newlaw2.jpg
Another One Of Life's Battles - Part 3
Home | FoD | NCIS | CSI | Voyager | Stargate | Funnies | Atlantis | Other Stuff

Age Friendly!

~*+*~

Sam and Jack had left the twins in the infirmary with Janet who had assigned a nurse to keep an eye on them. After making sure that their children were alright, they made their way towards the control room.

Hammond turned towards the stairs leading to the 'Gate room, to see Colonel O'Neill and Dr Carter, soon to also be O'Neill. He smiled, he didn't realise it but they would be getting married in just under two weeks.

"Sir." Jack acknowledged, following Sam towards the General's side. He studied the older man for a moment, and could immediately see that something was wrong with his superior. "What's going on?" He asked.

"SG teams 2 and 6 are in trouble. The DHD won't establish a wormhole from their side. We can dial P3X 881, or Nasya as it's known to the locals, but our teams can't dial in." He explained, sighing. "They've been trapped there for almost 48 hours." He rubbed his forehead wearily.

Sam stared at the dormant Stargate. She dropped Jack's hand and sat down at one of the computer terminals. "Do you have any data on the planet?" She asked, hurriedly typing up a program from the computer.

The technician pointed out all of the data that they had on Nasya, everything from the landscape to the climate. Jack watched as Sam nodded her head for a few minutes, mumbling something to herself. Suddenly, she twirled the chair around and stood up, facing Hammond. "Sir, I can fix this." She announced, and the room fell silent as the other occupants wondered how she could solve a problem in ten minutes that they couldn't solve in two days.

"When can you have the plans written out so that I can send them through to our people?" He asked, relief flooding through him.

"No, Sir. You don't understand. *I* can fix this, but I need to see the inside of the DHD to do it accurately." She replied, shaking her head.

"Doctor, what exactly do you mean accurately? Can you fix this or not?" He asked, his voice showing irritation and sleeplessness.

"Yes Sir, I can fix this but unless I see the inside of the DHD, then we don't have a chance. If I were to make out plans without looking at all of the components then I could easily give someone directions on how to electrocute themselves. I *need* to see it." She told him, briefly noticing that Jack was smiling at her.

Hammond sighed. "Are the twins here?" He asked, quietly.

"There's a nurse with them. They won't be left alone." Sam replied without missing a beat.

"And you're confident that you can fix the DHD and get everyone home in one piece?" He pressed, not willing to let her go unless he was sure that she would come back to her children.

"Twenty minutes and I'll be done, sir." She returned.

"Very well." He relented. "Go and suit up, get all of your gear and take an MP5 just in case. I assume that you want to go with her, Colonel?" Hammond asked, rhetorically. He knew the answer to that question before his mind had even formed the words.

"Someone has to watch her six Sir, and I'd prefer it was me." He agreed, smiling at his fiance. She was glowing again and her eyes were alight with a passion that he'd missed for a while.

"You leave in half an hour." He watched as they ran off to get changed, much like excited school children.

~*+*~

Sam and Jack walked up the ramp, both in their fatigues with a backpack full of any tool that Sam could possibly need to fix the DHD. They'd said goodbye to their children and were now just in front of the Stargate's event horizon.

Jack smiled at the look of wonder on Sam's face. "Want me to push you again?" He joked and she ignored him, stepping into the rippling blue surface she let the feelings that came with 'Gate travel wash over her like a tsunami.

Stepping out of the other side, Sam looked around the fairly peaceful planet. There was a body of water on her left, and a village on her right. The planet's population appeared to be fairly small, and not very technologically advanced. In front of her was the DHD, with Daniel and Teal'c standing in front of it.

Sam smiled as Jack exited behind her and she walked over to her friends and hugged them. "How are you?" Daniel asked.

"Good." Sam nodded, un-clipping her backpack and setting it on the ground.

"Um. . .what are you doing here?" Daniel wondered aloud, tilting his head to the side a little.

"Getting you back home so that you can attend our wedding. You two are Jack's best men! At the rate that these military people work, you wouldn't have made it back for our first anniversary." She laughed, lightly kissing Jack.

"You have the knowledge needed to repair the Dial Home Device?" Teal'c asked.

"Yep, she does. Where's the rest of the SG units?" Jack asked, looking around the village. There were native people pottering around their houses, completing their daily chores.

"They are helping some of the native men carry some fallen trees so that they can use them to build houses." Daniel explained and Sam sat down in front of the DHD, removing the covering.

~*+*~

Jack sat few a meters away from Sam, far enough away not to disturb her, but close enough to help her in a hurry if the situation called for it. He enjoyed watching her work, she was always concentrating on what she was doing that the rest of the world didn't seem to matter.

Sam gave a small cheer and stood up. She punched in the seven symbols for Earth, and the Stargate engaged. Jack walked over and hugged her. "I knew you could do it." He whispered, claiming her lips.

"Save it for the honeymoon!" Feretti taunted, walking up to the embracing couple. "Got the DHD fixed, doc?" He asked, looking at the established wormhole.

"Fixed and ready to go." She agreed, tilting her head up to look at Jack. She happened to glance over his shoulder, and looked at the sky. "Jack." She cried, pointing towards the heavens.

He turned and saw what she was looking at- Goa'uld Death gliders. Four of them, all heading towards the village, weapons aimed and ready. "Crap." He muttered. "Daniel start evacuating the villagers through the 'Gate. Jamerson, send the GDO code and go through to tell Hammond what to expect. Teal'c you help Daniel and any wounded, Feretti your the fastest runner here, go and make sure that all of the natives are prepared, they don't need to bring anything. Rest of you, help with the evac. Sam I want you to. . ." Jack started, but Sam cut him off.

"Go and help Daniel?" She supplied and he nodded, quickly kissing her before they all ran to do what was needed and the gliders began firing.

~*+*~

"Sam those gliders are coming back around." Jack called, running past her with an infant in his arms.

"This man's alive!" She called back. He was alive, but only just.

"We can *not* wait!" He yelled, thrusting the infant into Teal'c's waiting arms, before turning and running back towards his fiance.

Sam sank to her knees, throwing her gun to the side. She felt the man for a pulse. It was thready and weak, but he wasn't breathing. He was badly burnt, but not heavily bleeding. She tilted his head back, holding his nose. Sam took a deep breath and lowered her mouth to his, blowing in air.

Once she had emptied the air from her lungs into his, Sam began to pull away, only to find a hand had clamped down on the back of her head. She struggled, unable to keep from panicking.

Sam gathered all of her strength and fought to pull back, feeling her own mouth fill with his blood. She briefly worried about asphyxiation, but suddenly she had been released and she shot up, spiting out the blood. It was then that she noticed that something unnatural had passed between them.

She looked straight ahead of her, with glowing eyes.

"You alright?" Jack asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes went back to normal and Sam looked around, a little disorientated. "Yeah." She muttered, wiping the other man's blood from her mouth, using her sleeve.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Jack told her, reaching to pull the man into his arms.

"No!" Sam cried. "He . . .ah, had some kind of seizure, bit his own tongue." She told him, standing.

He got up and they both ran towards the Stargate, falling through the surface onto the ramp at the SGC. Standing up and looking around, Jack figured that there had to be at least two hundred people crowded in the 'Gate room, all frightened.

