Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sam was still angry about not having been able to accompany her team through the gate because of that damn entropic cascade failure. But that wasn't the only thing that made her angry. 

She has had to watch Dr. Carter kissing Jack goodbye. No, not Jack, Colonel O'Neill! 

It's not ‘Jack’ for her and he wasn't Dr. Carter's Jack either. 

However Sam did understand what made her kiss him. Hell, she was married to this man in her reality and had to accept never seeing him again. Her Jack died and she didn't get the chance to say goodbye, that was her only opportunity to say goodbye to the man she'd loved for a long time. 

Watching the kiss felt wrong for Sam, she didn't want to intrude, but other than that she felt a pang of jealousy. That woman that looked so much like her was allowed to do what she had longed for. 

Alone in the elevator Sam leant back, eyes closed, her head resting against the wall and her hands deep in the pockets of her green BDU jacket. There she felt it, the paper the other Sam had given her. She felt the well worn paper, but didn't dare to bring it out. 

Only in the safety of her home she put the photograph on the kitchen counter, made her way to the fridge and poured herself a glass of wine before she took a closer look at her counterpart in the picture. 

Her hair much longer than Sam had ever had hers, hanging in soft curls around her face, flowers neatly placed into those curls. 

Jack's strong arms holding her like he's never letting her go again, a happy smile on their faces. An evidence of the deep love they shared and of the happiness they felt on their wedding day. 

“He's worth every sacrifice.” Dr. Carter told her, “But it doesn't feel like a sacrifice once you've got to know the love this man has to give. When he loves you it is forever and you'll wonder how you could have ever lived without it…….Think about it! You can do exactly what you're doing now, just without the regulations. It is possible.”

And while she was still thinking about it she grabbed her phone and dialed his number, her eyes never leaving his in the picture. 

“O'Neill!”

“Hey Colonel, it's me.”

Chapter Text

“Carter,” He wondered why she called him at this late hour, he'd seen her leaving the mountain and suspect she'd been asleep by now. “What's wrong?”

She was nervously biting her lip, she hadn't really thought about what to say when he would pick up. Of course she knew he would, he had never not picked up when she called him, but to hear his worried voice now left her speechless. 

“Ah… nothing, Sir, sorry, it was a bad idea to call…I… I didn't really pay attention to the time. Again, I'm sorry! I'll just see you tomorrow…” Sam stammered, silently cursing herself for her lost confidence. She was so sure when she dialed his number and now hearing his voice all her certainty was gone. 

“Sam! Wait!” She was just about to hang up and he sensed it. For the last two hours he had wondered if he should call her, talk to her about what happened today. 

“Colonel?”

“Look, Carter, I'm pretty sure why you called.”

“You are?”

He swallowed, he didn't want to have this conversation over the phone. “Yes, but that's not something we should discuss over the phone, right?”

“Sorry, Sir, but I'm sure we shouldn't discuss it at all. As I said, it was a bad idea, I'm sorry. See you tomorrow, Sir!” 

Sam quickly ended the phone call before he had the chance to say anything more. She cursed herself for not thinking first. Honestly, what had she expected? 

And while she was still pacing the floor a sudden knock at the door made her pause. Her heart pounded fiercely. Only one person could be knocking at her door at this late hour. 

Her hands trembled as she opened the door. 

“Sir!”

“Carter, can I come in?”

She stepped aside to let him in. They awkwardly stood in front of each other in her narrow hallway. 

“I want to apologize and explain what happened on the planet.”

“You don't need to justify it to me, Sir!” 

“I think I do, but I don't want to do this in your hallway. Any chance we could sit down?”

A quick nod told him to go and sit down in the living room. She didn't bother to offer him something to drink and nervously sat down at the other end of the couch. 

“I don't know how much you know about doctor Carter's life in her reality… “ He stopped because he saw the photograph of their alternate selves behind Sam on the kitchen counter. 

Sam turned around to see what made him stop. It wasn't the best thing to have a wedding picture of your CO and yourself on display, she thought. 

“I see! So, now that you know we were married in her reality I think it's a little easier to explain what happened. She didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her me. I was a bad substitute for it, but she took the opportunity and I'm sorry you had to see this. I never meant to…”

“What?” Sam asked, half curious, half angry. “You never meant for me to see it or you never meant to kiss her.”

Yes, he wasn't good at talking, he remembered. Good job, O’Neill, just make her more angry. 

“Carter, I'm sorry I took the opportunity to kiss her. I felt bad for her and wanted to help her let go of her husband. On the other hand I was curious how it would be to kiss her. And if you want to bring me up on charges for this, go ahead.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you want to kiss her?” Her heart was racing madly by now. 

He looked deep into her eyes, contemplating if he should tell the truth or come up with an excuse. 

“Because I'm not allowed to kiss you!”

There you go, he thought, this will be the end of my career. 

He watched her closely, she seemed nervous, her tongue peeking out wetting her lips before she bit down gently on her lower lip and nervously chewed on it.

“And if you were? Allowed to kiss me, I mean.”

Jack remembered the kiss with doctor Carter, it was great, but not fantastic, because it wasn't his Sam. If he ever got the chance to kiss his Carter he expected it would feel a lot more than just great. So while his career was officially at stake he decided to just go for it. 

“I wouldn't ever stop.”

“This is a dangerous conversation we're having here, Sir.”

“Could you please stop calling me Sir, Sam? I'm risking my career here and I think we should stop with the honorifics.”

Sam remembered what the other Carter told her: He's worth every sacrifice. 

“And what if it was my career, Jack?” She continued when she saw he had no clue what she was talking about. “I can do my job as a civilian, you can not. So it's the most logical solution for this.”

“For this?” He wasn't sure if he could follow what she said, was she about to give up her military career for him? 

“For us, Jack! If you want to, that is.”

“You would give up everything you've worked so hard for, for me?”

“Not only for you, for us. I thought about it before, but being in the military was everything to me. I didn't know anything else. When I look at their wedding picture I know I've never been happy like this, but I want to.”

He was silent for a long time and Sam feared she made a big mistake by telling him. If this goes wrong she couldn't stay on his team either. 

“You've got a great career ahead of you, Sam. You'll be a General someday.”

“I can do the same job as a civilian, there would be no difference. Except I might be happy.” She told him.

“And if this doesn't work out you would have given up everything.” He wanted to make sure she knew what she was about to do. 

“Why shouldn't it work out? Jack, if you don't want this tell me now before I make an even bigger fool of myself than I already have. I want this, but I don't want to beg. If you don't…”

She couldn't finish the sentence because his lips met hers. 

Chapter Text

The kiss wasn't very passionate but an honest one. He had tried to silence her, to stop her thought, because of course he did want this. Her, them, being together, loving her openly. 

When they came up for air it was Sam again who spoke first. 

“So, no need to beg, huh?”

“Absolutely not, Carter! I'm all in, but the worst thing for me would be if someday you'd regret this choice, giving up your great career for me. I want you to be absolutely sure before we take the next step.”

She was thinking about what it would mean if she gave up being military. Her Dad would be angry for sure. But would he understand? For as long as her mother was alive her parents loved each other deeply. Sam knows how much he misses his wife every day. Could he respect her decision if she chose love over her career? 

“I wouldn't be allowed on your team, would I?” She asked carefully and was a little scared of the answer. 

