Haunting Obsessions

Title: Haunting Obsessions
Author: Venom_69
Summary: And the memories of a man are haunting her days, and the
craving never fades.
Disclaimer: Don't own them, never will. Promise to put them back
in the state I found them.
Author's notes: This is a very odd piece of work, and as I look
back on it, I still cringe. The old `What was I thinking when I posted
this!?' debate will no doubt dance around my head for a while. :)
But, I think it's a good story, and feedback is always
appreciated.
Dedication: As always, for LEW.
Date: 11-3-2003
Copyright © to Venom, 2003

~*+*~

And the memories of a man are haunting her days
And the craving never fades.

The Corrs, Forgiven, not forgotten.

~*+*~

The fluttering under her fingertips was a welcome one and her hand
continued to absently stoke her protruding stomach. She had often
wondered, if the accident hadn't happened, if she would be in
this
position at all.

Not that she'd have it any other way, of course.

Circumstances being what they were, she was a little worried about
the safety of her unborn child. Her doctor had been taken by the
strangers, and although Jack had told her that he'd done a first
aid
course, she wasn't sure if she was completely comfortable with
the
idea of her husband delivering their child into the world.

Oh, she trusted him, and his skills, but there was something about
the situation that unnerved her.

Walking along the lake, she spotted him coming down the river in the
opposite direction, completely content in his canoe. Laira was fairly
certain that he'd even named his beloved canoe `Carter,'
but she
wasn't going to bring it up.

After all, he had married her hadn't he?

"Fair day." She smiled as he banked the wooden boat.

"Fair day." He returned, stepping up on the shore to kiss her
cheek
and then her stomach. "Hey kid, how's it goin' in
there?" He asked.

His question was met with a kick in her stomach that he felt.
Satisfied, Jack stood up, smiling. He gently took Laira's hand
and
they began to walk back towards the village at a leisurely pace.

It was the same everyday. When she woke in the morning, he would be
gone, and around lunchtime he would peacefully follow the river back
down to the spot where they had first kissed, where she would be
waiting.

Laira never asked where he went or what he did, she didn't see it
as
her place. She was his wife, yes, but she suspected that it was more
a marriage of convenience than anything else.

The elder's council-the few that had stayed on Edorra and lived,
anyway- were not happy about the fact that half of their population
was missing. They had been very adamant that it was Jack's fault
that
they all had to work twice as hard to compensate for the diminished
numbers.

Vote's had been taken on what to do with Jack, and he had been
given
little say in the matter. The council was a collection of ten men and
woman who were usually compassionate, and fair in their rulings. In
Jack's case, however, they had wanted to take the barbaric route
and
exile him from the village.

Laira had known that he couldn't survive. Their decision had come
at
the end of autumn, and with winter so close, he wouldn't able to
gather enough supplies to survive on.

That hadn't seemed to effect the council though.

Most of the village had agreed with them. Jack's team had taken
half
of their people away, why should he be treated to their hospitality?

While the council saw a man responsible for the loss of their loved
ones, Laira saw the man who had risked his own life, and his chance
to return home, to save her son and his girlfriend.

But her arguments had done little to sway them.

She'd tried everything that she'd known that would sway the
council.
She'd used compassion, anger, tried to gather sympathy, but in
the
end nothing had worked.

So she'd told them that she and Jack had fallen in love.

He'd done well to hide his shock, and just nodded in admission.
They
council had demanded to know when they had started sharing a bed,
what they planned to do with their lives. Jack had promptly informed
them that he wanted to be `bound' with the woman.

Laira knew that it was a lie. She cared for Jack, and he cared for
her because she had taken him in and shown compassion to him when
everyone else was determined to make him feel unwelcome.

But there was no love.

Well, at least, Laira didn't think that Jack felt that way for
her…..her own feelings were still in turmoil. He was sweet, kind,
and
attentive to her needs, but could she love a man who obviously
didn't
want her for who she was? Could she love someone who merely saw her
as his chance for survival?

She wasn't sure.

"You okay?" Jack's question broke through her thoughts
and she smiled
up at him, her hand still resting protectively over her abdomen.