Janet and several of her nurses were trying to move through the sea of people, in search of anyone that was injured. Most of them were fine, the majority of people who were hurt were still on Nasya.

Jack turned to Sam. "We should check on Heidi and Jack." He told her, grasping her hand with tenderness, aware that she could be hurt.

Sam stared at him blankly, resisting the urge to remove her hand from his. She fought the urge to fight him, instead, she tried to sort through the memories in her mind and found the information she needed. "Heidi, Jack, right. Sorry, I had a mental blank." She told him, forcing a smile.

He returned the smile and they headed towards the infirmary to see their children. The room that the twins' were being kept in was small, but big enough for one nurse to be with them constantly. It was originally the CMO's office, but one of the bigger storage room's had been converted for Janet so the old office could be kept aside in cases of emergency.

"Colonel, Doctor." Nurse Sanderson greeted, standing with Heidi in her arms.

"How've they been?" He asked, gently picking little Jack up.

"Perfect Sir. They were a dream to look after." She replied, smiling.

Jack turned around to speak to Sam, only to find that she was no longer in the room. He looked back to the nurse, but she just shrugged. Putting his son down, Jack left the room in search of his missing fiance.

~*+*~

Jack had searched everywhere for her, even Janet was looking for her. Apparently she had missed her post mission physical, and no one else had seen her. He'd been prepared to search the entire base but Hammond had ordered that the original SG-1 come to the briefing room so that he could get an account of what had happened.

Walking into the room, Jack was surprised to see Sam already sitting at the table, giving Hammond her version of what had happened on Nasya. Throughout the duration of her recount of events, even when she was rudely telling Teal'c that he was 'just a Jaffa', she remained completely insouciant, which had Jack worried.

The briefing ended and she didn't even acknowledge him, simply standing and collecting her notes. Jack decided to approach her. "Ah, Sam, I don't mean to be a nag but ole' Doc Fraiser says that you haven't been checked out yet." He tried, giving her a small and hesitant smile.

"I'll go right now Colonel. Wouldn't want to break post mission protocol now, would I?" She returned, punching him on the arm.

Jack stared after her, concerned. She'd punched him on the arm like a military comrade, and she'd called him by his rank, something that she hardly ever did, and when she did she was usually just teasing.

He continued to stare at the door that she had just exited, something wasn't right.

~*+*~

Janet gently probed Sam's throat, checking her glands through the soft skin. "I'm sorry to have to do this." She murmured, continuing to feel around her friend's throat. Sam swallowed and looked around. "Jack's been looking for you." Janet told her.

"Jack. . ." Sam repeated, testing the name out. "Jack, yeah. I've had some stuff to do." She replied, smiling slightly.

"He understands. Open wide." The Doctor ordered, shining a pen light into Sam's mouth. "Have you had a bit of a sore throat lately?" Janet asked, squinting her eyes a little to get a better look at the inside of her friend's mouth.

"Ah. . .A little. Why?"

"There's a small abrasion, I'm going to have to do a swab." She smiled, pulling out the long cotton bud from a sealed container. "Open." She commanded softly and Janet carefully inserted the instrument into Sam's mouth. She gently took a sample off the back of her throat, where the abrasion was.

"Is that all?" Sam asked impatiently.

"No, I got a call from the physiotherapist and he wants you to have an MRI done, to check out your spine. I told him that I'd do it here, hopefully save you some trouble. So put this gown on and then we'll get this over with." Janet told her, handing Sam the hospital gown. Or 'see my butt gown' as Jack had named it.

Sam sighed, but nodded and closed the curtain around the gurney so that she could get changed.

~*+*~

Janet studied the MRI with tears in her eyes. How had this happened? How could they have missed the personality change? She shook her head, there had been no glowing eyes or distorted voices, no evidence.

No evidence that Sam had been infested with a Goa'uld.

She pushed her emotional side away and tried to focus on her professional exterior. She glanced in the mirror and lightly dabbed under her eyes, wiping away the tiny trail of mascara that had dripped onto her cheek. How was she supposed to handle this? Janet hadn't been there when Kawalski had been infected, and even though she'd read the report, and seen video footage, nothing compared to knowing that your best friend wasn't herself any more.

Walking back into the room where the MRI machine was situated, Janet wordlessly helped Sam to sit up. She smiled at her friend, while her insides twisted themselves into painful knots. "Well, everything looks normal." She lied, "But I'll send the results to Tony." She smiled.

Sam nodded and stood up. "Can I go now?" She asked.

Janet nodded, unsure of what to do. "Yeah, just go and get changed." She pointed towards the room that Sam had been in for her exam.

Sam walked out of the room and Janet reached for the nearest phone. "General Hammond, sir. I need some SF's in the infirmary, Doctor Carter has been infested with a Goa'uld." She mumbled.

"I'll send them down immediately." Hammond replied, hanging up and dialling the security office.

"This is Hammond. You are under orders to restrain Doctor Carter using any means necessary, but keep her alive." He sighed, leaving his office and heading towards the infirmary.

~*+*~

Jack walked through the corridors of the SGC, infirmary bound. He thought it was strange that all of the people that he saw on the way were giving him sympathetic looks, but considering their day job, he tried not to question things too much.

Entering the infirmary, he headed to Janet's office. He knocked quietly and opened the door, surprised to see his friend slumped in her chair with her head in her hands. "Janet?" He asked, walking over to her.

"Jack?" She asked, and he nodded, concerned. Lightly touching her shoulder, Jack was incredibly surprised when Janet launched herself into his arms.

"Janet?" He asked, confused. "What's wrong?"

"You don't know?" She asked, pulling back from him to look in his eyes. Jack shook his head. "Where were you?"

"Up on the clearing next to the entrance. I took the kids up while I waited for Sam to be finished with her exam." He explained.

"Jack, I sent someone to find you." She shook her head, wondering where the airman that she'd sent was. "Sam's become infested with a Goa'uld." She whispered, hating to be the one to tell him the awful news.

Jack stared at the doctor for a moment, blinking furiously. "Where is she?" He demanded, standing.

"Holding cell 3." She replied, watching as her friend ran out of the room.

~*+*~

Jack listened as the snake inside of the woman he loved told him, or lied to him, about the Tok'ra and how they fought against the Goa'uld. They believed in freedom, and never taking an unwilling host. He snorted, there was no way that his Sammy had been a willing host. He took one last longing look at Sam and headed towards the door.

"Oh god Jack!" Sam called, her voice now sounding like her own. "He's telling you the truth!" She yelled. "Please Jack, please. Don't leave me, give me a chance." She begged. Jack looked at Sam, his heart breaking. He had no idea what to do.

Banging the door, Jack cursed himself for fleeing like a coward, but that was all he could do. Showing Jolinar, if that really was it's name, any signs of weakness wouldn't help them get it out of Sam.

~*+*~

The Ashrak was dead, Teal'c had shot Daniel with a Zat gun, Sam was alive, but not doing so well emotionally, and the Tok'ra, Jolinar, had died to save her life.

Janet said that she would be alright, that all Sam really needed was love and support, but no matter how hard any of them tried, she was non-responsive. Janet said that it was a form of post traumatic stress syndrome, but Jack just wanted his fiance back.

They'd all tried talking to her, about mundane things and Siler had even tried to help by talking to her about a problem that they were having with the Stargate, nothing seemed to help. Jack had read to her, sung to her, serenaded her with the most romantic love poems that he could find, but none of it was doing any good.