“To be honest, I'm not sure, Sam. I'm absolutely sure they won't kick you out of the program, you're too valuable. For being on the same team we should talk to Hammon. I mean in the military there's the joint spouse program, however that's also no guarantee a married couple would be on the same team. But we're not married and you would be a civilian in this scenario. So that's completely different and it might be up to the General if he keeps us together. Would you be okay to maybe be reassigned to another team? Or worst case being restricted to the lab?” 

Sam drew in a sharp breath. Would she be okay with it? It would be a huge sacrifice to stay earthside while her friends would go off world, but she could be with Jack.

He saw her hesitation. 

“I'm just pointing out all possible outcomes, please don't ever think I'd like it. I definitely want to keep you on the team.”

“I know that, and I really want to stay on your team. Going off world with you guys I love the most about my job. We should discuss our options with the General. And if I have to work in the lab to be able to be with you I'll happily do it.”

“Sam..”

“No, Jack, I mean it. We don't know how long this war will take or if it's ever going to be over. I don't want to be too old to go out in the field someday and also have nothing to go home to. Let's talk to Hammond tomorrow, we'll figure it out together.”

“Okay.” Jack nodded and leaned over to kiss her again. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. 

After a while he sensed that Sam fought to stay awake. It was a tiring day and it was really getting late. 

“Look, I better go now. I shouldn't stay the night. Not yet. Not until we've properly sorted this out.”

Sam snuggled closer, not ready to let him go. 

“Mhm, I know, just five more minutes, please.”

“Alright.” He agreed, pulling her closer to him and kissed the top of her hair. 

A bit later Sam walked him to the door, their movements slow and deliberate. As they reached the threshold, he leaned in to kiss her one last time. His arms wrapped tenderly around her to hug her goodbye, his fingers slowly stroking along her back to her hips,  memorizing her body. Not daring to let this moment slip away. 

“Find me first thing in the morning and we'll talk to Hammond.”

“Yes, I will.” She squeezed his forearm with her hand. “Good night, Jack!”

“Good night, Sam!”

After a restless night for both of them, Sam made her way through the still deserted hallways of the Stargate Center. It was way too early on a Sunday morning for the rest of the crew, but she knew the base commander would already be in his office. 

She made a detour to Jack's quarters, he wouldn't be in his office, of that she was sure and on her first knock the door flew open. 

A slight blush appeared on his face and Sam smirked. 

“Eager, are we?” She laughed. 

“A little.” He agreed with her. “Come on, let's get this over with.”

Jack nearly grabbed her hand on the way to the General's office, but noticed his mistake quickly enough. 

He knocked on the door and Hammond invited them in. 

“Ladies first.” Jack whispered and held the door open so Sam could step in. 

“Colonel, Major, what can I do for you?” Hammond wondered, with an inconspicuous glance at the clock. “At this time of the day.”

He motioned them to sit down, and they did. 

Sam sat upright with a straight back and shoulders. Her hands rested on her thighs, and her feet were firmly planted on the ground, like the perfect soldier she was. Jack on the other hand leaned forward, his arms resting on his thighs, kneading his hands. But he was the senior officer, so it was on him to make the first move. 

“Sir, we've come to talk to you. Asking for advice or rather a solution. “

Hammond straightened a bit himself and leaned forward onto his desk, all ears for what his second had to say. He worried that he might already know what this was all about. 

“Sir, when Doctor Carter from the alternate reality was here I got to talk to her, and she made me realize something….” He stopped, not sure how to put in words what he wanted to say. Hammond waited until it was clear that the younger man in front of him was stuck. 

“Is this a talk off the record?” Hammond wanted to know and Jack nodded. “Alright, I'm pretty sure I know where this is going, but please, humor me.”

“What the Colonel is trying to say, Sir, is that…I want to resign. And if possible, I want to work here as a civilian.”

George Hammond had a hard time hiding a grin. He suspected a tall like this as soon as he heard to whom Dr. Carter was married in her reality. He knew about the feelings his subordinates had for each other, but also knew they were way too professional to violate the rules. 

“And why is that, Major?”

Now it was Sam who blushed, this conversation couldn't get more uncomfortable, but when they wanted to achieve something here she had to come clean. 

“First I want to say there was never anything inappropriate between the Colonel and me.” Sam told him, trying not to chew nervously on her bottom lip. “But there are feelings. Feelings we don't want to ignore anymore. We want to pursue a personal relationship and the only logical solution we came up with is for me to resign. I can still be valuable as a civilian, in whatever way. So if possible I want to work here as a scientist so we'll both be useful for the program.”

Hammond took a moment to process what she'd said. He expected something like that, for quite some time. So he wasn't unprepared, but wanted to know Jack's thoughts. 

“Do you have anything to add, Colonel?” He asked and turned from Sam towards Jack. 

“That's it in a nutshell, Sir. I just want to say that I never wanted Carter's career to suffer from this. We talked and her resigning was what we came up with. I really don't want her to leave the team, so if there is a possibility…we're open for suggestions.”

“However this will work out, one of you will have to leave the Air Force.” The General explained. “It's true that if it's Major Carter, then we have the opportunity to keep you both. I'm afraid you won't be allowed on the same team.”

“Yeah, we thought so.” Sam sounded a little defeated and that worried Jack. He was afraid that now that it came down to making a decision she wouldn't be ready, but when their eyes met he knew he didn't need to worry. 

“I already know the answer, but I have to ask both of you again…You're sure about all of this? Major? Colonel?”

Sam and Jack cast one final glance at each other and answered in unison. “Yes!”

“Alright, give me a moment to sort this out and talk to my superiors. I'll let you know as soon as I have news for you.” Hammond dismissed them.

Outside of Hammond's office neither of them was ready to break the silence, but it wouldn't help to linger in front of the door. 

“Coffee?” Jack asked and Sam nodded. 

They sat down at SG1’s usual table, a cup of coffee in front of them.

That's where Daniel found them twenty minutes later. Sam's coffee untouched and Jack just downed the rest of his. 

“Morning guys.” Daniel yawned. “You're up early. Did I miss anything?”

Jack choked on his last sip of coffee and had to cough. Sam took the opportunity to answer Daniel. “No, I just couldn't sleep and thought maybe coffee would help.”

“Yeah,” He didn't really buy it “you know you have to actually drink it, right? Otherwise it won't work.” Daniel pointed towards her full cup. 

“Colonel O’Neill, Major Carter, please report to General Hammond's office.” Walter Harriman's voice sounded through the intercom. 

Daniel looked puzzled between his two friends. Clearly he missed something here, but wasn't awake enough to find out. 

Jack was the first one to get up, closely followed by Sam. He patted Daniel on the shoulder before he put away their cups. 

Teal'c, who just entered the Commissary, watched his friends leave. He too had heard the request for them to come to Hammond's office. 

“What's the matter, Daniel Jackson?” He wanted to know when he sat down across from Daniel. 

“I don't know Teal'c, but I'm afraid we won't like it. Just a feeling.”

The two officers stood in front of Hammond's door, taking a moment to breathe before they had to get in and hear what the top brass had decided. 

“Ready?” Jack asked her. 

“Ready!” Sam answered, her voice clear and unafraid. 

He took a step forward and knocked on the door, for the second time today. 

“Come in, please!” The General shouted

Jack opened the door and together they took a step forward towards their future. 

Chapter Text

“Colonel, Major, please take a seat.”

They sat down, this time a little closer to each other, quietly seeking comfort and support from one another, to brace themselves for the news. 