"I am well." She smiled. "Did you enjoy the river this
morning?" She
asked, the same question that she asked every morning.

"It was peaceful…..I saw Paynen this morning." Jack told
her after a
brief pause.

"I hope he was not unpleasant to you."

"No, no, nothing like that. He wanted me to tell you that Jaylan
had
some bigger work shirts for you to accommodate your size, all you
have to do is ask."

"I will see her tonight, at the party." Laira replied.

"Will you be out late?" He asked as they neared their home.

Laira smiled at his words, unable to help herself. "You
worry?"

"Of course."

"You need not concern yourself Jack, for you shall be there with
me."
She replied, walking into the wash room before he had a chance to
reply.

~*+*~

Sam woke up reluctantly, her sleep deprived body protesting as she
opened her eyes and life her head from the makeshift `pillow'
that
she had been using.

"You've got numbers and letters on your cheek." Daniel
informed her
from his position at the doorway.

Self-consciously rubbing her cheek, Sam felt the indents on her cheek
from resting on her keyboard all night.

Damn.

She couldn't help but grin. "What time is it?" She asked,
suppressing
a yawn.

"Almost nine." He replied.

Sam's eyes widened in shock, panic clouding her eyes. "What?
Nine! We
have a briefing!" She cried.

"Relax Sam, Hammond cancelled it."

"Why?"

"Tessa has to have her appendix taken out. We have a temp General
for
the day so he can be with her." Daniel explained.

"Oh." Sam nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I should get
back to work."

"Sam…." Daniel paused, wondering if she would bite his
head off again
for bringing this subject up again. "Don't you think that you
should
take a break?"

"I can't Daniel….I have to bring him home."

"When exactly was the last time you left the base?" He asked
quietly,
already knowing the answer.

"A while." She admitted reluctantly.

"Sam, you haven't left the base in six months. You've
lost your
house, and all of your stuff is in storage….what does that tell
you?"
He asked.

Sam looked at her friend.

Yes, her house had been sold because she wasn't paying the rent.
Her
stuff was in storage, but she'd practically lived in the SGC for
the
past four years anyway, paying the bills seemed a little futile.

"But out Daniel." She snapped, tired.

Daniel winced at the harsh tone and walked to the door, turning back
to relay the message that had brought him here in the first
place. "Janet said to get down to the infirmary today, she wants
to
see you."

Sighing at the hurt look on Daniel's face, Sam stood and arched
her
back, desperately trying to work out the kinks that had accumulated
there during her…..-quick look at watch-…..three hours of
sleep.

She sighed again, and headed towards the infirmary, ignoring the
strange looks that she was getting from the passing airmen. At best
guess, either she finally had grown something out of her nose of she
still had letters on her cheek.

"Major Carter." Jenny, head nurse, greeted her, ushering her
towards
one of the gurneys at the back of the large room. "Doctor Fraiser
will be here in a moment." She smiled, bounding away from Sam
before
she even had the chance to utter a sound.

Sam took the time to study her fingernails. Short, but neat and they
had grease under them from her current project. She made a mental
note to do something about them when she got the Colonel home.

"Hey Sam." Janet smiled, pulling the curtain around the bed
for a
little privacy.

"Janet, you wanted to see me?" Sam knew why she was here,
more than
likely it was to receive the same lecture that everyone else had been
giving her, but she decided to play dumb for a bit, and-hopefully-
avoid the inevitable.

"Yes. Just a check-up. Hop on the scales." She smiled
cheerfully, and
Sam willingly complied.

Janet frowned at the reading. "What?"

If possible, the doctor's from deepened significantly.
"You've lost
more weight."

"It's probably just a phase, I'll put it back on soon
enough." Sam
defended with a shrug.

"Sam, you haven't put on weight in almost eight months.
You're
severely under for your age and height, and I'm not happy. When
was
the last meal you had?" Janet crossed her arms across her chest,
with
her best `and you had better not lie to me' look plastered on
her
face.

"A few days ago." Sam shrugged. "I've been busy."

"And, when was your last period?"

"About four or five months ago, but Jolinar….."