It was late at night when he'd gotten the idea, about midnight. Sam still hadn't moved from her position staring at the wall, her eyes had remained open, and Jack had seen nothing in them, no life, no innocence. Which was what gave him the idea.

He'd walked through the SGC, waking several people, trying to decide if he was doing the right thing. When he'd gotten back to the infirmary, he walked past Sam and into his children's temporary room. The nurse on duty had understood why he was there instantly, and she'd helped him pick his sleeping children up without saying a word.

Walking back into Sam's room, the twins in his arms, Jack sat back down, staring into the virtually lifeless eyes of his love, and he began to speak in hushed tones. "Hey Sammy. I know that you aren't feeling so hot at the moment, but the twins need their mum. I need you." He whispered.

Jack watched, delighted, as Sam's eyes filled with tears, the first sign of any recognition of anything in the last day and a half. Her blue pupils scanned the room and finally came to rest on the two babies that Jack held in his arms. She stared at her children and the man she loved, and began to let her senses work again. "Jack." She murmured, her voice hoarse.

"Sammy." He smiled, the first real smile that had touched his lips in almost two days.

"Love you." She whispered, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

"And we you." He replied, taking his children back to the nursery and coming back to sit in the chair next to her bed, determined to keep a vigil by her side until she was ready to come home with him.

"Share bed with me." She muttered, moving over to allow Jack enough room to slide onto the gurney with her.

Sam instinctively curled up to him, most of her body over his. Jack kissed her head and followed his soon-to-be wife into a peaceful sleep, both happy to be reunited.

~*+*~

"You know," Jack started, sitting up in Sam's bed with her. She'd come out of her catatonic like state almost two days ago and Jack had hardly moved from her side. "Today is our wedding day." He told her.

"Yeah, it is." Sam agreed, leaning back into his safe and warm embrace. "Although I can't say this is how I imagined it." She sighed.

"We'll get there, just a little later than planned." He reassured, kissing the top of her head. Janet refused to release Sam for at least another day, and in turn, Jack had refused to leave her side for another day.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, sniffling a little.

"Hey, it's not your fault." He told her, grasping her hand and lightly squeezing it.

Sam knew that it wasn't her fault that they'd missed their wedding, but for some reason, blaming herself seemed only natural. She should have listened to Jack when he told her that they couldn't wait for her to help the dying man. And that's what seemed so ironic to her; she knew that the man was going to die, but she couldn't walk away, and it had gotten her into trouble.

"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty." She replied.

"*You* feel guilty?" Jack asked, incredulously, without thought. He cursed himself, knowing that Sam would ask the inevitable question.

"Why do you feel guilty, Jack?" She asked softly, and he couldn't help but breathe deeply. Even when the inevitable came, it still surprised you, he thought wryly to himself.

"Because I walked out on you." He replied, his voice as soft as her's. Jack couldn't shake the image of her behind bars and calling for him out of his head, probably another visual to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I wasn't me. And I think you did the right thing." She replied, kissing him to prohibit any further protests he may have had.

"Hey." Janet interrupted, clearing her throat until they stopped their examination of each other's tonsils, and turned their attention to her. Janet walked further into the room, carrying two little bundles who missed their parents. "They wanted to come and say hello." Janet explained, handing the children over to their parents.

"They specifically asked to come and visit?" Jack asked, his tone playful.

"Oh yeah. There were demands, threatening, I feared for my life." She laughed, taking a seat next to Sam's bed.

"That's our kids." Jack laughed, smiling down at his daughter.

"That's our kids." Sam agreed, feeling much happier than she had for a few days.

She smiled at her son and decided there and then that she had to get out of the infirmary as soon as possible; she had a wedding to organise.

~*+*~

Sam sat on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand and a sample book from the florist in the other. Jack was still at the base, finishing his post mission report. Hammond had let him get out of writing the report for the duration of her stay in the infirmary, but after she had been released, Jack had been ordered to catch up on the paperwork.

While he was at the SGC, Sam had decided to read through the pamphlet she'd picked up from the local florist, in the hopes that she could decide on a flower for the wreath that would sit in her hair for the wedding.

She turned a page and turned her nose up at the sight of a rather ugly flower on display. Sighing, Sam noticed that she was nearing the end of the book, and was yet to find anything that she liked. She flipped through a few pages until she noticed something that she liked.

The wreath was made of pale blue roses, that had obviously been dyed to change the colour, the small swirls of white on the blue petal indicating that fact in a tasteful way. Sam smiled, content that she had found the perfect flower for their wedding. The roses matched her dress, and she could have a bouquet of the same flower. Janet had told her not to worry about shoes, she would take care of that and Sam was grateful that it was one less thing for her to worry about.

Jack had been wonderful with the plans, most of the time that they'd spent in the infirmary was put to use discussing the rescheduling of their big day. It had helped Sam to forget about her ordeal with Jolinar, a task that was proving to be difficult. Although the twin's had helped to aid her with distractions.

The front door opened and Jack walked in, keys in one hand, and a rather large bunch of flowers in the other. He smiled at Sam and she returned the sentiment, standing to accept the gift that he offered to her.

"They're beautiful." She whispered, raising the bunch to inhale the scent of the white carnations that he'd bought for her, the card reading 'I love you.'

"You're beautiful." He returned, hugging her. "How are the kids?" He asked, his arms still protectively around her.

"Heidi's been crying a lot, but otherwise they are both perfect." She told him, walking into the kitchen to retrieve a vase and place her flowers in water.

"Any luck with the flowers?" He asked, flipping through the open book on the couch.

"Yeah, I found the one I want." She called. Walking back into the lounge room, Sam placed the vase on the coffee table and sat back on the couch, snuggling up to Jack.

"Does it match your dress?" He asked, staring at the page she had opened. Jack liked the look of the blue and white wreath that she'd been looking at when he came in, but he had no idea if that was the one she had chosen.

"Jack, I keep telling you that you are not going to hear anything about the dress until the wedding day, stop fishing for hints!" She laughed. Jack had been insisting that she tell him something about her dress, but Sam had plainly refused, even though she enjoyed taunting him.

"Can't blame a guy for trying." He replied.

"Mmm." She agreed, closing her eyes.

Jack let Sam fall asleep on his shoulder, while he flipped through the pictures of all the possible wreath's that were available, unknowingly turning his nose up at the same one that Sam hadn't liked.

Placing the book on the table, Jack gently lifted Sam into his arms and carried her into their bedroom, placing her under the covers. He walked into Heidi and Jack's room to make sure that they were still sleeping, before shutting off the lights and climbing into bed with his fiance, Jack followed her into a peaceful sleep.
~*+*~

"What do you want to do for the reception?" Sam asked Jack, putting her hand into the stream of water coming from the bath's tap.

"I don't know, we could have it at the mountain, but then half of the people invited wouldn't be able to attend." He joked, gently
undressing Heidi.

Sam stared at the stream of water, the flow of the clear liquid
seemingly sending her into a trance. Her mind was filled with images of places that she'd never been to, and people that she had never met before. Everything seemed so alien, and yet so familiar. It was like she had been there, and seen all of these things with her own eyes. Like she had spoken to the people who were in her memories, interacted with them, and made friends with them. But nothing that Sam saw as she continued to stare into the stream of water was real, not to her.

