Just Believe

Title: Just Believe

Author: Suz W.

Spoilers: After Threads and Mobius (parts 1 & 2) (episode tag)

Feedback: Always welcomed and gratefully appreciated!

Old Stories Referenced: “Where Dreams May Take Us”, “Beneath a Silent Moon (part 2)”, and “Soul Searching”

Rating: R, S/J Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Sexual Situations and Action/Adventure.

Summary: Just when Jack begins to find hope for his future, something happens that changes his perspective on everything that has been causing him so much pain.

Disclaimer: All publicity recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, Sci-Fi Productions, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.

Copyright: The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Copyrighted on March 7, 2008 by Suzanne R. Whitmarsh.

Author’s Notes: This story follows “Discovery in Truth”. So after the many months of questions and no answers, this story will finally provide you with the answers you’ve been seeking! I can’t thank you enough for sticking with me up to this point, and I hope you enjoy how I conclude this section of my series. And remember that very confusing story “Where Dreams May Take Us”?? This story will now compliment that one and you will understand the madness of that text! Of course, I’d love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this one, so I would greatly appreciate any feedback you can send me! Thank you for being so interested and dedicated to my series...I hope this much anticipated story meets all your expectations!

Dedication: I’d like to dedicate this story to Lynn. With this story being a pivotal point in my series, I have to give her the dedication since she was the first one to send feedback on my very first story, and provided motivation to put this series together. Thank you for all your support and motivation, my dear friend…you’ve played a very important part in getting me this far!

The evening air had settled in with a cool and frosty breath. Jack sat on his little dock outside of his fishing cabin and stared out across the lake. Twilight lit the sky above him in streaking colors of dark blue, pink, and soft black. The first of the bright stars dusted the heavens, and a thin crescent moon hung delicately overhead.

It was the first week in December, and though the usual weather pattern called for snow, ice, and bitter cold conditions, the mountains in which Jack’s fishing cabin was quietly nestled were experiencing almost fall like conditions…warmer days, cooler nights, and not a snowflake was predicted to fall for at least another week.

Taking in a cleansing breath of air, Jack felt truly relaxed for the first time in months. With the Replicators all but extinguished, the Jaffa rebellion now declared free, and the system lords basically fighting amongst themselves, an unexpected peace had settled over the SGC, allowing himself and SG-1 an opportunity for some much needed time off. And for the first time, he had managed to get all of them, including Sam, up to his little retreat for a little R&R.

When Jack had made the suggestion to Sam about going fishing, he had never expected her to say yes. Between her engagement to Pete and her father’s death, he hadn’t been prepared for her to so easily accept his invitation.

But thinking back on it now, Jack realized that something in her eyes had changed. Be it fresh grief from losing Jacob, or the fact that she had just told him a week ago that she was having second thoughts about the wedding, Jack didn’t know. All he did know was that her acceptance of his invitation spoke volumes to him…it gave him room to hope that he still had a chance at winning her love back. And with Pete apparently back in Denver since Jack hadn’t seen him anywhere, and Sam currently inside his cabin, he fully intended to take advantage of this golden opportunity.

As Jack sat there listening to the water as it quietly lapped against the edge of the shore, he found his mind reflecting on what had been and what could be. Kerry had graciously stepped out of his life, having enough foresight to see that Jack would never fully give his heart to her. She had been incredibly patient, understanding, and sensitive to his needs, and he felt fortunate that he had met her. Not only had she held him together during an incredibly hard time in his life, but she had given him his freedom at just the right time. She had figured out on her own that Sam had been the cause of his great heartache, and Jack couldn’t blame her for not wanting to stick around on the off chance that his heart would heal. She was smart enough to realize that no matter how involved they might have become, Sam would always be there, reminding him of what he was desperately missing.

So flying solo once more, Jack found himself hoping that what wings he had left would carry him through the uncertain times that lay ahead of him…uncertain because though Sam had said she was having second thoughts about her wedding to Pete, it offered him no guarantees that she would call it off and come back to him.

So as he watched the night begin to envelop their surroundings, closing out the first of three days at the cabin, Jack did the best he could to keep his heart from hoping too high. So much had changed between them…so many things had gone wrong. Jack didn’t know if after all this time they’d have the courage to find their way back to each other again…or if that was even an option.