Janet cut her off. "Don't use Jolinar as an excuse, Sam.
Before that,
they were regular, weren't they?"

"Yes."

"And now they're not."

"No, but it's probably just the chemical imbalance,
you've said it
yourself that my body chemistry isn't what it should be."

"Sam, you've been getting regular hormone shots to regulate
your
cycle, remember?" Sam nodded. "And now you've lost so
much weight
that you've started skipping periods."

"So…..?"

Janet's frown deepened at her friend's defiant tone. "So,
I have no
choice but to order you off the base for the next three days. If you
come back during that time, I will have you removed from this
program."

"You can't do that!'

Crossing her arms, Janet sighed quietly. "I can Sam, but I've
been
hoping that you'd start getting back to normal before it came to
this. But if you don't start looking after yourself then I'll
have no
choice."

Sam stood and looked down at Janet. "I will not go home and put
my
feet up while my friend is stuck on another planet!" She told her
firmly, marching out of the infirmary.

"At least get something to eat!" Janet called after her and
Sam
dismissed her with a curt wave.

~*+*~

Jack waited until Laira came out of the wash room before demanding
answers. "I can't go to this party Laira, you're people
blame me for
what happened!"

"Can you control fire rain, Jack?" She asked.

His confusion was clearly displayed on Jack's face. "No, no
one can."

"Then their blame is misplaced. I would like your company
tonight,
would you please accompany me?" She asked sweetly, rubbing her
stomach.

Jack sighed deeply. He'd been here almost a year and the people
still
blamed him for what happened, how was he supposed to start building
bridges with them and interact on a social level now?

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly.

"Good." Laira smiled.

Jack couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a long night.

~*+*~

Sam had decided that heading to the commissary was a good idea after
all, and made her way there. The cooks were surprised to see her in
there, and so was the rest of the room who all fell silent upon her
arrival.

Something inside of her just…..snapped.

"Yes, people, I do have to eat too. For crying out loud, anyone
would
think that none of you had ever seen someone who was hungry!"
letting
out a long breath she waited until everyone returned to their
previous activities before grabbing a tray.

The young man behind the counter watched, fascinated, as she loaded
up her tray with as much as possible. Mostly packaged foods, he noted
absently. Sam looked up. "Do you have any cans of soup here?"
She
asked.

James nodded and went into the kitchen before returning with ten
cans, all different flavors. He lined them up on the counter.
"Which
one would you like ma'am?" He asked.

"All of them." She smiled, placing the large cans onto her
tray,
which was now very full. In the end, Sam had to put food in her
fatigue pockets.

Once she was sure that she had enough food to last at least three
weeks, more if she rationed it better, Sam left the room and headed
back to her lab.

The particle beam generator 2 and it predecessor, the original
generator, were both waiting, untouched, for her where she had left
them. Opening one of the cupboards, Sam moved some of her tools to a
lower shelf and stocked it up with the food that she had gathered.
There was a sink in her lab for emergency's, a small cot in the
storage room, a bar fridge in the storage room, and she'd even
managed to get a toilet installed.

Essentially, she could live out of here for a while if she had to.

~*+*~

Jack sat towards the back of the room, staying out of people's
way.
He'd already gotten a rather unpleasant lecture from a drunken
villager upon his arrival, and he was in no hurry to repeat the
experience.

Laira was at the other end of the room, enjoying the party, no doubt.

He sighed.

He would happily give his left leg to be back on Earth with a cold
beer, a hockey game, and his friends for the night.

The Edorrans were being anything and everything but welcoming. He
understood their need to blame someone for what had happened, but
surely he wasn't the only target available?

What about all the idiots that had chosen to stay and either be
killed or injured? Everyone seemed to have forgotten about that,
because they were native and he was just an alien to them.

At that moment he understood how Teal'c felt.

Garran sat down next to Jack and paused before speaking. "They
don't
all blame you."

"Then those select few have a very funny way of showing it."
Jack
replied bitterly.

Yes, he was bitter, and he had a right to be.