"Sam?" Jack called, carrying his now naked son and daughter
towards their bath. "Sammy?" He tried again, watching as her eyes
remained transfixed on the water, which was beginning to flow out of the bath.

Jack rested his children on his knee, using only one of his arms, and used the other to reach over and shut off the taps. Submerging his hand in the water, Jack pulled the plug out and let most of the water drain, before putting the plug back in, leaving enough liquid in the large tub to bathe the twin's. "Sam?" Jack asked, shifting Heidi into a more comfortable position.

Sam heard him call her name and she took a sharp intake of breath,
her brain coming back to reality after experiencing a few graphic
images of a man with blue eyes. "Sorry, I guess I got caught up in
my own thoughts." She explained, giving him an apologetic look.

"It's alright." He told her, smiling. Jack handed little Jack over to Sam and she gently laid him in the bath, one hand under his head, supporting him and the other hand supporting his body. Jack
followed her lead and did the same with Heidi, one hand drizzling
water over her body as she squealed and laughed at him.

"I can't believe how much they love water." Sam commented,
watching as Heidi and Jack decided to kick their legs around and
splash their parents with water.

Jack laughed and wiped his face with a towel. "What gave you *that* idea?" He shook his head.

Sam smiled and pushed the memory of making love to a man named
Martouf out of her mind, instead trying to focus on the present, and her own family.

~*+*~

Sam looked at the grey door before her, apprehension and
trepidation flowing through her body. She took a deep breath and
scolded herself for feeling so uneasy, she was only coming to talk to a friend. Raising her hand, Sam lightly knocked on the cool surface of the door three times.

The sound of Teal'c's monotone voice filled her ears after only a few short seconds. "Enter."

Unconsciously smoothing her hair down with her fingers, Sam opened
the door to the Jaffa's room and stepped in, quietly closing the door behind her. "Hi Teal'c." She greeted, looking around the small room. There must have been over a hundred candles illuminating the room, Sam guessed. Teal'c was sitting on a mat on the floor, his legs crossed.

"Samantha." He bowed.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked tentatively, willing her hands to stop shaking. Teal'c nodded and Sam sat down on the ground,
imitating his position.

"Are you unwell?" He asked, concerned. Most of the people on base
found his mannerisms to be unnerving, but Sam found comfort in his
actions.

"No, I'm okay. I just wanted to know a little more about the Goa'uld." She explained.

"The Goa'uld monopolise any planet that they are able to. They wish to dominate less advanced races and they rule without mercy." He told her.

Sam shivered a little, her heart going out to all of the cultures that had been traumatised by the Goa'uld. "What about their knowledge? How do they pass on what they learn to the next generation?" She asked, pleased to note that her hands had stopped shaking.

"The Goa'uld possess genetic memory. Each new symbiont that is born contains all the knowledge of those that came before it." He
answered, curious as to why she was asking these questions.

Sam nodded slowly, processing her thoughts and pondering her next
question. "What about the Tok'ra? Do they have the same ability?"

"They do." He replied.

"Thank you. I'll let you get back to your meditation." She smiled,
standing and heading towards the door.

"Samantha, if you should require any more information, then I would be pleased to be of service." He told her as she reached the door.

"I know." She smiled, leaving the room and heading towards the
infirmary.

~*+*~

Sam walked towards her destination, her thoughts running in very
unsettling directions. She knew that she had to talk to someone, and under usual circumstances she would have talked to Jack, but in this case she didn't think that he would be able to understand what she was trying to explain. At least Janet had her medical knowledge to help her comprehend what Sam was talking about. And Teal'c had his erudition of the Goa'uld to help him.

Walking into the infirmary, Sam was glad to find that for the most part it was deserted. She spotted a few of the usual nurses walking around and tending to the very few wounded occupants of the beds, but she couldn't spot Janet.

"May I help you, Doctor Carter?" One of the nurses asked her.

"Do you know where Janet is?" She asked, looking around the large
room.

"She's in her office ma'am." The nurse told her, nodding towards one of the rooms slightly off-set from the rest of the infirmary.

Sam smiled her thanks at the woman and headed towards Janet's
office, lightly knocking on the door before entering.

"Hey Sam." Janet welcomed, smiling as Sam returned the gesture and
sat in the chair opposite Janet's.

"Are you busy?" Sam asked, looking at the numerous medical
folders scattered over the doctor's desk, making the metal surface
unable to be seen.

Janet shrugged. "No, not really. Where are the twins'?"

"Next door, in their makeshift nursery." Sam replied, smiling fondly at the thought of her children.

She'd decided to start coming back to work on a part time basis.
Jack still had work to do in his office, although he was on a mission with SG-2 at the moment, and Sam had plenty of things to keep herself occupied with. It gave her something to do throughout the day and the twin's had been assigned a nurse to be their permanent carer when Sam was working.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Janet asked. "You look. . . distracted, for lack of a better word."

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

Janet nodded. "We're friends, of course you can."

Sam took a deep breath. "Have you ever fantasised about being with
one man while you were with another?" She asked, her cheeks
colouring sightly.

"You mean like being with a normal guy and fantasising about
Harrison Ford?" Janet joked, making Sam giggle a little.

"No I mean more like being with the man that you love and
fantasising about a man that you've never met." She explained, her
cheeks colouring even more.

"No, I can't say that I have. Why?" Janet asked, more than a little confused.

"I think it has something to do with the Tok'ra that I was blended with. I keep seeing images of places that I've never been to and people that I've never met. But there is one man. . .I think his name is Martouf, but he keeps popping up in my dreams, and part of me cares for him more than I've ever cared for anyone else." Sam
looked down, not sure if her friend understood what she was trying to say.

"More than Jack?" Janet asked.

Sam looked up and held Janet's gaze. "More than Jack." She
admitted, feeling very guilty

Janet chewed the inside of her mouth, thinking. "Have you told him?"

"How can I Janet? I love him with all of my heart but whatever I feel for Martouf is deeper." She replied. "This is absurd, I've never even met the man for crying out loud!" She exclaimed, shaking her head.

Janet smiled, despite the situation. "What are you going to do?" She asked.

Sam took a deep breath. "Try and forget about Martouf and hope that I don't call his name out at an inappropriate time." She sighed.

"Good luck." Janet replied, bidding her friend goodbye as she left
her office.

~*+*~

Sam sat in her lab, typing furiously on her lap top. After talking with Teal'c and Janet, she'd begun to feel better. When Teal'c told her about the genetic memory that every symbiont possessed, Sam came to the realisation that what she was feeling for Martouf was nothing more than what Jolinar had felt for him.

"Doctor Carter?" Feretti called, walking into her lab.

Sam smiled and looked up to see the commanding officer of SG-2
carrying a large container. "Hey Feretti. Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Yeah. We found these on our last mission, General Hammond
thought that you might like to take a look." He explained, placing the container on the corner of her work bench.

"What are they?" She asked, opening the lid.

"Don't know." Feretti replied. "That's your area of expertise." He
smiled.

Sam nodded. "I'll take a look at them. Does the General want me to
backwards engineer them for reproduction or just figure out what
they are?" She asked, picking up one of the devices. She
recognised one of them as a Goa'uld hand device, she'd seen
Apophis use it when they were on Chulak. The other device, a
circular object with a large red crystal in it was completely foreign to her.