“Alright, I won't make this harder as it is. I will accept your resignation, Major Carter. You know there's usually a 120 day waiting period for it to be official, however if you decide to stay within the program we can speed it up and you'll be a civilian at the end of the month. I've got permission from the President for that. Now you've got two options. First, you can work in R&D and I can assign you to assist several teams on their mission if required. While you're not military and won't report directly to me anymore, it could be possible to assist SG1 from time to time. Or I can offer you the open position on SG2, so you could stay on a frontline team. I bet Major Ferretti would be thrilled to have you. You wouldn't have to give up going out there.”

Sam took a deep breath, she had to remind herself to breathe. This decision would pave the way for her future. Basically that was what they had expected, but it was harder to make the decision than she would have thought. 

“I'll go and get myself a cup of coffee. Take the time to talk about it. If you're not decided by the time I get back, that's okay, you don't have to choose today.” Hammond offered them his office and some private time to sort this out. He closed the door behind him and left the two alone, to talk. 

The wheels turned in her head and Jack didn't dare to break the silence. He knew it should be her decision, after all it was her who made the big sacrifices. But he also wasn't known as the most patient one, so he spoke first. 

“Sam?”

“Hm?” She was torn from her thoughts. 

“I know it's your decision to make, but could we talk about it? I can't stand the silence and I want to know what you're thinking.” He swallowed hard. 

“Of course, I'm sorry, Sir…ahm, Jack. To be honest those are the two possibilities which I expected, but I still can't decide what to do. What do you think?” She asked, hoping for a push in the right direction. 

“I won't tell you what to do, I'll just say out loud what each position would mean for us. If you join Ferretti you'd be able to do what you're doing now, going out, exploring, being shot at…you just switch the team. And as I know Ferretti he won't treat you differently only because you won't be military anymore, he knows what you're capable of, so I'd say you'll get the same respect as now. However it's the more dangerous option and it might be that we have to go out at different times, so chances are we won't see each other for weeks, just to make that clear, not to influence your decision. Working in R&D would grant you a more safe position. You could tinker with all the alien doohickeys we'll bring back and have the chance to even go out with us sometimes. We could see each other every time I'm earthside and I would worry way less when I know you're here. What doesn't mean I don't trust you out there and it's no macho thing to want you being safe, I'm just saying.”

Sam was stunned, never had she heard Jack O’Neill talk so much, certainly not about how he feels and what he thinks. 

“Yeah, that sums it up pretty good. I love being out on planets, chasing the bad guys, but it won't be the same without you and the rest of SG1. Even if I have to join a team occasionally when I'm in R&D we would have a lot more time together. And that's what we're doing this for, right?”

“Right, Sam, but please don't let us being together keep you from doing what you really want to do. Only take the lab position when that's something you're happy with. If you want to join a SG team then we'll manage.” He assured her. 

“I won't, I promise. It's hard to choose, because both options have what I love doing. You know I'm glued to my lab when we have time off, so now I could work there all the time and still travel through the gate if needed. It seems like the best solution and it would make some things easier later on if we want to…” She stopped her thought, cursing herself for talking without thinking first. 

“If we want to…what?” He had a good idea what she wanted to say, but he needed to hear it from her. 

“Nothing, I was just babbling and I shouldn't think this far ahead.” She apologized. 

“No, thinking ahead is exactly what we should do. This is a long time decision, not just some spur of the moment thing. We have to think ahead to where this should lead. So please, finish your thought.” 

“I'm not sure if I should say it, Jack. I don't want to open wounds that aren't fully healed yet.” Sam tried to give him a hint. 

“Say it.” He wanted to hear it from her, wanted to know how she saw their future together. 

“What I was saying is that if we'd ever have kids, somewhere down the road, it would be easier and safer for me when I'm working in R&D. I didn't want to finish the sentence, because we haven't talked about something like this, I'm not even sure you would want to have more kids at all and this is clearly not the place to have that talk….” She was babbling again. 

“Stop Sam, it is the right time to talk about it, even if I wished we were somewhere more comfortable. After Charlie, I wanted to die too, so no, I never thought about having more children. I never thought I'd live long enough to even think about it. But here I am, glad that Daniel pulled me out of this dark place I was in. I don't want to die anymore and I sure am ready to start a new relationship, but only because it's you. I still do love children even though I couldn't imagine having more after Charlie died. But with you, Sam, I can face anything. Nothing is looking just black and white with you. I won't say it will be easy all the time, but I'd love to have kids with you someday.” He held her hand the whole time, needing physical contact while he talked about his son. 

“I love you, Jack. Did I tell you that before?”

“No, but I'd like to think so, otherwise it would be very weird what we're doing here.” He tried to lighten the mood. “I love you too, Sam! And whatever you decide I'm all in.”

“Then R&D it is, I would say!”

“I so want to kiss you right now. Just wait until we're out of here today.”

“I do too. But wouldn't we have to wait until I'm officially out of the Air Force? It's just two more weeks.”

“Argh, you're killing me, Carter.”

“I know, but I promise, it'll be worth the wait.” She squeezed his thighs to underline her promise and to let him know that this is real. 

General Hammond chose this moment to return and smiled at the sight of these two. 

“I guess the decision is made?”

“Yes, Sir.” Sam told him. “I wish to take the position at R&D here.”

"I'm glad to hear that, Dr. Carter.” He intentionally did not address her by her rank. ”I'm happy to not constantly have to worry about my most important expert on the Stargate anymore. As I said, it will be official by the end of the month and until then I ask you to keep it low.”

“What about my team?” Jack wanted to know. “Are we allowed to tell them?” 

“Of course, Colonel. They should know. I just meant: keep it professional here on base.”

“We do!” Sam assured him. 

“However, Jack, you can start to think about who you want to add to your team. A fourth person is required. Maybe the Major can help you sort this out.”

“I'll think about it, Sir. And I'll let you know as soon as possible.”

“Alright, I'll have the papers ready tomorrow. I'll let you know. And now get out of here, take your team and tell them the good news.”

“I would appreciate talking to them away from base, Sir. Would you mind if we take the rest of the day off?” Jack asked him. 

“Of course, I bet that's nothing you want to discuss on base. I'll see you all in 48 hours.” Hammond dismissed them. 

Jack took the lead and Sam followed him to where he thought he'd might find the rest of his team. Daniel and Teal’c still sat at their table in the Commissary. The empty plates showed they had already finished their breakfast. When Jack and Sam appeared at their table Daniel looked up. 

“What's up, guys? Care to tell us what's going on? What did Hammond want from you?”

“We'll tell you, but not here. Can you two meet us in an hour at my place?” He asked Daniel and Teal’c, his eyes checking with Sam if she was okay to have the talk at Jack's house. 

“Of course we could, but…” Daniel stopped when Jack immediately interrupted him. 

“It's all cleared with Hammond, we have to report back in 48hours, until then we're on downtime. My place, in one hour. See you guys soon.”

Jack turned to Sam and gestured for her to go. “Come on, Carter. Let's go.”

They remained silent during the elevator ride, each lost in their own thoughts as they headed topside. Outside, Jack gently took her hand in his and guided her toward his car, ensuring silently whether she was comfortable with him driving and that her car would remain. Sam scanned the parking lot while he opened the door for her. No cameras in the area where Jack's car was parked, so she took the opportunity to turn around while she was standing between him and his truck. She pulled him closer and kissed him passionately. 

One hand ran through his hair while the other one disappeared in his back pocket. 