He had helped these people rebuild their lives. He tended to the
herds of cattle-that's what he'd chosen to call them
anyway-he'd
helped them plant and harvest their crops and worked doubly hard when
winter had approached to ensure that they all survived the cold.
He'd
made nails and hammers for crying out loud!

Surely that deserved some recognition?

Apparently not.

He was trying his best to fit in here. He had his `alone'
time with
the canoe every morning, but then he would work in the fields, or
wherever he thought he was needed most, for the rest of the
afternoon. He didn't say much to the people, and he didn't
regale
them with stories of Earth and his life.

"They are just afraid of going against the council's
findings."
Garran told him, his voice low.

"People have a right to say what they think." Jack insisted.

"You don't." Garran pointed out.

Jack smirked a little. "Yeah, well that's because at the
moment most
of my thoughts involve four letter words."

Garran missed the meaning.

"Do you miss Earth?" He asked.

"Earth is my home, of course I miss it."

"Edorra is your home at the moment."

"That won't last forever." He certainly hoped not.
"Carter will
figure something out. She always does."

"Major Carter is very smart, but you've been digging the
whole time
you've been here, and you still have yet to find the
Stargate."

Jack blew out a long breath, knowing the kid had a point. Not that he
was going to admit that. "Then I guess I'll just have to rely
on
Carter."

~*+*~

He was relying on her, she told herself.

Time and time again, that though alone had gotten her through the
tiredness, the hunger, and the exhaustion. And it was probably the
only thing that had stopped her from shooting anyone who interrupted
her work.

Which was why she had ended up like she was at the moment.

The Asguard, Tollan and Tok'ra had all been contacted when the
Eddoran Stargate had first been cut off. The quickest ship that any
of their allies had would take at least two years to reach Eddora.

Sam wouldn't let him wait that long.

Her lab was fairly secluded from the rest of the base, and most of
this level was deserted. Hammond had decided that it was probably
safer after she and Merran had tested the Naqudah reactor. But, the
seclusion meant that no one had tried to get in as yet.

Even if they did, the swipe on machine that opened her lab door had
been involved in a very unfortunate accident. Now, it only responded
to one card, hers. And, because there were copies available from the
Pentagon, she had made herself a new one.

The food that she had taken from the commissary had been rationed
out, and she worked out that she could survive on her supplies for
two months if her eating habit's followed the same pattern that
they
had for the past five months. Besides, she also had an emergency
stock of chocolate in the fridge that would make the food supply
stretch for over three months.

Sam had emptied out her locker before she locked herself in her lab.

She had a toothbrush, the pajamas that the Colonel had brought for
her-space patterns, with little Roswell aliens on them- and some
civvies that she'd always kept on base in case of emergencies.
She
had three tubes of toothpaste that she'd stolen from Janet's
locker,
as well as her own.

She had all of the personal items that mattered to her-a picture of
her mother, and her family all together, a picture of SG-1 and
another which included Hammond, Janet and Cassie and a picture of
Jack. And she'd brought blankets from her quarters and made up
the
cot in her storage room.

The photograph of Jack had been scanned, and several copies had been
made, printed and hung around her lab. Whenever she looked up,
she'd
see a picture of him and that would drive her to work harder at
getting the second generator to work.

He should have been home by now.

And he would have, if the first generator hadn't malfunctioned at
the
last second and blown up, nearly incinerating the Stargate. Three
airmen had died in the explosion, three more had been hurt. Because
of the accident, Sam had to start again on the plans to get him home
and modify the second generator so that it wouldn't suffer the
same
fate.

She would have had the project finished months ago, but everyone kept
insisting that she take a break. The constant interruption had all
become too much.

So, she'd quietly set up her storeroom with everything she'd
need.

Even managed installed a small fridge for drinks and the sandwiches,
which had been put in several months before Jack had been stranded.
He'd brought it for her as a Christmas present. Something along
the
lines of 'you there that often anyway, you might as well have
access
to some Bud for when I visit.' He'd joked.

She'd gone up to the top level of the base, signed out, and then
maneuvered her way back in and locked herself in the lab. The
security camera had been damaged from an explosion-very minor at that-
a few months back. She'd insisted that they wait until she had
finished with the PBG before they fixed it, in case the generator
blew up again and ruined their efforts.