"I think he just wants to know what they are." Feretti shrugged. "By the way, Colonel O'Neill said that he'd come and visit you after his post mission physical." He smiled, leaving the room.

Sam muttered a goodbye, her attention focused on the Hand device.
She unconsciously slipped her hand into the metal, placing the tips on each of her fingers, she looked at her wrist, the gold metal wrapped around her arm. Turning her hand so that it was palm up, she watched as the red crystal glowed and shot out a short stream of yellow energy.

Jack watched from the door as she stared at the energy being
emitted from the hand device. "Sam?" He called, walking slowly
towards her.

Hearing someone call her name, Sam's head shot up, her hands
instinctively turning to face the person entering her lab. Before she
could stop it, a large quantity of energy shot out and hit Jack,
knocking him against the wall before he slumped to the floor,
unconscious.

"Doctor Carter?" An airman called, walking into her lab.

Lt. James looked up at Sam, surprised. He stared at her, watching as her eyes remained fixated on the unconscious body on the floor, her hand outstretched. The Hand device was still active, but the energy being discharged from it was no more than three inches long.

"Doctor Carter?" He tried again and she seemed to snap out of her
daze. She turned to stare at him and Lt. James slowly bent down to
feel for Jack's pulse.

"Jack?" Sam asked, her voice trembling. "What happened?" She
demanded, looking at the young airman who still had his fingers on
Jack's neck.

"I don't know ma'am. I came in and you had your hand up with that
thing on it." He replied, looking at the Hand device still woven around her hand.

Sam stared at the device, shocked. She knew that there was a very
big chance that she had done this to Jack, but somehow, it didn't
seem real. The last thing she remembered was Feretti bringing
Goa'uld technology into her lab for her to study. Sam stood up and
walked over to her phone, removing the hand device as she went.
Dialling the infirmary, she waited until one of the nurses answered before speaking. "This is Doctor Carter, we need a medical team to my lab, Colonel O'Neill's hurt."

~*+*~

"How do you feel?" Janet asked, shining a pen light into Jack's eyes. He had regained consciousness shortly after a medical team had brought him into the infirmary, and no one had seen or heard from Sam since she'd called for the med's.

"Fine. Where's Sam?" Jack asked and Janet couldn't help but
cringe. He hadn't been told what had happened yet. The airman that
had found Jack had probably already formed his own theories, and
Janet had ordered the security tape from Sam's lab to be brought
into the infirmary.

"I'm not sure, Colonel." Janet replied, pleased that it was the truth.

"What happened to me?" He asked. Janet ignored his question for a
minute as she placed a cold stethoscope under his shirt to listen to his heart beat.

Janet sighed. "I don't know yet, what's the last thing that you
remember?"

"I was going to see Sam. You were busy with Jefferson, I think he
broke his ankle or something." Jack shrugged and Janet nodded.
"You said that I could go and have a shower and then come back for
my physical. Figured that I'd go and tell Sam that I came back with all my bit's and pieces still in place before I got cleaned up. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in here."

"Ma'am, I have the video you requested." Lt. James told her, handing her the tape of Sam's lab. Janet nodded and thanked him before turning back to the Colonel.

"I'll be back in a minute. I'll see if someone can find Sam for you, okay?" She asked, hoping that the chance to see Sam would provide an adequate distraction so that she could make him ignore the video in her hands.

"Thanks doc." Jack smiled and Janet left his bedside and retreated
back into her office to, hopefully, find out what happened.

~*+*~

Janet shivered a little as the rush of cold air hit her, wishing that she'd brought a jacket with her. Pulling her lab coat tighter around her body, she walked off the road leading into the mountain and headed to a small clearing. She had a feeling that Sam would be by the boulder that was at the clearing, she often came up to that particular spot to think.

Walking over towards the boulder, Janet wasn't surprised to see
Sam sitting there with her knees drawn up to her chest, her head
resting on them. "Sam?" Janet called, alerting the other woman of
her presence.

"I wondered how long you'd take to come and find me." Sam smiled,
raising her head to look at her friend.

Janet sat down next to Sam. "Jack's asking for you." She told her.

"Does he know what happened?" Sam asked.

Janet chewed her bottom lip, a habit that she'd picked up from Sam, and thought about her answer. "Yeah, he knows. And he doesn't
blame you, but he is very worried." She replied.

"Is he alright?" Sam asked, trepidation lacing her tone.

"He had the wind knocked out of him, but he'll be fine in a few
days. As long as you drive, he can go home tonight." Janet answered. Reaching over, she gently took Sam's hand. "He loves you, Sam. And he's not mad at you, despite what you may think. He's worried about you. I think you should go down and see him and just explain what happened. I saw the video Sam, and I don't think it was your fault." She told her, squeezing her hand.

"Thank you." Sam replied, standing and heading into the mountain.

~*+*~

Jack laid in the infirmary, quietly singing '99 bottle's of beer on the wall' to himself. He was bored. Janet had said that she was going to find Sam, but that was almost half an hour ago. He knew what had happened, and even though he didn't understand it, he didn't blame Sam. Janet had said something about Jolinar's memories enticing her to put the hand device on.

"Hey." Sam called, walking into the infirmary. She grabbed a chair and pulled it up to his bedside, sitting down and grasping his hand. "I'm sorry." She told him, tears in her eyes.

"It's not your fault. And if you promise to get me the hell out of here then we'll call it even." He joked and was pleased when she smiled in reply.

"Deal." She agreed. "I don't know what happened. I saw the hand
device and put it on, it was almost like I wasn't in control of my
actions. When you came in, I was so surprised to see you that my
hand just shot out. You hit the ground and then Lt. James was in my lab, checking your pulse." Sam explained, her brow creasing in
confusion.

"It's okay, Sammy. You don't need to explain, just get me out of
here." He smiled.

Sam nodded and stood up. Leaning over to give him a brief kiss, she left his side to go and get Heidi and little Jack and to check with Janet to see if she had any instructions for taking care of Jack for the night.

~*+*~

Jack laid back on the lounge and sighed, happy to be home. Sam
had started fussing over him the minute they walked in the door.
She'd sat him on the lounge, ordered him to stay there, and then
taken the twins down to their room to put them to bed. When she'd
finished with them, she'd briefly come back into the lounge room
before moving towards the kitchen to get Jack a drink. It was cute, in Jack's opinion, but he knew that she was feeling guilty for what had happened earlier. He tried to reassure her but she'd brushed him off and said that everything was fine.

"Jack, are you alright? Do you need anything?" Sam asked, bringing in a glass of coke for him.

"I'm fine, Sam. Why don't you sit down for a while." He told her,
patting the space next to him. Sam smiled and sat down next to him, trying, and failing, to look natural. As soon as Jack grasped her hand, she went rigid. "Sam?" He asked.

"I'm sorry, guess I'm just tired." She lied.

"What's wrong?"

"I want to contact the other Tok'ra." She blurted, instantly regretting it. Sam had been planning to talk to Jack for some time now, and she'd wanted to be a little more tactful about it.

"Um. . .okay." Jack nodded, trying to comprehend what she was
saying. He couldn't understand why she would want to meet them,
but on the other hand, it seemed only natural that she seek them out.

"Okay?" Sam repeated, surprised. She'd anticipated many things
from Jack. Confusion being one of the main reactions she'd
expected, but complete understanding wasn't one of them.

