ So I’d better not keep him waiting,” Sam quipped teasingly, blowing her fiancé a kiss as she left to see *their* son. Jack waited until she was in the room before heading to the phones. First he would call his friends and put them at ease and then.. Determination made his eyes steely, and then he would confront his ex-wife and find out what the Hell she was playing at.

~*~

Relief spread in the hearts and minds of those who knew Sam, Jack and Charlie. Jack spread the news gratefully as Sam held Charlie in her arms, reassuring herself he was alive. If the bullet had been just a few millimetres more to the side.. The only thing she would be able to cling to would be memories and they just wouldn’t be enough.

“ I’m sorry I scared you, Mommy,” Charlie sleepily murmured to Sam. “ I didn’t mean to, Mommy. I was just..”

“ Shh,” Sam whispered lovingly. “ It’s been a long day, you need to get some sleep.”

“ I thought it was a pretend gun,” Charlie admitted brokenly.

She shifted so she could look down on his face, fondly wiping the tears away with her fingertips. “ It’s not your fault, Sweetheart.” She smiled a watery smile. “ Promise me something, though.” Charlie nodded solemnly. “ Promise me you will never play with any gun ever again. They’re dangerous, horrible things. It’s very easy to have an accident with one and hurt yourself or someone you care about.”

“ I promise, Mommy,” Charlie told her seriously. “ I never wanna hurt you or Daddy again.”

Sam hugged him close. “ Good, we don’t want you to *ever* get hurt, okay? And I promise, if you keep your promise, when you’re old enough, either your Dad or me will teach you how to use a gun properly and safely, if you’re interested in them when you’re older.” Even as she said this, she prayed he wouldn’t be.

“ Promise to keep my promise,” Charlie yawned as he snuggled further into her arms. “ But I don’t wanna touch a gun again.”

And for the time being, she knew he meant it. The scare she and Jack had been given had scared Charlie as well. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sam sent a grateful prayer up to whomever or whatever was keeping her family safe and together. It had been a close call that had hit close to home. Too close.

~*~

Jack caught up with her outside of Charlie’s room. Sam’s gentle words of warning came back to him but all thoughts of ‘taking it easy’ on Sara vanished at sight of the deep scowl on her face. He walked up to the observation window and looked through it to see what she was scowling at. A small smile curled his lips as he saw Sam and Charlie sleeping, safe in each other’s arms.

“ I see your new bimbo has wormed her way into Charlie’s life,” Sara muttered haughtily.

“ She isn’t a bimbo, Sara. She’s so much smarter than anyone else either of us could know,” Jack retorted sharply.

“ And she has you wrapped around her little finger, I see,” his ex-wife shot back scornfully. “ And now she’s working on our son.”

Jack snorted in disbelief. “ He stopped being your son the moment he was born. As soon as you could hand him over to someone else.”

“ Jack..” Sara decided to try another tactic. She gave him a sweet smile and saddled up to stand close beside him. “ It doesn’t have to be like this, we used to have something special..”

He looked at her incredulously and took a step away from her, his eyes cold. “ We never had anything but a sham of a marriage. A mockery of what marriage is supposed to be. Don’t expect to see Charlie or me again after this, Sara. No court in their right minds with give you any rights to see him after hearing about today.” He gave her a humourless smile. “ Goodbye, Sara. Have a nice life because you’re not welcome in ours.”

She tried to protest. She tried to think of something to use to bring him back, to get his attention, to keep him with her for just a few moments longer. She couldn’t think of anything in time so she had no choice but to watch him go, watch him turn his back on her for the last time and head towards his new family. All of her anger dissipated as she stared through the window and saw the loving grin break across his face as he woke the new woman in his life up with a kiss.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat, Sara O’Neill walked out of the hospital and out of her son and ex-husband’s lives. For good.

~*~

Slowly, the family began to move past the near-accident. The nightmares faded and became a distant memory and Charlie eventually moved from Sam and Jack’s room to his own, once he was sure he wouldn’t wake up to find they were gone and they had convinced themselves they wouldn’t wake up to find it was a dream and his mishap had been a lot more serious.