The idiotic technician that she'd feed that line to had believed
her.

Looking at his picture again, Sam returned to work…..she *would*
get
him home.

Back to her.

~*+*~

Jack contemplated his conversation with Garran for a while before he
attempted to make contact with Laira. She was engrossed in a debate
with several other pregnant women about the winter crops when
he'd
found her, so he'd quietly slipped out of the house and into the
cool
night. He could tell that winter was approaching, even without seeing
the Eddorans mad rush to gather supplies, he could feel it.

Someone else was out here he realised, hearing the sobs of a woman
from the distance. Following the sound, he found Paynen's wife
sobbing into her hands with her back resting against a large boulder.

"Jaylan?" He asked quietly, placing a gentle hand on her
shoulder.
She looked up and Jack could see her tear streaked face in the bright
moonlight. "Mind if I sit down?" He asked.

Jaylan didn't trust her voice to work so she merely nodded and he
slid down onto the boulder next to her, mirroring her position.
"I
did not think that anyone had noticed my leaving." She admitted.

"I heard you crying and came to see what was going on." He
replied. "Wanna talk about it?"

"My husband loves another." She told him quietly.

Jack hadn't had any experience with infidelity in his life, and
really had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry." It
wasn't the most
profound or comforting thing he could have though of, but it would
have to do.

"As was I." She smiled grimly. "He will not leave me for
her. There
are many things that would happen if he were to do that and we have a
fragile harmony among our people since the accident that sent the
others away. He will not jeopardize that for his own happiness."

"I know this will sound horrible, but if he wont leave you, then
why
are you so upset?"

"Because she carries his child within her."

~*+*~

Sam looked at her watch, just after four in the morning. The time was
perfect. She picked up her cell phone and dialed the base switchboard.

"This is Major Samantha Carter, password Chocolate Brown eyes.
I'd
like to speak to Doctor Fraiser please." She told the operator.
She
was put on hold while he checked the file's to see if her
password
was correct, and then came back.

"I'll put you through ma'am."

The phone rang several times before her friend answered.
"Fraiser."

"Hey Janet."

"Sam." She could hear the weariness in her voice. "Where
are you? We
haven't heard from you in a few days."

"You told me to leave." Sam pointed out.

"Yes, but I thought that you'd try to get back in at least
once. Are
you at a motel?" So, Janet had heard about her house then. Daniel
was
probably relaying information at every possible opportunity.

"No, I'm in San-Diego. I decided to ask for a month's
leave and come
visit my brother." She lied.

"What about getting the Colonel home? The particle beam
generator?"

"I left instructions with my lab assistant, he knows how to reach
me
if things go wrong. And anyway, I'm uploading a de-bugging
program
into the system and it's going to take a while. No point in
hanging
around if I have nothing to do, is there?"

"Fair enough."

"So…..yeah, I just wanted to let you know where I was. If you
need
me, then you can always call. Oh, I have to go, Abby wants ice cream.
Bye Janet!" She hung up and then called the switch back.

"This is Major Samantha Carter, password Chocolate Brown eyes.
I'd
like to speak to General Hammond please."

~*+*~

Jaylan had calmed down significantly, and was heading back to join
the others. If she was gone too long, someone would notice. Then they
would immediately notice Jack's absence from the party and jump
to
conclusions. She didn't want his reputation among her people
tarnished any more than it already had been.

Despite what the rest of the village thought, he was a good man, and
she could see that by simply remembering the comforting arm he had
placed around her shoulder and the way that he had remained non-
judgmental as she cried into his shirt.

Why everyone else hated him, she would never understand.

Opening the door to her home, she saw that no one had notice she was
gone. They were all concentrating on Laira, who was lying on the
floor biting her bottom lip in pain. "What's going on?"
She asked the
nearest person.

"She is bringing her child into the world." He replied.

Paynen held her hand as she grimaced in pain while he Saylien wiped
her brow with a damp cloth. "I'll get Jack." She
muttered, running
out of the house in search of the man.