"If you feel you need to do it, then I'll support you." He told her.

"There's something else." Sam started, unsure of how to phrase her
next statement. "I want to do it before the wedding."

Jack thought for a moment. They hadn't set a firm date for the
wedding, especially after the Jolinar incident, but he thought that she would want to get married before any other unexpected turbulence was thrown their way. "I'll still support you, but why?" He asked.

"There's someone that I need to talk to, from the Tok'ra and I have to sort out that situation before I can do anything." She told him.

"Situation?" Jack repeated, confused.

"I have all of Jolinar's memories and feelings running through my
mind. All of her thoughts going through my head. It's like she's
another part of my personality, one that I only just realised that I had, and everything that she's seen or done throughout her life, I know about. But I only see certain things, not all of her life, just scattered flashes." Sam told him, desperately trying to explain.

"So, she's like a part of you now?" He asked, hoping that he was
understanding what she was saying the way that she so obviously
wanted him too.

"Yes. But some of the things that I remember about her life are
stronger than others." She replied.

"Sounds confusing." He commented, silently glad that he hadn't been through it, although he would happily have let it happen to him if it could have saved Sam some pain.

"It is." She nodded, trying to find some courage to explain the rest of it to him. "Jolinar had a mate." She told him.

Jack thought for a moment, deciding on the best reply possible.
"And because you have some of her feelings inside of you, it makes it seem like you know her mate and have feelings for him?" He asked.

Sam smiled, amazed that he was being so calm. "Sort of. *I* don't
have feelings for him, *she* did, and I have some of her left over
feelings. I haven't even met him, but I remember things about him. I remember things that Jolinar and Martouf did together, and I can't explain it but I need to meet him. I have too."

"I understand, but how do we contact them?"

Sam smiled, he was always thinking of the practical side of things. "I had a dream the other night, and I saw a set of co-ordinates, that I hope lead to their current home world, but they're by nature a nomadic people, so we have to move quickly."

"Well, why don't we get a good night's sleep and then we can go and see Hammond in the morning." He offered.

Sam nodded and got up, helping Jack to his feet before moving
down the hall towards their room.

~*+*~

Jack looked up at the spinning Stargate, surprised that Hammond
had agreed to let SG-1 try and find the Tok'ra. Jack still wasn't sure if there was a difference between the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld. In his opinion, they may draw the line between their way of life, but a snake was always going to be a snake.

Watching as the wormhole shot out and then retracted back into
itself, SG-1 walked up the ramp and stepped through the event
horizon.

Stepping out on the other side, Sam looked around at the desert
planet that they had arrived on. Sand dunes were accentuating the
planet's terrain. "No welcoming committee?" Jack quipped, leading his team, in what he thought, looked like a good direction.

Sam looked around the planet, and started to head east, as opposed
to Jack's chosen direction of north. "Sam?" He asked, watching her
wandering off in another direction.

"This way." She muttered, and Jack signalled the other's to follow
her.

Suddenly a man stood up, a Zat gun aimed at Sam. She immediately
raised her MP5 and aimed it at the strangers throat. Jack fought the urge to laugh at the tunic that he wore, but as a dozen or so other men came out of hiding, he raised his own weapon and eyed the others carefully.

"Who are you?" One of them asked, his Zat moving from Sam to
Jack and then Daniel and Teal'c.

"We're from the Tau'ri and we're looking for the Tok'ra." Sam replied.

"What makes you think that they are here?"

"I'm certain that they are here. And I think that you are the Tok'ra." Sam told them, still keeping her eyes fixated on the man in front of her, his blue eyes sending a spark of recognition through her.

"And if we are not who you seek?" The blue eyed man asked.

"Then I guess we all start shooting, there's blood, death, hard
feelings, it'd suck." Jack quipped.

"Martouf?" Sam asked, looking the blue eyed man up and down.

"I do not know this woman." He told one of the other men to answer
his questioning look.

"But I'm right though, that is your name, isn't it?"

"It is. How do you know me?" He asked, looking confused.

"I don't, but I know someone who did. His name was Jolinar." She
replied simply.

"You know Jolinar of Malkshur?" Another man, who appeared to be
their leader, asked her.

"I did. I carried him for a short time." Sam answered.

"Will you tell us of her?" Martouf asked, and she smiled.

~*+*~

Sam leant up against one of the tunnel walls, sighing. She kept
berating herself for wanting to seek out the Tok'ra. Why couldn't she just leave it alone? She had two beautiful children, a man who wanted to marry her and a lovely home, and she had to go in search of an alien race who decided that they were going to keep SG-1 until they moved planet's again, hoping that everyone else on Earth would think that they were dead and wouldn't come looking for the Tok'ra any time soon.

So, until they decided to move, SG-1 were stuck here. On the bright side though, after she'd spoken to Martouf, Sam was quite adamant that she had no feelings for him herself.

"Would you like to take a walk on the surface?" Martouf asked,
entering their makeshift 'cell.' Sam figured that they didn't get many visitors, given the fact that they had no doors on the cell. They obviously trusted each other very much.

"Sure, that'd be great." Jack replied, smiling.

"I am only inviting Doctor Carter. What we have to discuss is ...
private. I hope you understand." Martouf informed him curtly. Sam
smiled at Jack, trying to reassure him.

"Actually, no, I don't." Jack returned.

"Jack, I need to do this." Sam pleaded.

"I assure you that she will be safe with me." Martouf offered, and
Sam watched as Jack thought it over for a moment.

Jack nodded and covered up his worry with sarcasm, a trick that had served him well over the years. "Alright son, but I want you to have her back by eleven o'clock." He told him, impersonating an
Over-protective father and watching as Martouf's face showed
confusion.

~*+*~

Sam sat on the small hill, staring at the two moons rising in the sky. She looked at Martouf, unsure if it was him controlling the body or the symbiont, Lantash. She listened as he explained his relationship with Jolinar and Rosha. Telling her that host and symbiont lived as one, and they loved as one.

"I have some pretty deep feelings left over from Jolinar, feelings
towards you. I don't know how to explain it." She shrugged.

"Maybe you can communicate it, in a way other than words." He
suggested and Sam instinctively reached out to entwine her fingers
with his, as though it was a natural thing to do.

"You look much like Rosha did, you would make an excellent new
host for Selmak." He told her and Sam immediately retracted her
hand. The Tok'ra had introduced SG-1 to Selmak almost
immediately on arrival. When they'd met the high council the
prospect of one of them becoming a host for the symbiont had been
brought up. Sam had found the idea repulsive, and of course failed
to hide it.

"I'm sorry, I can't go through that again." Sam stuttered, standing and running back towards the ring transporters.

Martouf joined her a moment later and activated the rings to take
them back to the Tok'ra tunnels, neither saying a word. Sam was glad that she had the chance to learn more about the relationship between host and symbiont, as well as the relationship between Jolinar and Martouf, but she wasn't willing to leave her family to live with them. Jack and her children were too important to her. She ignored Martouf's attempts to apologise, and walked back into the room where Daniel, Jack and Teal'c were waiting.