Life was getting back to what passed for ‘normal’ in the O’Neill household but fate had decided to throw another spanner in the works. SG-1 were temporarily separated, with Teal’c and Daniel returning to Abydos as promised and Jack and Sam were sent to Washington D.C. to receive medals of bravery for their work and achievements. Charlie, predictably, tagged a long with his parents, excited to see them being rewarded by the President. General Hammond had encouraged the decision, as he too had a surprise up his sleeve for the newly engaged couple.

The team mates were reunited sooner than planned, although not without them encountering a few surprises whilst apart. Daniel returned to tell his father-in-law of the fate that had bestowed upon Sha’re, only to find his wife had returned before him, and was indeed pregnant with Apophis’ child. Jack not only found out there was a leak in the Stargate program, he also got to meet Sam’s father, courteously of General Hammond.

General Jacob Carter and General Hammond had apparently served with one another years earlier, much to Sam’s surprise as well as Jack’s. The first meeting went quite well, given that relations between Sam and her father were already on shaky ground before Jack entered the equation. Sadly, though, whilst Jack was checking on Charlie and was meeting the reporter who revealed the leak in the program, Sam was learning some sad news herself.

That night, as the weary party travelled back to Colorado Springs on the private plane, she was left pondering her father’s words. Charlie was sleeping as was General Hammond, and Jack, until he heard his fiancée sniffing.

“ Sam?” He moved over to where she was sitting, slightly away from the others so their sleep would not be disturbed. “ What’s wrong, Angel?”

Wordlessly, Sam shook her head and wiped her cheeks with shaking hands. “ It’s nothing. Nothing. Go back to sleep, Jack.”

“ No, Sam.. Come on, talk to me.” His eyes were concerned as he lifted a hand to her face, gently turning her face to his. “ Did your father say something to upset you? You haven’t been yourself since..”

“ My father’s dying, Jack.” She blurted out in a broken whisper. “ He told me he has cancer.” Her face crumbled as tears wracked her body. Jack drew her into his arms and held her tightly, letting her cry, trying not to let it show how much it hurt him to see her in such pain. She told him about his wish for her to go to NASA, how she felt so guilty not being able to tell him the truth, how she felt like she was letting him down.

“ He’s right about father’s having dreams, too,” Jack mused once she had calmed down, thinking of his own hopes and aspirations for his son. “ But a lot of things he said were probably said in the heat of the moment, Angel. As long as you’re happy, he’ll be happy. He just needs some time to cool off, I’m sure he’ll come round.”

“ But what if he doesn’t?” Sam asked tearfully. “ Jack, he’s my father. What do I do if he dies before he says he forgives me? Or if he’s not at the wedding? I mean, I never expected him to give me away or anything but I always thought that when I got married, he’d be there somewhere.”

Jack rubbed her back as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “ It’s going to be okay, Sam. You and your father will work this out and he will be at our wedding. I will do everything I can to make sure our wedding is perfect. I promise.” He leaned in to kiss her when she looked up at him with wet but hopeful eyes. “ Get some sleep. Once you’ve had a decent night’s sleep, you’ll be able to see things clearly.”

Forcing a smile for his sake, Sam buried her head in his shoulder. “ Thank you, Jack. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“ You’d survive,” he mumbled to her sleeping form as a yawn over took him. “ You are a lot stronger than you think, Sam.”

As he, too, gave in to slumber, General Hammond opened his eyes. He had over-heard the conversation, and felt a deep sorrow within him at the pain his Captain was going through and at the thought of losing Jacob, a man who was a great friend and a courageous solider. Something had to be done, someone had to reunite father and daughter before it was too late, and he was determined that he would play some part in it.

~*~

They put their fears and personal traumas to one side in order to support and help Daniel. When they arrived on Abydos, they found Sha’re was going into labour. With SG-1 reunited again, they managed to defend themselves against Heru'ur and get Sha’re through the Stargate before Apophis could return for his wife and child.

Their battle, however, was far from over. As soon as Sha’re had given birth to the child, her symbiote Ammounet had reasserted control over her. Daniel had watched, heartbroken, as she was taken to a holding cell after being sedated. He had General Hammond’s word that he would do everything possible to keep Sha’re from falling into the hands of the NID but it didn’t make it easier. They had to keep her safe – from herself as well as the NID – until they found a way to remove the symbiote without causing her too much harm.