He was exactly where she had left him, resting against the
boulder. "Laira is giving birth." She told him, breathless
from the
run.

Jack shot up and ran back to the house, ready to deliver his child.

~*+*~

Sam hadn't slept in three days. She knew, from experience, that
her
body could continue to function for five days before the need for
sleep overwhelmed her and she was forced to take a break. At the
moment, however, her brain was filled with equations, mechanics,
wormhole theories and numbers, and she was concerned that any for of
distraction, sleep included, would force her thoughts away.

She couldn't allow that.

She had a man to rescue.

Occasionally, she would let her thoughts stray to him. She wondered
what he was doing with himself of Edorra. Of course, he could have
been killed when the meteor struck the Stargate. If he had been
within three miles of it when it was hit…..

No, she told herself firmly, he had to be alive.

She'd been working on this project for over a year now, there was
no
way that all of that time had been wasted.

So, she let herself imagine that he was alive and well. No doubt he
would have found something to do, Jack was one of those men that
always had to keep their hands busy…..which brought her thoughts
around to Laira.

The native woman had all but peed on Jack in an effort to mark her
territory.

Sam knew that she was a good woman, and a loving mother, and she had
sat down with Laira on several occasions throughout their first
visit. She explained the situation with the meteor to her, and
she'd
shown her some of the basic workings of their equipment. Laira had
seemed most interested in their radios, and seemed to Sam to be a
naturally inquisitive woman.

But there was something about her. She had seemed far to willing to
seduce Jack for Sam's liking. But it had been a subtle seduction.
Laira was intelligent in that area, she didn't just throw herself
at
him. It was genuinely bright smiles, and the occasional touch that
would win him over, the native woman had worked that much out in
three days.

It had taken Sam three years to come to the same conclusion.

~*+*~

Jack smiled at his sleeping daughter, rocking her gently.

Everyone had instantly fell in love with Beth, and Jack was no
exception. She had brown eyes and blonde hair, and she looked more
like Laira than him, but that didn't matter.

The Eddorans had warmed up to him in leaps and bounds since she was
born, nearly three months earlier. It had seemed odd at first, but
Jack decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

If they were going to welcome him a little better, then who was he to
complain?

Sometimes he though about Earth. He knew that Carter would be working
to try and figure out a way to get him home, but as he looked at his
beautiful daughter, Jack had to wonder if her really wanted to go
back.

Okay, so even if the villagers were being a little nicer, they still
resented him, and he was married to a woman that loved him, even if
the sentiment wasn't returned. But on the positive, he had a
beautiful daughter, peaceful surroundings, his canoe, and a placid
lake…..one that actually had fish in it!

What more could a guy ask for, really?

~*+*~

Hammond had received a call from Major Carter, about a month and a
half ago, requesting two more months leave to stay with her brother.
He'd found it a little odd that she'd want to take so much
time off
while her commanding officer and friend was stranded on a planet
thousands of light years from home, but it was the first vacation she
had asked for, and she was certainly entitled to it.

With Doctor Fraiser's recommendations, he'd agreed.

Her lab had been left untouched, and the door was locked. Since an
accident had occurred in there, involving lots of fragile technology,
while she had been off-world, Carter had requested permission to keep
it locked when she wasn't there.

Hammond could see the logic.

But something wasn't sitting right with him. He couldn't put
his
finger on it at the moment, but he'd figure it out.

~*+*~

The dormant Stargate spun to life and Sam looked up from her work,
hearing the klaxons blaring. She was tempted to leave the sanctuary
of her lab to see if it was him, but she knew that if they discovered
her deception then she'd be taken to the loony bin…..or
worse,
Mackenzie.

George waited, anxious, to see if an IDC was received. He had three
teams currently off world and none of them were due back.

Early arrivals usually meant trouble.

Janet seemed to come to the same conclusion as she ran up to the
control room, waiting to receive any injured.

"Receiving the Tok'ra IDC sir, shall I open the iris?"
Walter asked,
looking up at Hammond.

The General nodded. "Defence teams stand ready, we don't know
if it's
really the Tok'ra or not!" He called through the microphone.