Sam walked to the back of the room and sat down, the others leaving her to her own thoughts, for which she was grateful. Garshaw walked in a few minutes later, with SG-3 in tow.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, glaring at Makepeace. Sam knew
that flyboy's and jarhead's had always had a natural rivalry, but Jack and Robert Makepeace's dislike of each other seemed to run
deeper than just an average Airforce/Marine duel.

"We were sent to retrieve Doctor Carter. Her father needs her." He
explained and Sam stood up, walking over to him.

"What's wrong with my father?" She asked.

"He has cancer, and he took a turn for the worse." Makepeace
explained. "I'm sorry. They didn't give me details, just said that we should get you back to him."

Sam's eyes immediately filled with tears and Jack wrapped his arms
around her. She pulled back and ran a shaky hand through her hair. "I have to go back, Jack." She whispered.

"I know, I'll get you there." He promised and turned to Garshaw,
hoping to appeal to her humanity.

~*+*~

Jacob Carter lay in his hospital bed, listening as the nurse wrote his latest vital signs on his chart. He hadn't told his daughter about the cancer, their relationship was shaky at best, and he didn't want her worrying about him before the wedding. And he'd promised himself that he would still be able to stand when it came time to give her away.

"Hey dad." Sam greeted, walking into his room. General Hammond,
who was behind her, ushered the nurses out of the room.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked his daughter. When she
shrugged, he tilted his head to look at Hammond. "George, I told you not to recall her." He scowled, silently glad that she was here, even if he wouldn't admit that to her.

"I wanted to be here, Dad." She told him.

"We thought that you might like to know what Doctor Carter does for a living." Hammond told him, sitting in chair. Jacob had asked his old friend to grant his one last wish; to know what his daughter was doing that was more important that getting into NASA. Reluctantly, he had accepted that it was all 'classified' but still wanted to know.

"I thought it was classified." Jacob commented.

"Well, you just got clearance." Hammond informed him, smiling
slightly.

"We actually need you to do something for us." Sam told him,
grasping his hand. She felt Jack rest a hand on her shoulder in silent support, and was grateful for what he offered.

"What? The Pentagon want's me to deliver a message to God?"
Jacob asked, laughing.

"Not exactly." Jack replied.

"Well, I don't plan on seeing the other guy." He joked, coughing.

Jacob Carter laid in the hospital bed, stunned, as the three people tried to convince him that his daughter went to other planets for a living, when she wasn't at home with the twins. He was dumbfounded as she told him that she'd been to at least ten different worlds, and that there were hundreds of other's out there.

~*+*~

Sam stood in the 'Gate room, hugging her father before he left to go and live with his new people. At least she knew that they were on their side now. When Jacob had blended with Selmak, he'd also
gained all of the knowledge that the Tok'ra had passed through each generation, so he was able to honestly tell them that they were the 'good guys.'

"I'll be back for the wedding." Jacob promised, kissing the top of his daughter's hair.

"I know." Sam nodded. She knew that her father wouldn't let her
down. After so many missed Christmas's and birthday's, Sam had
learned when a promise that he made was one that he would keep,
and when it was an empty promise.

"Look after my little girl, Colonel." Jacob ordered, giving the younger man a manly hug before turning to Hammond.

"I got all of Selmak's knowledge, right?" He asked.

"That's how we understand it." Hammond agreed, nodding his head.

"Then you made the right choice in trusting them, old friend." He smiled. The Stargate engaged and after Garshaw and Martouf said goodbye, the three Tok'ra walked up the ramp.

Jacob paused and turned to face his daughter. "When we get
settled, I'll contact you, see if you have a date for the wedding." He smiled, holding up the GDO that he'd been given.

Sam nodded and smiled, watching as her father stepped through
the 'Gate before turning to face Jack. "Let's go and see our
children." She smiled, and they walked hand in hand out of the room.



~*+*~


Picking up the phone, Sam wondered who would be calling her at this hour of the morning. "Hello."

"Sam!" Janet exclaimed. "I found the perfect shoes!" She told her friend proudly. Janet had been searching for Sam's wedding shoes since they had found her dress.

"Janet, I'm really glad, but it's just gone six, don't you think it's a little early?" She groaned, watching as Jack shifted in his sleep and rolled onto his back.

"I'm sorry, but I got the shoes yesterday and when I got home it was too late to call, and I'm on duty in a few minutes so I just wanted to call and let you know that I got them and you don't need to worry about it." Janet explained.

"Thank you. I wanted to ask if you and Daniel would come over on Saturday for a get together?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, we'd love to. Is there an occasion that we've forgotten?" Janet wondered.

Sam smiled. "It's Heidi and Jack's birthday." She announced proudly, hardly believing that a year had gone by already.

"Oh my God, is it really September already?" Janet asked.

Grinning, Sam replied. "Yep, I was really disappointed when I realised that I'd forgotten, but things have been kind of unsettled lately." She explained, shuddering a little at the memory of her encounter with Jolinar.

"So, are we planning a party?" Janet pressed.

"I think so, but we'll have to wait and see." Sam shrugged, even though she knew Janet couldn't see the action.

"Daniel and I will be there, what time?"

"Midday. I'll let you go, your shift should be starting soon. Have a good day and I'll see you in a few days." She told her, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

Jack rolled over to face Sam, reluctantly opening one eye to look at her. He'd heard her conversation with Janet, and had relished the chance to lay in bed for a few moments. "Hi." He whispered.

Flipping onto her side, Sam smiled at him. "Hi yourself. Sleep well?" She asked, moving a little closer to him.

"Not too bad." He replied, smiling. "Are we going into the SGC today?"

"I thought we could take the kids down to the park and spend the day with them." She suggested.

Jack grinned. "I'll give Hammond a call while you wake the kids." He offered, pulling himself up into a sitting position. Sam nodded and gave him a brief kiss before moving towards Heidi and Jack's room to get her children ready for their day out.

~*+*~

Sam's heart filled with pride as she watched Heidi attempt to walk, only to take three steps and fall back onto her butt, clapping her hands and giggling with happiness.

"Is giggling a thing that run's in your family?" Jack asked, laughing as little Jack attempted the same thing, only to have the same result as his sister.

"Must be." Sam murmured, a smile touching her lips.

Heidi looked at her hands and pulled herself up, attempting to walk again. Both of the Twins had taken their first steps a few months earlier, and Sam was glad that she was there to video tape the experience. Jack had been making lunch at the time, but he'd caught glimpses of his children walking for the first time.

"Mama." Little Jack called and Sam smiled, moving over to her son, she picked him up. Making sure that his feet were on the ground, she held onto his hips as he began to walk towards his father.

Jack opened his arms as his son took another few steps and fell into his father's arms. Laughing, Jack turned to Sam. "Have you thought about the wedding?" He asked. He'd decided that whenever Sam wanted to get married was fine with him.

Sam thought for a moment as she watched Heidi reach for the teddy bear that her father had brought before she was born. "Yeah, what do you think about running to Vegas and eloping?" She joked.

Smiling, he replied. "I'm just glad that I have you in my life Sammy, whenever you want to get married is fine by me."

Heidi got to her feet once again and walked over to her teddy. Picking it up, she sat down and began to chew on the cream ear. "How about the 29th?" She asked.

"Okay. Think the kids will be willing to be the ring bearer's?" He quipped, making her smile even more.

"I'd be more worried about them trying to eat the rings." She laughed. "So, are you going to call everybody?"