“Come on, flyboy. Let's get going, otherwise we'll still be here when Daniel and Teal'c show up.”

He leaned his forehead against hers, savoring the peace of the moment. 

“Are you happy, Sam?”

“Very!”

Chapter Text

Exactly one hour later SG1 was gathered in Jack's living room. Sam already sat on the two-seater when Teal'c and Daniel entered, so each one took an armchair across from her. Jack followed them down the stairs, bringing beer for everyone. 

Daniel was as usual the most curious one. “Care to share what's this all about?”

Jack sat down next to Sam and handed her a bottle. He made sure if she wanted to tell them, because it's her position that would change, and that she was comfortable to do so. Her eyes told him she was okay, so he leaned back and lay his arm comfortably onto the backrest behind her. 

“I think there's no easy way to tell you this. I'm going to leave the team, guys. At the beginning of next month I'm going to work in R&D, that means lab work mostly, but I'm able to travel with you or any other team if needed.” She stopped here to give them time to let that sink in. 

“What???” Daniel shouted, “Did the Air Force finally get their will and confine you to the lab? Sam, that's not fair. You're much needed out in space, and if they think it's too dangerous to let their Stargate expert risk her life then to hell with their opinion! We can fight that, Sam!... “

While Daniel was shouting and cursing, Teal'c observed his friends closely. He saw Jack's smirk, even if it was only for a millisecond, and noticed the exchange of his friends. It was just a quick eye contact, but Teal'c knew there was something going on his friends hadn't told them by now. 

“...and you, Jack? How can you stay so calm? I would have imagined that you'd be the first one to fight for our team. Why aren't you knocking on your superiors' doors to get them to change their opinion?” Daniel was beside himself with rage. 

“It wouldn't change anything, Daniel….”

“You don't know that.”

“I know it wouldn't change anything, because Sam won't be in the Air Force anymore.” Jack stated, calmly. 

“What??? They don't just change your job, they remove you from the Air Force?” Daniel didn't know where to put his anger. 

“On my will, Daniel. Everything is alright. You don't need to worry. Just let me explain.” She tried to calm him down. “I decided to change my job and leave the Air Force. As much as I love doing what I do now, and as much as the military was my life for a very long time, has been since I was little, there are other things that might be more important. Other things I like to try and that are only possible if I'm not working for the Air Force.”

“What could that possibly be?” He snorted, angry that he didn't know what one of his best friends was planning and a bit hurt. But when he saw that Sam turned her head towards Jack and reached for his hand, which in the meantime made its way onto her shoulder, he started to understand. 

“I know, it's definitely not the perfect timing, but when would that be? Who tells us that the Goa’uld will be defeated someday? That might never happen, and maybe if, then it could be too late and we'll regret having waited.”

“You mean…” and for the first time that day, Daniel was speechless. 

“Yes, the Colonel and I,... Jack and I, we want to be together, and the only possible way is one of us not being in the military. For a long time I thought my job was all I needed, all I wanted and having great success would be everything. My father would finally be proud of me, but only when I met Jack I began to realize that there could be much more. I mean, you'd understand, right? And somehow my career isn't the most important thing to me anymore. I can still join you on missions, and I can save your asses from home too.”

“Oh Sam, I'm sorry I didn't let you finish. That is a very good reason indeed. And I'm happy for you guys!”

“Me too, Major Carter, O'Neill.” Teal'c nodded his approval. 

“Thank you so much! Next month it will be Dr. Carter.” Sam smiled and her friends could see that her decision made her happy. 

“We talked to Hammond this morning about our options and we considered it carefully, but in the end it was Sam's choice, because she's the one making the big sacrifice. I hate to have to break in a new team member, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.” Jack told them. 

“That's great! So, what gave you the final push? I mean, you're dancing around each other and around the regs for a while now. I never expected one of you to finally get your head out of your…uhm butt.” Daniel asked. 

“It was a photograph.” Sam told them and smiled at the memory. 

“A photograph?” Teal'c wanted to know and leaned a bit forward, with the attention of the warrior he is. 

“Yeah, Dr. Carter, the one from the alternate reality, gave it to me. It was their wedding photo. She had lost her Jack and sensed that my feelings for my Jack were quite similar. She understood that the regulations held us back, but she talked some sense into me. And now here we are. However we have to be professional at work and I would appreciate it if there was no talk about us. I am aware that changing positions, quitting the Air Force will start the rumor mill, but I would like to give it some time to get used to it.”

“There'll definitely be talk, but we know you've always been professional and nothing inappropriate happened while you're on the team.” Daniel assured her. 

The afternoon was filled with laughter and joy, their friends were happy for them and their worries vanished. 

Not long and Daniel and Teal'c headed back to base to give Sam and Jack some time to themselves. 

They decided to sit outside as it was a wonderful warm evening. She was cuddled against him, her head rested on his chest, her fingers drew circles over his stomach. His arms were slung around her. 

“Penny for your thoughts!”

“Technically we're still breaking the regs now.” Sam smirked, “I mean, I'm cuddling with my commanding officer.”

“Yeah, but now Hammond knows. He asked us to keep it low until you're out. But he sure is aware that there will be cuddling and kissing.”

“Alright, only cuddling and kissing until next month.” 

“And next month?” Jack wanted to know. 

“Oh next month we can take the next step.” She told him, running her fingers slowly down and stopped at his waistband to give him a clue. 

“You're evil, Samantha Carter! Teasing me like this.”

"You'll survive, Jack! Only a few more weeks. So uncle George is able to tell the truth without lying that nothing inappropriate ever happened while under the same chain of command. Okay, besides the kissing.”

“Uncle George??” Jack straightened. He'd never heard Sam call the General her uncle. She immediately noticed her slip, they agreed to be only professional on base. 

“Well, you know my father and Hammond go way back. We lived at the same bases most of the time and they've been on many assignments together. They were best friends, probably still are. So George Hammond became my godfather.”

“Just perfect, and I thought I only had to worry about Jacob.” He joked. 

“You don't need to worry about George, he's a romantic and doesn't see it as a sacrifice for me to resign. My father however is a whole different story. He you'll have to worry about.” Sam laughed wholeheartedly when she saw the panic on Jack's face.

It started as teasing, but Sam quickly realized that Jack's worry wasn't feigned. 

“Hey, I won't say that he'll be happy immediately, but he will have to accept my decision. It has nothing to do with you personally, he wouldn't want me to give up my career for anyone. Being my commanding officer won't help either, but Jack, that's my decision and not his. I'm happy with it and that's the important thing.”

He grew silent and seemed to be lost in thoughts. 

“Jack?”

“Why me, Sam?”

“What?” She was confused, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, why me? I'm much older than you, with a lot of baggage on my shoulders. Have you really thought that through?”

“Oh Jack, don't do that, don't sell yourself short. You're a wonderful man, you've come such a long way and I know behind those walls of sarcasm is a man that has a lot of love to give. I love you and that's all that should count.”

He hugged her even closer. “I love you, Sam, so very much!”

“Good, now that that's settled you should kiss me.” 

“Your wish is my command, ma'am!”

Chapter Text

The weeks until Sam's reassignment flew by too quickly. She enjoyed every trip through the gate with SG1 before she would leave. As much as she liked to keep the rumor mill at bay, as soon as word got out that Major Carter will be working in the lab from now on the rumors exploded. 

So on her first day in the new position she hid in her lab. It wasn't all that different from her work before, she kept her lab and worked on things like before. Even Jack stopped by like he always did, when she had been his second. 