Jacob Carter stepped out of the event horizon and the airmen inside
of the `Gate room visibly relaxed. "Hey George!" He
waved, and looked
around, a frown forming on his face. "Where's my
daughter?"

~*+*~

Jack was going crazy.

There was no other way to describe it.

While, at first, he had been happy that the Eddorans were warming up
to them, he didn't realise that he would soon become their center
of
entertainment. All they ever wanted to hear about was Earth.

And, while he had faith in Carter's ability to get him home, he
was
trying to accept the fact that he might never return. When people
started asking him to tell them more, it made that harder and harder
to do.

It was at these times that he realised how much he really did miss
home. Hell, even Daniel knew when to shut up and give him some peace
and quiet. These people didn't have the same trait, obviously.

Sure, having Beth was wonderful, and she was a good kid and
didn't
cry unless something was wrong, but she slept most of the day-as
baby's do- and rarely needed his attention. When she was awake,
it
was usually because she needed to be fed-something that he
couldn't
do- or changed.

Laira seemed hell bent on developing some kind of sex life between
them, and that was just plain weird. Sure, she was attractive, and a
wonderful mother, but that didn't mean that he wanted to sleep
with
her.

How was he supposed to tell her that without hurting her feelings?

Yep, he was definitely going crazy.

~*+*~

Hammond had told Jacob everything that he knew about the situation.
From Jack's current predicament, to his ominous feeling about
Sam's
sudden request for time off.

The two General's sat in silence for a long moment, while Jacob
absorbed what he had been told. "Can I borrow the phone?" He
asked.

"You know where it is."

Jacob smiled and picked up the phone on Hammond's desk. He dialed
his
son's number and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?"

"Abigail? What are you doing answering the phone?"

"Grandpa!" The little girl squealed down the phone.

Jacob couldn't hold back a smile at her enthusiasm. "Is your
Dad
home, sweetie?"

"Hang on, I'll get him." Jacob heard the phone being
dropped and the
little girl running to get her father. "Daddy! Grandpa's on
the
phone!"

"Dad?"

"Hi Mark."

"How are you?"

Small talk, Jacob almost sighed. "Fine. Can I speak to Sam?"

"Sam? She isn't here."

"Did she go out or something?"

"Dad, what are you talking about?"

"Sam requested three months leave to come and stay with
you…..she's
not there?"

"Dad, I haven't seen Sam since you came down here with her. I
spoke
to her about four months ago, but that was the last time. Is
everything okay?"

His voice was worried, Jacob couldn't blame him. "Yes, I must
have
got my wires mixed up. Do you have her cell number, I'll try her
on
that?"

Hammond wordlessly handed his friend a pen and paper and her
scribbled down the number. "Thanks, you take care Mark, say hello
to
Jake and Susan for me."

"Will do. When you get hold of Sam, tell her to call me will
you?"

"Sure. Bye."

"Bye."

Jacob hung up the phone and blew out a long breath. "She
isn't
there."

"I gathered. Try her cell. Maybe she changed her plans."

Picking up the phone again, Jacob looked at his friend. "I hope
so
George, I really do."

~*+*~

Sam was almost there.

She could feel it. Maybe another two hour's work and the
generator
would be finished. Just how she was going to explain that she came
back from her `vacation' with a particle beam accelerator,
was
another problem altogether.

Thus far, the plan was to finish the project, get some much needed
sleep, and then work on a way to convince the General to use the
generator *and* let her go through the Stargate before her Court
Martial.

She was almost……her cell phone?

Okay, there were three possibilities. The first being, that Jack was
back and they were ringing to tell her the good news. The second,
there had been an accident on base and they needed her help urgently,
or she had been discovered and they were calling to tell her to open
her lab door before they had to break it down.

Sam crossed her fingers and hoped for the first scenario while she
answered her phone.

"Carter."

"Sammy."

Sam almost dropped the phone at the sound of his voice on the other
end. What the hell was her father doing here? "Dad."

"How are you?"

Small talk, Sam almost sighed. "Good. You?"