It was Sam who suggested they go to Cimmeria, to try and use Thor’s Hammer, although to make sure it was done properly and Sha’re would come out the other side, at least one of them would need to go with her. Almost immediately, Sam, Jack, Daniel and Kawalsky volunteered. There was no doubt in their minds that Teal’c would have also agreed but although Thor had passed the message on that it was safe for him to go to the planet, he was still wary.

Eventually, after many long hours of persuasion and a trip to the infirmary to see the infant Sha’re had brought into the world, General Hammond agreed on one condition. His condition was that Daniel remain behind, partly because he was in no state to defend himself should an emergency arise, but partly because the baby boy his wife had given birth to seemed to believe Daniel was his father.

Sha’re was sedated and carried through the active stargate. Daniel watched from the control room, the as of yet unnamed baby in his arms, and waited until their return. Hours passed and he slept fitfully, trying to comfort the baby although he was sure he could sense his own nerves and fear.

Finally, the sirens went off and announced they had a visitor. Daniel clutched the baby close to his chest as though it was his last link to Sha’re, praying their plan had been executed successfully. It had. Kawalsky and Jack stepped through first, their expressions noncommittal. Then they broke out into grins and turned to see Sam gently guiding Sha’re, murmuring something to her that made the ex-Queen smile.

“ Sha’re,” Daniel breathed her name, scared to speak too loudly out of fear he would wake up and find it was just a dream.

“ Dan’ya.” Sha’re smiled timidly and took a hesitant step towards her husband and child. Daniel closed the distance between them in a quick stride and clutched her tightly, the baby in his arms gurgling happily as his parents embraced.

Kawalsky excused himself, suddenly feeling the need to be with Janet and tell her how much he cared about her. He wasn’t certain it was love just yet, but he couldn’t bear to think of being without her. Sam and Jack edged closer together, his hand finding hers and their fingers entwining as they watched their friend and his wife, knowing he had finally found peace.

~*~

Part Thirteen

*~*

It didn’t take a lot of convincing to get Sha’re to agree to stay on Earth. She was welcomed immediately into the close-knit group, finding friends in Sam and Janet and family in them all. Her son was finally named, Sebastian, which meant ‘Majestic’. Although both Daniel and Sha’re would have liked to name him after her father, they knew Seb, as his name was shortened to instantly by Jack, would need an Earth name if he was to be accepted on their planet.

It seemed everything was running smoothly for them again. And although she was grateful, Sam couldn’t help but acknowledge the nagging fear in her heart that something was going to put an abrupt end to their happiness. Right on time, the path they were walking along rounded a bend, full of more surprises and hurdles for them to get over.

Memories that weren’t Sam’s began to resurface. Jolinar’s lifetime reasserted itself in her dreams, both sleeping and waking ones. Some caused her pain and kept her awake at night, crying as Jack cradled her in his arms even when she tried to invade him by moving into the spare room. Some gave her hope. She was able to recall the last destination the Tok’ra Jolinar had called home and convinced Jack and General Hammond to let SG-1 seek out the Tok’ra in hopes of finding new allies. Unknowingly, they were also seeking the answer to their prayers.

After initial distrust and discomfort, and tension between Jack and a Tok’ra named Martouf who had been Jolinar’s partner, the Tok’ra and Tau’ri reached an alliance. Jacob Carter helped seal the alliance by becoming a host to Selmac, which resulted in the end of his battle with cancer and his battle with his daughter. Tearfully, in the embarkation room, Sam and Jacob found some even ground and were finally able to put their painful past behind them.

“ Take care of my daughter, Jack,” Jacob smiled warmly at the young man as he walked to stand behind his fiancée. Sam pulled away from her father’s arms and took Jack’s hand, silently thanking him for all his support.

“ I will, Sir. It’ll be an honour,” Jack answered, accepting the hand Jacob held out.

As they shook hands, Jacob watched the glean of tears moisten his daughter’s eyes and fell the telltale sting in his own. “ Ah, hell.” He surprised Jack by pulling him in a manly embrace, clapping him on the back. “ Call me Dad, son. And don’t forget to send me an invite to the wedding. I want to be there to walk my daughter down the aisle.”

“ Wouldn’t be a wedding without you. Dad,” Jack added as an afterthought, grinning inanely as he took his place by Sam once again. For some reason, he didn’t feel nervous around Sam’s dad anymore Maybe knowing the man would be living on another planet so wouldn’t be there to look disapprovingly over his shoulder played a part in that.