“Dr. Carter!” He greeted her, trying to hide his smile. 

“Colonel!”

“So, how's your first day as a full-time geek?”

“Nothing different so far. How's your day? Have you finally decided on a replacement for me?”

“Sort of. There's a new Captain, engineer and physicist, Hammond thought it would be a good fit. He seems nice though. We'll try how this works out.”

“Give him a chance, Jack. You've given me one, too. And I bet you wanted to get rid of me at the beginning.”

“Not really, you've had me by the moment you challenged me to arm wrestle.” Remembering the cocky exchange in their first meeting. 

“Oh, ehm, Hammond sent me to let you know that he's telling everyone about your new assignment. Your department already knows and it's only fair to brief the SG teams, tell them you might join them from time to time.”

“Alright,” she nodded, “I've spoken to my team earlier.”

“Sam, I wonder what I should say when someone asks me? You know about us.” She could see that he was nervous. 

“Tell them you're the luckiest guy in the world.” She grabbed his face and made sure no one saw them before she gently kissed him. “Despite my first opinion I don't want to hide this, if that's what you're asking. If it comes up then okay, you can tell them. It's better than them talking behind our backs. I'm sure they still will talk behind our backs, but this way it doesn't seem like we're hiding.”

“Okay, I'm glad that we have clarified this. Do we see you for lunch?”

“I'm not sure yet. When are you heading out?”

“1400. We'll have to eat early.” Jack told her. 

“Then let's say goodbye now. It will be strange seeing you go without me. However, I'll try to make it to the control room.” She promised. 

“Yeah, it will be strange being out there without you. We're back on Friday and then I'm taking you out for dinner.”

“I'm looking forward to that.” Sam hugged him goodbye. 

The mess hall was loud when Jack entered. He spotted Daniel and Teal’c at their table, but beside them a lot of teams were there. Due to the lockdown from last week most of the teams were earthside, waiting for a new mission. Jack grabbed his lunch and motioned Captain Turner, who just entered the room, to join them as it would be his table now too. 

Major Ferretti and SG2 sat at the adjoining table and clearly he heard of the change in Jack's team. 

“Hey Jack, I've heard you have to break in the new kid.”

“Mmh.” was Jack's murmured answer, not daring to give Lou the hint he yearned for. 

“Come on Jack, won't you tell us what happened?”

“Nope.” He held his straight face, he was black ops after all and he liked to tease the younger man a bit longer. 

Captain Turner chose this moment to join them and stay down, unaware of the conversation. 

“Ferretti, have you met Captain Turner?” Jack introduced them. “Turner, this is Major Ferretti, SG2.”

“Major!”

“Captain!” Turning back to Jack he went on, “You didn't answer my question, Jack? What happened, why is Carter moved to the lab? I've heard she isn't even in the military anymore. We're worried, and if some injustice has happened we're ready to fight it.”

Jack didn't know what to say, they were worried about Sam because they liked her, he couldn't let them think that it's a punishment for something she had done. He had to come clean and he had Sam's permission to do so. He hesitated just for a short moment. 

“Nothing happened, Lou. It was her decision, she chose to quit the Air Force and move to a lab position. You don't need to worry.”

Ferretti and his team were stunned, they hadn't expected this. 

“What? She was on her way to be the youngest female General someday. Why would she quit??” Lou nearly shouted and drew the attention of all personnel in the room, which got silent. When he looked Jack straight in the eyes he suddenly knew. “Oh. Oh! That's unexpected.” 

“Is it?”

“Yeah, I mean, no, I mean… I'm rambling, Jack. Sorry. Is this really true?”

All eyes were on him, Daniel and Teal’c watched with amusement. 

“You'll find out anyway.” Jack sighed, “Yes it's true, Carter stepped down so we could have the chance of being together.”

Again the room filled with loud chatter and joyful laughter. 

“Look, she doesn't see it as a sacrifice, she can still do the important work she's meant for. And she's able to join us or even your team when necessary, so watch out.” 

Lou slapped him on the back. “Way to go, Jack. I saw, the first time you two met, that there's a spark between you. I'll never forget how she challenged you to arm wrestle, that was epic.”

Siler and Walter left the room inconspicuously to find out who won the bet and Daniel explained to a very confused Captain why he even got the position at their team. 

Teal'c, Daniel and Captain Turner were already in the gateroom waiting for Jack. Sam was working beside Walter, ready to engage the wormhole when Walter leaned closer and whispered: “We've heard about the reason you chose to change the job, we're all very happy for you ma'am!”

Sam was surprised that anyone actually would address it, but after all it's Harriman. 

“Thank you, Walter. That means a lot.”

“I want you to know that the majority of us won't treat you differently because you chose to be happy. The rest I haven't spoken to yet, but I'm sure they see it the same way.”

She was relieved to know that she wouldn't need to worry. On her way to the control room she passed a few staff members who were smiling at her and she didn't know what to think of it. Now she knew it was an honest smile. 

Jack and Hammond came down the stairs, still talking about the mission when he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching her sitting in front of him. A quick exchange with Hammond told him the older man was okay with them saying goodbye, so he stepped forward, put his hands on her shoulder and bent forward. His lips next to her ear. 

"Goodbye Carter, we'll miss you out there.”

“I'll miss being out there with you.” 

For their farewell, he softly brushed her cheek with a tender kiss, then squeezed her shoulders gently with his fingers before descending the staircase into the gateroom. 

“What took you so long?” Daniel teased him. “Will we have to wait for you all the time now?”

“Shut up, Daniel! Let's get going. Walter, dial the gate.” He instructed and Daniel came closer. 

“It's strange going out without Sam.” He whispered. 

“I know.” Jack sighed and looked up to her one last time before they stepped through the gate. 

While her old team was on a mission Sam went to see Janet in the infirmary. 

“Hey Janet, want to have a coffee with me? I was hunched over the energy cube SG3 brought back all day, I'm stiff and I could use a break.” Sam asked the petite Doctor, who slowly became a good friend of hers. 

“Great idea, Sam, just let me finish my notes and I'm ready to go. We should also have some food, it's way past dinner time.”

The mess hall was nearly deserted this time of the day so the women could talk openly without prying ears. 

“How are you, Sam? I'm sure you get this question a lot, but I really wanna know. You're okay with your decision? I mean, you do look happy.”

“I am happy, Janet. We haven't had much time together since the rules are out of the way, but on Friday we're going out for dinner.”

“That sounds nice. So I should keep the big needles aside when I see him for the post mission check on Friday?”Janet teased. 

“Yes please, I might need him in top form.”

“I see, I will make sure he has no alien diseases brought back with him.”

“Thanks, that'd be appreciated.”

“Cassie was asking for you the other day.” Janet told her. 

“Tell her I said ‘hi’. It's been a bit stressful the last couple of weeks, but if she's free I could take her out on Wednesday.” Sam offered while picking at her dinner. 

“She will love that. Maybe you could stay for dinner and we can share a bottle of wine afterwards, the mess hall doesn't seem the right place for a girl’s talk.” 

Sam blushed, knowing what her friend was suggesting. “There's nothing to talk about right now, Janet. The rules still applied until yesterday.”

Janet cast her a look of disbelief. “You don't want to tell me you haven't done anything so far?!”

The blush on Sam's face deepened and that was enough for her friend to know. 

“Let's just say there was a lot of kissing and cuddling involved.”

“Oh I can't wait for Wednesday night.” Janet squealed. 