"Yeah. Getting the venue isn't a problem, is it?" He asked. Neither of them were very fussed on getting married in a church, and the alternative that Sam had come up with seemed to suit them both.

"Nope, I have friends in high places." She replied mysteriously.

"So the owner is a family friend, huh?" He returned, grinning.

Sam nodded and set about getting their lunch ready while Jack spoke to the twins. Shaking her head at his futile attempts to hold a conversation, Sam couldn't hold back a laugh as he tried to convince them to say 'Dadda' and all he got in return was 'Mama.'

~*+*~

"Apple pie?" He suggested, blowing up another balloon. Jack had taken the day off to help prepare for the twins' first birthday party. Although Sam suspected that it was just so that he could suck the Helium out of the balloons.

"I don't think the kids would eat that." Sam replied, standing on a chair so that she could hang some streamers over the door.

"Strawberry Barbarian?"

"You want to clean that out of our *beige* carpet when they start throwing it at everyone?" Sam asked, and Jack nodded in agreement. They already had a stain in the carpet from when Heidi had objected to being fed mashed pumpkin.

"Point taken. Mud cake?" He tried. Their argument over the cake had been going on for almost half an hour now, and it served to entertain them while they set everything up.

"Carpet!" Sam repeated, her tone playful. Stepping down off the chair, she moved the piece of furniture over a few paces so that she could continue hanging the brightly coloured streamers.

Jack grinned and made sure that she was concentrating on hanging the streamers around a picture frame. Filling another balloon with Helium, Jack sucked in as much of the gas as he could in one breath, and then walked up behind her. Throwing his arms around her waist, Jack picked her up and then threw her on the lounge.

Ignoring Sam's squeal of protest, he landed on top of her. "What do you suggest then, Sammy?" He asked, his high pitched voice making her laugh.

"You sound like a Chipmunk!" She complained, smiling.

"Ever kissed a Chipmunk?" He asked playfully, leaning down until her lips mere millimetres from his own.

Sam looked up at him. "No, but there's a first time for everything." She replied, and raised her head to meet his lips.

Just as they began to get lost in their passion, the doorbell sounded and Jack pulled back from Sam and groaned at the unwelcome interruption. "Come in!" He called exasperated, silently glad that he had a normal sounding voice once more.

Daniel and Janet walked into their friends house, carrying a present each. "Are we interrupting something?" Janet asked, amused.

"Yes." Jack replied bluntly, reluctantly moving off Sam to accept the gift's that they held out. "Thanks, come on Danny, we need to get some ice." He told his friend, grabbing his car keys. Jack briefly kissed Sam before heading out the door.

"So. . .want some help?" Janet asked, looking at the balloons that were scattered around the room.

"Please. Jack has a habit of not finishing what he started." Sam laughed, picking up three balloons and some twine.

Janet cut of a piece of the string and wound it around the ties on the balloon's before tying the string together to hold them in place. "So, have we decided when the wedding bell's shall ring?" She asked, taking the balloon's from Sam to tie them to the cabinet near the door.

"The 29th." Sam replied. "Which means that we should pull our fingers out and get you a maid of honour's dress."

Janet smiled and nodded, returning to the task of tying the balloon's together. "Still at the same place?" She queried, cutting off more twine.

"Yep." Sam nodded, holding out another three balloons for Janet to tie.

"Good thing your dress doesn't have a trail." The doctor laughed, thinking about the possible disaster that would have become of her dress if Sam had decided that she wanted a trail, given the chosen location for the ceremony.

Sam said nothing, but simply smiled at her friend.

~*+*~

Jack watched as the twins crawled, and occasionally walked, around the lounge room, inspecting all of the guests at their party. Heidi seemed fascinated with Teal'c's tattoo, and Jack couldn't help but think that she was going to grow up to be a scientist like her mother. Little Jack, however, seemed more interested in the food.

"Teal'c, do you want me to take her?" Sam asked, watching as Heidi tried to crawl onto the large man's lap. Once she'd succeeded, the child seemed to enjoy playing the drum's on his chest.

"I am fine, thank you Samantha." He replied, bowing. Sam smiled at him and walked out to the kitchen to open another bottle of wine for her and Janet.

"So. . .wedding bells." Daniel stated, looking pointedly at Sam and Jack, both of whom seemed too wrapped up in each other to notice their friend.

Not getting any form of reaction from either of them, Daniel loudly cleared his throat. "What Daniel?" Jack asked, tearing his gaze away from Sam.

"Wedding bells." He repeated. Jack stared blankly at him for a moment. "When are they going to be ringing?" He elaborated.

"The 29th." Sam replied, carrying the bottle back over to Janet.

"I'll get a message to your father straight away then." General Hammond, who could only stay for a few hours, promised.

"Thank you sir." Sam smiled, snuggling up to Jack on the couch as they watched Heidi, who was still engrossed in Teal'c.

The rest of the party continued without incident, while the twins' showed off their walking skills to all of the proud adults.

~*+*~

"She'll be here." Daniel reassured, watching as Jack paced the small room. He was certain that by the time they left, there'd be a long divot in the grass.

"She's late." Jack replied, continuing his pacing.

"Jack, it's your wedding day, she's supposed to be late." Daniel told him, and Jack had to agree. Sara hadn't been late for their wedding, although they may as well have been married in Vegas, considering the lack of love that was present at the start of their marriage.

"I do not believe that Samantha would miss this day for the world." Teal'c told him, using the phrase that Jack had taught him.

"Colonel, we're ready." The Celebrant informed him, gesturing towards the top of the path.

Sam readjusted her dress again, and checked her hair, pleased with the result of her wreath and matching bouquet. Closing the car door behind her, she waited for her father, who was in full dress uniform, to join her and Janet. "Where are the twins?" Sam asked, looking around.

"They are with their Grandpa George." Jacob replied, tucking a loose strand of Sam's hair back into place. "Stop worrying. Now let's go before Jack has a heart attack." He smiled.

Sam giggled and took her father's arm as Janet stood in front of her. The trio walked up to the start of the red carpet, that had rose petal's scattered over it, and waited for their cue.

The Celebrant pressed 'play' on the small stereo system that had been set up and the sounds of "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers filled the garden. Janet began her walk down the aisle, heading toward Jack who had Daniel and Teal'c by his side.

Sam and Jacob followed a few paces behind her, both unable to keep the smile from their faces. All of the guests present for the ceremony, Sara and her significant other included, rose to their feet as the bride walked towards her future husband.

As soon as Janet reached the altar and stepped aside, Jack got his first view of Sam in her wedding dress. "Sweet Jesus." He breathed at the ethereal sight that greeted him, the setting sun behind her making her whole body glow.

"Amen." Daniel agreed, looking at Janet.

As Sam and her father joined them at the altar, Jack had to remind himself to breathe. Jacob presented his daughter, kissing her cheek before moving to stand beside Daniel and Teal'c.

Sam smiled and locked eyes with Jack as the Celebrant began the service. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Samantha Elizabeth Carter and Jonathan Charles O'Neill."

Jack barely heard what was being said, his eyes focused only on the beauty in front of him. He couldn't hold back a grin, despite all of the trial's and tribulations that they had faced, they were finally here, getting married.

Getting ready to spend the rest of their lives together.

~*+*~

The End

A girl's best friend are diamonds, Man's best friend is a dog.
And they say that we're the dumber sex?