Sam and her father hugged again, exchanging ‘I love you’s’ before Jacob left for his new home. As the wormhole disengaged, Jack pulled Sam into his arms, not caring who saw. She leaned into him willingly, trying to convince herself that it wasn’t goodbye, that she would see her father again.

With General Hammond’s blessing, SG-1 were on downtime, told to gather their wits after another emotionally wearing experience to get themselves together before whatever was next thrown in their direction. Their downtime gave Sam and Jack some much needed time and space away from work to sort out the confusion that had Sam in its grasp after meeting Martouf. A weekend away with her fiancé, however, left no doubt in her mind which feelings were hers and which ones were just memories of a love that had died with Jolinar. It came as no surprise to anyone that after they returned, they were anxious to get planning their wedding.

The ceremony was held two months later. It was fairly simple but beautiful, although more people than they had anticipated turned out for the wedding. Jacob kept his promise and returned to Earth so he could walk his daughter down the aisle. No one could keep from smiling or crying as Sam walked down the aisle in her cream coloured satin dress. It hugged her figure without being too revealing and the elegant design with little fuss was perfect, looking incredible without being too fancy – just like Sam, in Jack’s opinion. Laughter and joy were the main emotions that took up the day, a beaming Charlie O’Neill being too much for anyone to resist smiling at. He was with his parents every step of the day and made no secret that although he hated having to wear a suit, it was one of the best presents they could have given him.

The perfect end to a perfect day was the two leading members of the Carter family, Jacob and Mark, finally making peace and letting bygones be bygones. Out of love and respect to Sam, they gave her one of the best wedding gifts she could had received - father and son forgetting the past and looking to a future that seemed bright for them all.

~*~

The future was bright for the next two years. The group of friends took the good with the bad and learned to appreciate every moment they had together, as a group and alone with the ones they loved. They made progress in their fight against the Goa’uld and made as many friends as enemies along the way, mourning losses but celebrating gains, sharing everything together. Amongst the celebrations was the engagement of Janet and Kawalsky, a relationship that had blossomed as their friendship for one another grew. The Jackson household was also preparing to grow, Sha’re and Daniel announced a few days after the engagement party that they were expecting a younger sibling for Sebastian.

The Fraiser-Kawalsky wedding never happened. Sha’re and Daniel’s child never had a chance to be born on Earth surrounded by friends and family. Sam didn’t get the chance to tell everyone her news that another O’Neill was on the way, granting Charlie’s wish for someone to play with.

The Goa’uld invasion started suddenly, taking them by surprise. People began getting sick, all over the world. An epidemic of a mystery virus was upon them and was spreading fast. The Stargate program was revealed after reports that the virus came from the sky. The Goa’uld were slowly releasing a new plague, designed to destroy the people of Earth. As many as possible uninfected people were evacuated to a safe planet, with supplies that would last them until they could contact one of their allies and get help. There was no time to search for a cure as the SGC was inundated with people desperately seeking protection and help.

The wormhole disengaged after another group of people had been ushered through. As long as they passed the blood tests and were announced uninfected, they were allowed to travel through the gate to their new home. Sha’re was the only member of the group to go through, with Sebastian and her unborn child. She had pleaded to be allowed to stay but the others had refused. In her condition, she needed to be in a safe environment as soon as possible.

Sam had watched her friend leave reluctantly, her hand travelling subconsciously to her flat stomach where the miracle Jack knew nothing about existed. She had tears in her eyes when Jack found her, but refused to tell him, knowing he would send her through with the next group of evacuees if he knew. She wouldn’t leave her husband and family, not until they were able to leave with her.

“ We should send Charlie and Cassandra through with the next group,” she murmured as her husband wrapped his arms around her waist, both of them staring out of the observation window at the assembled crowds below.

“ I agree,” Jack murmured, closing his eyes as a tired sigh escaped his lips. He took a deep breath, wondering how he was going to break the news to her. “ Janet has bad news, Sam. Somehow, the infection has got within the facility.”

“ What?” Sam, turned in his embraced, alarm written on her face as cold fear ran through her veins. “ How is that possible?” She demanded, her eyes searching his face for something, anything to give her hope. “ Everyone was checked as they came through the doors. No one could have got passed..”