Sam picked up Cassie from school and spent the afternoon with her. They went to the planetarium, Cassie's favorite place. She came here with Sam a lot, she always felt connected to her home world when she was lying back in the chair watching the stars and planets. There were not many visitors beside them, which gave them room to talk quietly. Sam knew the little girl from Hanka was smitten with Jack, he was kind of a father figure for her since she lost her whole family. She herself would have loved to adopt her, but with her working hours at that time they wouldn't even have considered her. If she'd have made her decision earlier she might have had a chance. But the girl was happy living with Janet and Janet was the best mother one could wish for. 

However Sam was a bit afraid to announce her relationship with Jack to the young girl precisely because she knew how much Cassie adored Jack. Sam doesn't want to get in the way of that or make Cassie feel left out. She gathered all her courage to say something. 

“Did your mom tell you that I changed my job?” Sam carefully tried to pave the way to where the conversation should lead. But the girl sounded surprised. 

“No, why? Are you still at the SGC?”

“Yes, I am. I quit my job with the Air Force and now I am a civilian scientist, doing mostly lab work, making sure the gate is working correctly and if I'm lucky I can join a team on a mission when my expertise is needed.”

Cassie straightened in her seat. 

“But Sam, you love your job. I don't know much about your military, but you wanted to be an officer your whole life, didn't you?”

Sam smiled softly, touched by her worries. 

“I always wanted to be an astronaut, but I had the chance to travel to space so many times now. That's way better than being an astronaut. And I joined the Air Force to achieve this goal and to fly planes, but lately I felt that I wanted something else. The only thing that changed for me is that I'm not assigned to an off world team and that I'm Dr. Carter now.”

“Okay, but I still don't get why? You love being out there, shooting the bad guys and you're good at it.”

“Cass, there's something else I need to tell you. In the military there are rules against relationships between officers on the same team. Jack and I didn't want to have the rules stand between us any longer. For a while now we have had feelings for each other, but weren't allowed to have them.”

Cassie connected the dots. “So you're saying you quit your old job to be able to be with uncle Jack?”

“Yes, that's what I'm trying to tell you.” Sam said, “And I'm really nervous about your reaction. I know Jack means a lot to you. And it doesn't mean that I stand between your friendship with him. He will still make time for you.”

“Oh Sam, that's so romantic. I'm very happy for you two! And I really don't mind if you like to join Jack and me when he takes me skating or hiking or to the zoo. I'm really thrilled.”

Sam exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding and hugged the girl tightly. 

After dinner Cassie went to bed and Janet and Sam sat down on the couch with a glass of wine. 

“I can tell that Cassie is thrilled, she loves you both very much.” Janet told her. 

“I know.“ Sam stated. “I'm glad she's happy about it. It would be difficult if not.”

“I'm curious, Sam, have you two spoken about what you're going to do?”

“We just wait and see. We both know that we have deep feelings for each other, but we don't want to rush it. We get to know each other better and see where this leads.”

“But you have kissed, you said.”

“Gosh Janet, I mean not that slow. I made a career altering decision, I'm pretty sure that's for the long run. And I wanted him from the day I walked into that briefing room.”

“So, Friday night?”

“Friday night, dinner and then we go from there. We both have the weekend off.”

“A weekend in bed with Jack O’Neill.” Janet concluded. “Could be worse. You know that you broke a lot of hearts on base, right? All my nurses fought to do his physicals. They might use the big needles on you now.”

Sam only stared at her friend in disbelief. 

“Come on, Sam, you must have noticed half the base lusted after him, the other half is smitten with you. But let me tell you as one who has seen all the male with their pants down, you're in for something big.”

“Janet!!!” She tried to sound outraged, but failed miserably. Happy laughter and clinking glasses filled the room.

Chapter Text

The days till Friday passed slowly. Too slow for Sam's liking. She threw herself into work to distract herself until her friends are back. Not being bothered by teammates who tried to get her to eat or taking a break she was able to get a lot of work done. 

It was only that she recognized how hungry she was when she heard Jack's voice from the direction of her lab door. She was bent over some test results for hours and didn't even notice that SG1 had returned, and by the look of Jack in his civvies the debrief was already finished. 

“Carter, you're still here?” He greeted her a bit confused. 

“Hi, Sir!” He flinched by her use of his honorific. “Sorry, habit. Why shouldn't I still be here?” Sam wondered. 

“Because it's Friday, we were running late by three hours and you and I should already have been sitting at a nice table for two, eating some very expensive, very delicious Italian food.”

“You were late? What happened?”

“Sam…“ Jack laughed, “only because you're allowed to be in your lab all the time now doesn't mean you need to solve everything by the end of the week. You're ok to take a break, head home at reasonable hours and look up from what it is you're working on from time to time. You didn't even know we were stuck on the planet for three hours because Turner decided to touch an obelisk. You'd have been proud that it wasn't me this time.” 

“I need to hear all about it.” Her crystal blue eyes shone even brighter when she smiled. She started shutting down her computer and packed her things. Just then she remembered that Jack hinted they were late for dinner. Friday dinner. She blushed by thinking about it. “You said we should be eating by now, are we too late?”

That's what it would be like with her most of the time, either she would be forgetting the time while working or he would be stuck on some planet, running late, but they would always try to make time for each other. 

“Too late for what I had planned? Definitely. Too late for our date? Never. I just have to improvise. Give me half an hour, I'll pick you up at your place. Just dress comfortably.”

“Comfortably?”

She wondered what he was up to. Initially she had planned to wear something like a little black dress, high heels…all those first date clothes. But that wasn't really her. Yes, she liked to dress up from time to time, but comfortable sounded good to her too. 

“Yes, like jeans, sneakers, something you wouldn't worry about getting dirty.”

“Dirty? What the hell are you up to, Jack O’Neill?”

“You'll see. Just hurry up.” Jack left her lab and headed home. 

Exactly half an hour later he knocked on her door and to his surprise she was already dressed and ready to go. Even if it was just jeans and a sweater she looked stunning to him. 

They knew each other so well, yet as it was their first official date, a palpable awkwardness settled between them. It was as if they were suddenly bound by a set of silly, unspoken dating rules.

​Jack was so shy he was almost speechless, and she found herself completely unsure of how to draw him out.

​“That’s ridiculous,” she finally told him, cupping his face in her hands. “We waited so long for this; let’s not make it any more awkward than it needs to be.”

​The moment she kissed him, his arms automatically wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his body.

​“Easier said than done, Sam. I want this to work out so desperately,” he murmured softly, his voice muffled as he nuzzled the warmth of her neck.

“It will, Jack, don't worry!”

“Alright, let's go, I'm hungry.” He took her hand and led her to the car. 

“Me too, where are we going?”

“Just wait and see.”

​The city receded behind them as he drove, heading for the winding roads up into the mountains. Sam became more curious with every passing minute. 

“Unless they opened up some shiny new restaurant in the woods I don't see where we could possibly get food out here.” Sam joked. 

Jack finally pulled the truck to a stop in a hidden overlook, a perfect spot where the entire cityscape was laid out beneath them. 

“What a beautiful view!” Sam said in awe, looking down, utterly captivated, at the carpet of sparkling city lights. 

“Just wait until you see why we're really here.” He told her and opened the door. “Are you coming?” 

He retrieved a basket from the backseat and circled around his car to unfasten the trunk flap. When Sam saw it filled with blankets and pillows, she smiled and wondered how much of a romantic Jack O’Neill really was. 