"Not bad. Just though I'd drop by Earth and see how my little
girl
was doing, but George tells me that you're off visiting Mark."

She hated lying to her father. She couldn't do it when she was a
teenager, and she wasn't much better at it now. "Yeah,
figured it was
about time I took a vacation."

"Fair enough. How are they?"

"Good. You wouldn't believe how tall Abby is now! She's
shot up like
you wouldn't believe! And Jake is running around at a hundred
miles
an hour, I've never been so glad for basic training in my
life!"

Jacob laughed. "Yeah well, kids will be kids."

"I guess. How long are you in town for?"

"Not long. I had some info for George and I was going to come by
and
see you, but I don't have time."

Sam felt herself relax a little at his words. "Maybe next
time."

"Maybe. I have to go, this is going to cost the SGC a
fortune."

"Okay. Give my best to Selmak."

"She says hi. Love you sweetheart."

"Love you too dad, bye."

Sam hung up the phone and turned it off. She was close, she just knew
it.

~*+*~

"Why does this sport, `hockey' hold your interest so much
Jack?"

He had the urge to scream. Jamey was the third person to ask him that
question in an hour. He never should have mentioned his love of the
sport at all. "Just does." He shrugged.

Jamey seemed to get the hint, and moved on to another group of
people.

For a quite village, the Eddoran's could sure throw one hell of a
party. There were usually no specific reasons for the gatherings,
just spur of the moment things. This one was no exception, but Jack
didn't feel much like partying.

"You look sad." Laira commented, sitting down next to him.

"I'm okay." He lied.

"You miss your world."

"Always."

"You said that you may never be able to return, and yet you still
wish for it."

"Carter's smart, she'll work it out eventually."

"It may be many moon's before that happens."

Thanks Laira. "I know."

"Will you ever learn to accept that your place is here?"

"You must know by now, that a very big part of me will never be
able
to fully accept this. A big part of me will never leave the life I
had behind."

"That is not the part I want."

Jack recognized her words. She had said them to him before the
conception of their daughter had taken place. Speaking of…..

"Where's Beth?"

"Jaylan was not in the mood to attend tonight. She offered to
watch
Beth."

Jack nodded, he liked Jaylan. And he felt sorry for the woman after
what she'd told him on the night of Beth's birth.

An uncomfortable silence descended upon them, and Jack felt obligated
to say something, anything, to put them both at ease. As long as they
were talking, they could continue the pretense of being happy. The
council was watching them, Jack could feel it.

"Are you having a good time?"

"I am." She smiled. "Although I suspect that you are
not."

Jack shrugged. "I just don't feel like partying."

Laira smiled gently. "Why don't you go and check on
Beth." She
suggested, and he was grateful for the opportunity to leave.

"I will. See you at home." He kissed her on the cheek and
left
Paynen's hut and headed back to his own.

~*+*~

"She lied."

"You know that for a fact?"

"She was telling me how grown up Abby is and how Jake's
running
around like nothing else."

"She lied."

Jacob couldn't understand it. Where would Sam be and why would
she
feel the need to lie about it? Unless…..

"Does she have anyone in her life at the moment?"

"Everyone in the SGC is in her life Jacob."

"No, I don't mean like that, I mean *someone* specific."

"You don't know?"

So he wasn't up to date on his daughter's love life? He
wasn't even
on the planet most of the time.

Literally.

"No."

Hammond made a face that Jacob tried not to interpret. "I
don't think
so." He replied slowly, unaware of what Sam had told her father
about
the situation she had with her CO.

"She hasn't said anything?"

"You think that everyone at the SGC comes to me when the start
dating
someone new? I'm their commanding officer, I stay out of their
love
lives."

"Good point. I would too."

"Although Doctor Jackson and Doctor Fraiser are dating, I
believe."

Jacob smiled. "How do you know that?"

George shrugged slightly. "Grapevine."

"Well, do you think that Doctor Fraiser might have any idea about
my
daughter's love life?"

Hammond shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

He picked up the phone and dialed the infirmary, asking for Doctor
Fraiser to be sent up immediately.

~*+*~