“ Apparently someone did,” he cut her off, lifting a hand to her face. “ Sam, I want you to take Charlie and go through to the Beta site with the next group.” He put a finger to her lips when she started to protest. “ Shh, just listen to me, okay?” Grudgingly, she nodded her consent. “ You’re going to be needed. I’m sending Daniel, Kawalsky and Janet through with you, and Cassandra and Charlie. I’ll follow once I’ve set the self-destruct.”

“ What about General Hammond?” Sam asked with a frown. “ You seem to have taken control, what does he have to say..” Her voice trailed off as realisation sunk in. Her eyes widened with fear. “ Oh, God, no. Tell me he isn’t infected, Jack.”

Lowering his eyes, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it softly. “ I know how much he means to you, Sam. I’m sorry. Apparently he was one of the first new cases, infected by whoever brought the virus to us. He’s in critical condition, Angel. I don’t think he’s going to make it through the night.”

Shaking her head soundlessly, Sam fought him for a few moments before sinking into his arms. He held her as she cried, identical tears streaming down his cheeks as they grieved for the man they both loved as a father, who had done so much for them, to keep them together and keep them safe.

Things went from bad to worse. Sam was convinced all their near misses were catching up on them. Just as the Stargate was dialling up the Beta site address, an unscheduled wormhole blocked it. It was the Goa’uld. The wormhole was kept established for as long as possible and as soon as they tried dialling out, the Goa’uld dialled in. Their only exit was blocked.

Panic was setting in as SG-1, plus Kawalsky, Janet, and the remaining members of the SGC re-grouped in the infirmary to discuss what was going to happen now.

“ There’s no way off this planet and no way of fighting back,” Jack told them gruffly, his own desperation shining in his eyes whenever he looked at his wife. “ We need a solution, people.”

“ Can’t we find a vaccination?” Daniel asked hopefully, his thoughts with his wife and children. “ If we could protect ourselves against the virus, we’d have a better chance.”

“ There isn’t time, Daniel,” Janet answered softly and slowly. She was keeping her distance from the group, sitting alone on one of the beds. Kawalsky took one look at her and knew. With tears in his eyes, he walked out of the infirmary without saying a word to anyone, grief lining his face and clouding his eyes. “ And the virus is spreading. My latest test came back positive, I’m infected.” She looked up at them, refusing to acknowledge the pity and pain in her friend’s eyes. That didn’t matter to her right now. Tears formed and blocked her throat, making her next words even harder to say as her voice cracked under the strain. “ So is Cassandra. Charlie’s tests came back negative so he’s okay.” Janet looked apologetically around the room, her gaze settling on Sam and Jack, the pain in her chest having nothing to do with the virus invading her body. “ Sam, Jack, I’m afraid your latest tests came back positive. Everyone but your son seems to be infected, I don’t know about Kawalsky, he hasn’t been tested in a while but it doesn’t look good for him, either.”

Closing her eyes, Sam willed herself to stay calm. One by one, their sombre friends filed out of the room, hope lost, despair setting in. It was over, for them at least. Those who evacuated were safe for now, but the Goa’uld had won this round. She opened her eyes and looked at each of her friends in turn. Teal’c was comforting Janet, who was now crying, his presence welcomed by her due to Kawalsky’s absence. Teal’c, the Jaffa who had given up everything to fight for their cause, who had proved his loyalty time and time again, who would never see his family and free his people. Daniel, who was on his feet despite looking as though he would fall over at any moment. He would never see his wife again, never tell her he loved her, never hold his son, never seen his child be born.

Feeling more pain than she thought possible, Sam turned and stared into the brown eyes of her husband. They stared at each other in silence, taking in every detail, every line, using every remaining second to remember, to grieve, to hurt and to love. The countdown had started. Their time together was limited, and the ending was in sight.

Silently crying, they moved together in unison, arms locking around each other, lips searching out the others, forgetting everything and everyone in that moment. Pulling away only when they had to, they held each other tightly. So closely, so entwined, it was hard to see where one ended and the other began. Neither knew who spoke the words allowed as they were both thinking it. Both of them thinking about their son, the young boy who would be the last one of them to go. “ What are we going to do? What do we do about Charlie?”