He helped her up and climbed in himself. They had settled comfortably next to each other into the pillows when Jack pulled a blanket over Sam's legs. 

She tilted her head back, her gaze lifting to the velvet expanse of the night sky. The soft wash of moonlight spilled down over her.

“This is absolutely stunning. But seriously, what’s in the bag?”

“Hungry?” He laughed. 

“Starving!” Sam answered. 

“Alright, let's see what we've got.” And when he opened the bag the smell of freshly made Chinese food filled the air. Jack had bought all of Sam's favorite food from the little Asian restaurant around the corner of her house. 

“You know how to make a woman happy.” She joked as she reached for the chopsticks. 

“If I had known the way to your heart was through food…”

“Not only food, but you've just got the right one, all of this is perfect! I'm really glad we didn't make it in time for our dinner reservations. We would have missed this.”

“It's scary how right this feels to me.”

“I love you, Jack!” Sam whispered, and when he leaned in to kiss her told her that he loved her too. 

After they had finished eating, Sam nestled closer to Jack. They watched the stars together until the first shooting stars streaked across the sky—it was mid-August, after all, and they were at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.

​When Sam started to shiver, he pulled the blanket higher to warm her. She turned her attention from the heavens and focused entirely on him. The hard lines of his face seemed to soften considerably in the gentle moonlight.

​Her hand slipped beneath his shirt, finding the firm warmth of his body. The kiss that followed was charged with passion, and soon, the night sky and the falling stars were utterly forgotten.

That night Sam stayed at Jack's house and within the following weeks not only her but the majority of her clothes found their way into his home. 

Whenever Jack was earthside, they made a point of leaving the base for the night. Spending as much time together as possible without neglecting their friends. Daniel and Teal'c were always welcome, as we're Janet and Cassie.

She made herself rare when SG1 was over for team nights, because she felt they needed their time to bond with their new team member. It wasn't easy for the young Captain to fill her shoes, but he tried hard and proved himself through his knowledge and skills. 

It didn't take long for Sam to move in with Jack completely. 

When they started their relationship he made unmistakably clear that he was in for the long run, as was Sam, which she proved by resigning her commission. So it was the next logical step for them to live together. 

She knew the day would come when SG1 got themselves into trouble, but even knowing she wasn't prepared for it. She was sitting next to Walter working on the control panel when Hammond ordered them to dial the gate. As soon as it was activated they were in contact with SG1. Jack and his team were late and now they knew why. They were cut off from the gate. As soon as they stepped onto the planet they knew it was an ambush. They were hiding in the nearby forest until now, but they wouldn't be able to avoid being captured. They left as much information as possible for the rescue team, but asked them to wait at least 24 hours. 

Sam froze in her seat. She noticed Sergeant Harriman checking on her and was grateful for Walter's silent support. 

“Alright Colonel,” she heard Hammond say, “24 hours and then we'll send SG2. Try to hold on.”

The gate shut off and SG1 was surrounded by Jaffa. When they entered the prison Jack huffed upon seeing a familiar face. 

“Dad! Fancy meeting you here. You never call, you never write. And now we know why.”

“Jack, I thought your team knew better than to be getting caught by a few Jaffa. By the way, where's Sam? And who are you, young man?” Jacob asked, turning to Captain Turner. 

Turner, who knew about the relation of this Tok’ra towards Sam, caught Daniel frantically waving out of the corner of his eye, signaling that it would be wiser to let Jack do the talking, who was already trying to figure out how to break the news to Jacob.

“Well Jake, I think you'll be glad to hear that she's safe at home. Captain Turner here accompanied us for this mission, but that's all you need to know for now. Carter is busy tinkering with some very important dohickey Major Nelson's team brought back from this last mission.” And that wasn't even a lie, Jack thought. 

“How long have you been here, Jacob?” Daniel asked, trying to rescue his friend from this awkward situation. 

“Around three weeks now. As soon as you're in here they don't really care about you anymore. I get food and water, but for one alone it's difficult to get out of here.”

“Then I'd say we're glad the cavalry is coming in 23 hours from now.” Jack told him and sat down beside Jacob Carter. “We might just get comfortable and wait for Feretti to get us out of here.”

They all sat down when Jacob picked up the conversation. 

“So, how's earth? What did I miss?”

“Ahm..”

“Uhm…”

“You did not miss much, Jacob Carter. But I think your daughter will be glad to see you if you have a little time to accompany us back to earth.”

And as many times before it was Teal'c who found the right words to answer a question without saying too much. 

Chapter Text

When it got dark outside a Jaffa patrol came to bring them food and water, as Jacob had said. The conversations stopped when everyone was eating. Afterwards Teal'c retreated to Kelno’reem and Daniel and Captain Turner made themselves comfortable. You could hear Daniel snoring not long after they fell asleep. 

The only ones awake now were Jacob and Jack. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence that surrounded them, the men had established a deep friendship over the years, but now Jack was afraid what his friend would think about Jack's relationship to Jacob's only daughter. 

“You're quiet Jack, what's the matter?” Jacob wanted to know, sensing that something is troubling his friend. 

“Nothing, just tired. Really!”

“What's the thing with Turner?” Jake pushed to get Jack to talk. “It's not a job for the flagship team to break in the new kid. Care to share what's going on?”

“Nope, it's not on me to tell you. He's a good soldier, a promising young Captain. Maybe they thought I did a good job with the last young Captain assigned to me.” He tried to joke. 

“You certainly did. Is she alright, Jack? None of you mentioned Sam, only when I asked about her.”

“She is, I promise. Come back home with us when we're out of here and see for yourself. I know she's looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Alright, I won't push you farther. I recognize a dead end when I see one, but if something is wrong with her I'll get back to you.”

“Either way you will, Dad.” Jack sighed and a small supportive smile appeared on Teal'cs face. 

Jack stayed awake so the others could rest without worry, he wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. 

Jacob closed his eyes for a silent conversation with his symbiot. Over the years Selmak became his confidant and voice of reason. 

*He said she's alright, Jacob. Stop worrying. If she wasn't okay O’Neill would have said so. He knows the fear of a father for his child.*

-I guess you're right. But there's definitely something they're not telling me.-

*I am right! Otherwise Jack wouldn't leave her side.* Selmak teased. 

-Oh boy, I definitely didn't want to go there. They're playing with fire, but I like to think there's enough sense in both of them not to make that big mistake.-

*What you call a mistake, Jacob, could be something wonderful for others.*

-I just don't want them…argh…hell I don't know what I want. We better get some rest, my friend.-

With that Jacob closed the topic and opened his eyes again. Observing Jack for a long time while he thought about what Selmak said. 

At the same time Ferretti found Sam in her lab. He halted at the door and watched her working. The soft clicking of the keyboard seemed to ground her. Lou knew that she kept herself busy when she worried, so she wouldn't have time to think too much about whatever it was. 

“We'll get them home, Sam.”

“Lou! I didn't hear you coming.” She looked up. “Yes, I know you will. I just need to be busy until they're home, you know.”

“I know, and that's why I'm here. You coming with us?”

“Me?”

“Sure, you haven't been on SG1 for nothing. You're the best and whatever they say, it is your team Sam and always will be. Hell, I feel a lot safer with you watching my back.”

That made her smile and she was grateful for the distraction and the trust he had in her. 

“Thank you! I'll be ready.”