~*~

The seconds and minutes were ticking away. Everyone was getting sick. There was no room in the infirmary and no one there to tend to them even if there was a spare bed or two. People got settled where they could find some space. Where they sat down was where they died. Asides from the occasional thudding of something coming into contact with the closed iris, an unnatural silence fell over the base. Muffled sniffs and whispers were all that could be heard as people mourned for those lost or said their tender last words to one another.

In one of the storage rooms at the base of the facility, goodbyes were being said. Kawalsky stood over his fiancée and child, both of whom kept slipping in and out of consciousness. Daniel and Teal’c were sitting alone, their eyes closed, Teal’c in a state of meditation, Daniel in the state of drowsiness that occurred before an eternal slumber. With tears in their eyes, Sam and Jack hugged their son once more. Miraculously, he seemed in perfect health, which was in direct contradiction with his ailing parents, who were leaning heavily against each other, exhausted from the effort needed to stand.

“ I’m scared,” Charlie wept as he clung to them both tightly. “ I don’t wanna leave you.”

“ We know, Sweetheart,” Sam cried unashamedly as she held him tightly for a few moments more. “ But this is the only way. You’re going to be okay. We’ve found somewhere where there’s no Goa’uld attack, where the mirror is in a storage room. You’ll be okay. They’ll take you to you father and you’ll be safe.”

The young boy nodded, despite the fear and uncertainty in his eyes. He leaned into his mother’s arms and then took a few moments to stay in his fathers. “ I love you,” he whispered to both of his parents. “ I don’t wanna go.”

“ We know,” Jack murmured brokenly. He opened his arms to include his wife in the embrace, the three of them clutching one another desperately. “ But your mom’s right, it’s for the best. You’ll be looked after there, we can’t protect you here.”

Silently, they pulled apart. Charlie turned to look at the active quantum mirror in front of him, and then back at his parents. They nodded their encouragement, forcing reassuring smiles on their faces. Taking a deep breath, he touched the mirror, tears running down his face as he fought the urge to run back into his parent’s arms and refuse to leave.

The mirror deactivated after he left. Sam and Jack’s resolve crumbled and they eased themselves to the floor in front of the mirror. They lay down, holding one another tightly, sensing their imminent deaths were only seconds away.

“ I love you, Jack O’Neill,” Sam murmured as he kissed her forehead softly, their hands finding each other’s, the matching wedding bands glimmering in the dim light of the room. “ Thank you for being in my life. For showing me a love I never knew could really exist.”

“ I love you, too, Sam.” He had to swallow the lump in his throat, pushing to words past it so he could tell her, needing her to know, needing her to hear them one more time. “ I’m so grateful for knowing you, and for being allowed to love you. And I thank whoever or whatever brought you into my life.” He leaned in and brushed her lips with his in an achingly tender kiss. “ We’ll be together, Samantha O’Neill. No matter what follows this life, I’ll always be at your side.”

They died barely minutes later. Kawalsky watched his friends take their final breath together, grateful one of them hadn’t died before the other, relieved they had found each other and taking comfort that they were together wherever their souls had found peace.

He sat down, next to his wife-to-be and waited. There was nothing else for him to do. No symptoms were plaguing him yet, and the only pain he felt had nothing to do with an illness. He was alone. And yet, he refused to leave. Kawalsky watched Janet and Cassandra as they slipped away. His eyes travelled to Daniel as the young man died, with the name ‘Sha’re’ on his lips. He watched Teal’c as his strong friend succumbed to an eternal rest.

Time slowed as the remaining people of earth passed on to the world or lifetime that awaited them next. The Goa’uld eventually gave up their attempts at getting through. The battle was over. The Goa’uld had won. The luck of the Tau’ri had ran out.

And Charles Kawalsky was the only witness. His eyes stared unseeingly, the image of his friends lying dead beside him blocked out by grief, all his tears had been shed. Alone, he sat in the cold storage room of the facility that had united him with his family, and introduced him to everyone he held dear. The facility where everyone he loved had been sentenced to death.

Alone, he closed his eyes and rested his head against the cold concrete, waiting for his turn, almost willing the virus to spread throughout his body and claim his life as it had claimed so many others. And he held in his mind, and in his heart, the hope that he would join them soon.

~*~

The End. Thanks for reading!

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Continued in ‘Reunion of Fate’. So don’t kill me just yet.

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