“We will leave at 0600, at least try to get some rest.” Ferretti told her. And with one last glance he was gone. 

Exactly 5 hours later the radio on Jack's vest clicked to life. 

“SG1, do you read me?”

Instantly four pairs of eyes looked at Jack who made sure that all Jaffa were out of earshot. 

“Lou, it's good to hear you….” 

Three members of SG2 provided distraction

while Sam and Ferretti paved their way to the cells. 

“Ready to go or did you make yourself comfortable here?” Sam asked between the bars while the Major worked on opening the door. 

“Sam!? What are you doing here?” Jack nearly shouted, glad to see her but also a little afraid that Jacob would find out about them in the middle of a rescue mission. 

“Nice to see you too, Jack. Two months without me and you're already in trouble, hm?”

When she heard someone clearing his throat at the other end of the cell, all color vanished from her face. 

“Dad!!” Her eyes widened in surprise when she recognized her father. Oh boy. 

“Hello Sam.” Jacob needed a moment to process what he just had witnessed. His daughter and her commanding officer  obviously were on a first name basis. Did she say they are two months without her already? And when his eyes found her name tag on her uniform that said Dr. Carter he couldn't hold back anymore. 

“What the hell?” 

So everyone turned their head towards Jacob and then followed his look towards Sam. They immediately knew what he was staring at. Lou worked as fast as he could to get them to move and flee from this situation. 

Sam sighed. “Can we talk about this later, Dad? Preferably when we're not on the run from some nasty Jaffa and trying to avoid getting shot at?”

Jake's eyes left his daughter, now looking carefully at Jack, who seemed to find the floor very interesting right now. 

“I've got it!” Thank Lou for perfect timing. “Let's go.” He opened the cell and everyone got out. Everyone except Jack and Jacob. Jack gestured towards Sam and tried to lighten the mood before he followed his team. 

“See, I told you she's fine.”

Sam waited for her father to leave and followed him towards the gate. 

“You and I, we're gonna have a talk as soon as we're all cleared.” Jake hissed towards Sam. 

“I can hardly wait.” She murmured. 

When they entered the infirmary Janet immediately sensed the tension and when she saw Jacob enter behind them all she knew this was going to be an interesting day. She tried to get them cleared as soon as possible. Jacob first, so that he could already change his clothes before the briefing. 

After the debrief only Daniel, Teal’c and Turner were left with Sam, Jack, Jacob and Hammond. 

“Care to share now what's going on?” Jacob demanded. 

“This might not be the best place to have this conversation, Jake.” Hammond told him. “Join me in my office while they get changed and you can leave the mountain with your daughter. It's their weekend off anyway.”

Sam and Jack exhaled loudly when the door shut behind her father and the General. Daniel, Teal'c and Turner left for the locker room, Sam and Jack followed them. 

“So, what are we going to tell your dad?” Jack wanted to know. 

“The truth, that we've been in love with each other for a long time now and decided to not let anything stand in the way any longer. But it might be better if I'd talk to him alone first.”

Jack nodded. “I'd appreciate that. I'll head to the grocery store first, that gives you a little time to talk to him and convince him not to kill me.”

“I won't let him.” She smiled and kissed him quickly before she headed towards the General's office to pick up her dad. 

Outside of Hammond's office she ran into her father and guided him towards the elevator. With slightly shaking fingers she pushed the button to get out of the mountain. 

The ride home was mostly silent. 

“You're killing me here, you know?” Jacob started. 

“I know and I will explain everything, I promise. But you need to promise me something too. Don't be mad, just listen and try to let me finish my explanation. The first thing you probably need to know is that I moved.”

“You moved?”

“Yes, come on, we're here.” She turned off the engine and it was just now that Jacob realized they had stopped and parked in an unfamiliar driveway. 

He got out of the car while he scanned the surroundings.They found themselves facing a charming, one-story house. The entire front of the structure was covered in dark, weathered wooden siding, which lent it a rustic, profoundly cozy appearance. 

Not the house he would have expected for his daughter, it almost looked like a family home. 

Inside nothing hinted that she just moved in, it seemed to have been inhabited for a while now. 

The first thing he saw was the picture of a young boy, 8 or 9 years old, with brown eyes and dark blonde hair. Obviously she's not living alone. 

“Don't make me wait any longer Sam, I have been patient so far und you know how much that costs me. I want to know what's going on, why you're off SG1 and why your name tag says Dr. instead of Major.”

“Alright, sit down.” She purposely directed him to the two-seater, so that he wouldn't see the other pictures before she had the chance to explain everything. 

“Look, Dad, I think I need to expand a little further… A while ago we had visitors from another reality.”

“Another reality?” Disbelief resonated in his voice, but Sam explained all the details for him before she went on with her story. She told him about Kawalsky and her alternate self and told him about the wedding photo. 

“She gave it to me to keep it. She never joined the Air Force, therefore some rules didn't apply for her. She was married to Jack in her reality.”

“Jack?”

“Colonel O’Neill. She's just been a scientist and happily married. She told me not to let anything get in my way of happiness. And I choose to follow her advice. Jack and I talked and we decided to give it a try. Don't be mad, Dad. Yes, I had to leave the Air Force and the team, but I'm happy working in the lab, figuring out all the alien tech the teams bring back. I always loved doing that, but I never had enough time to do so. Yes, I'm Doctor Carter now, but that was my decision. Jack would have stepped down if my heart had been attached to being an officer.”

“So, you and O'Neill?” He asked more with resignation than disbelief. Their feelings had been obvious to him for a while, although he hadn't expected that they would actually do this. But when he saw his daughter's smile he knew immediately she chose the right path. He was proud of her anyway, Dr. or Major didn't matter, she's a brilliant woman and most importantly she looked happy. 

“Congratulations kid. I have to say Jack is not the man I imagined you with, but then again he's the one who can handle you. He respects you and sees you as the brilliant woman you are. You learned to trust each other with your life, not many couples can say that. You know, I would give anything to bring back the time I had with your mother. You made the right decision. I'm proud of you!”

“Thank you!” She whispered. With watery eyes she pressed her head against his shoulder and was held fast in his firm and welcoming embrace.

The sudden knock against the door jolted them back to reality, forcing them to pull away from their embrace. The door creaked open a fraction, and he peered into the room. 

“Is it safe to come in?” Jack wanted to know. 

“As it is your home you should come and join us.” Jacob invited him in. 

“Alright, just let me get rid of the groceries and I'll join you. Beer for you, Jacob?”

“Sure Jack, no need to stop calling me ‘Dad’, especially now.”

The younger man smiled and headed towards the kitchen. 

“I'll go and help him. Be back soon. Make yourself at home in the meantime.” Sam told her father and joined Jack in the kitchen. 

“He doesn't look like he wants to kill me immediately, everything alright?” Jack asked, pulling Sam close to him so her body was pressed against him.

“Yeah, he's happy for us.” She said and closed the small distance between them, lifting her face to brush her lips against his before she deepened the kiss.

“I'm happy too!” He told her. “I love you, Carter.”

“Ahem…” Jacob clearing his throat behind them. Sam ended the kiss and hid her head on Jack's chest, giggling. Jack just smiled and reached behind him to get Jake's beer. “I'm sorry, but you just have to get used to it.”

“I'm sure I will cope.” He laughed. “Dinner is on me.” He grabbed the phone to order pizza and gave the couple some space. 

Sam reached around Jack for their drinks, her cheek brushing his. “Just for the record… I love you too, Jack!”