Kerry had been astute enough to point out that staying apart because of rules and regulations was basically not a good enough excuse, and her suggestion of retiring again had been sitting in the forefront of his mind ever since she’d said it. If Jack thought it would guarantee that Sam would come back to him, he would have already given his notice.

But with Pete still in the picture, coupled with the fact that Jack still didn’t have a viable excuse for why she’d left him in the first place, Jack didn’t feel he could submit his letter of resignation just yet. Sam was more important to him than anything, and at one point, he had been confident she’d felt the same way about him…but now he wasn’t sure of anything.

Suddenly surrounding him, Jack heard the soft, distant sound of Teal’c’s hearty laughter filtered over the air. Jack looked back at the cabin with a smile…the windows had been opened to allow the cool night air access to the stuffy interior. After dinner had been finished and most of the dishes had been cleaned up, Jack had headed outside to enjoy the onset of the evening…it was something he routinely did when he was at his cabin, weather permitting, and since the whole point of the trip was rest and relaxation, he knew his friends wouldn’t mind him deserting them for a little while. When he had stepped out, Daniel and Teal’c were working on getting a fire going, and Sam had elected to finish unpacking before sitting down to a book.

Reaching down beside him, he picked up his beer bottle and took a drink. Spinning the bottle between his fingers and allowing his mind to drift, he failed to hear the approach of soft footsteps behind him.

“Hey. Would you like some company?”

Jack instantly turned and looked up at Sam, who was standing closely behind him, looking down at him with a soft, guarded smile. Gesturing with his hand to the empty chair next to him, he responded. “I’d love some. Take a seat.”

Sam moved around the chair and sat down. “It’s a beautiful night. I can see why you love being out here during this time of the evening.”

Jack nodded. “It’s peaceful. I don’t get to do this in the winter since everything’s usually buried in snow up to my knees. Now that I think about it, I don’t think you and I have ever done this together when we’ve been up here by ourselves…I guess we were busy doing other things.” Smiling at the thought, he quickly dropped his expression when he realized what he’d just said. Clearing his throat, he let a moment slip by before speaking again. “I hope you guys didn’t mind that I left you in there for a bit…I just find that this time helps with any stress or tension I may have.”

Sam sat there for a moment, staring out at the lake that was now hardly visible. Warm yellow lights from the cabin illuminated their surrounding in a soft glow, giving them just enough light to see by. Folding her hands in her lap, she took in a breath and finally spoke up. “I’m sorry, Jack.”

Jack looked over at her, his heart echoing the pain present in her voice. He didn’t need an explanation for what she was referring to. “Look, Sam. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that everything’s okay…that I’m okay…that we can just move on. There’s a lot of history between us, and I guess I’m just not having as easy of a time letting it go.”

Sam wiped a tear off her cheek. “I don’t want you to let it go.” She could feel Jack’s eyes on her…could hear his breath as he slowly took it in. “I…I broke off my engagement with Pete. It’s over between us.” She took a long moment in the dead silence that followed to finally look over at Jack. When she did, her eyes found his in the shadows of the night. She could see from his facial expression that he hadn’t been expecting that.

Jack was stunned. Even though he knew that she was having second thoughts, in his mind he imagined that Jacob’s death would only drive Sam and Pete closer together. He never expected that it, or something else, would pull them apart. Not knowing what to say, he finally managed a few words. “I’m sorry.”

Sam shook her head with a sad smile. “Don’t be. I was fooling myself to think that it was going to work out. I guess I was just looking for something normal in my life.” Taking a quick breath, she glanced over at him before continuing. “Look, Jack, I know you and Kerry are together, and I don’t expect…”

“Kerry and I are just friends.” Jack voice sounded almost hollow.

Sam looked over at him, surprise now written on her face. “Really? But I thought…well, she seemed to be referring to the two of you as a couple when she said you didn’t want anyone to know about your relationship.”

Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah…we were dating for a while. But she broke it off with me about a week ago.” Jack held up a hand. “And you don’t have to apologize…Kerry’s a great person and we enjoyed the time we had together, but we both knew it could never work out.”

Sam adjusted in her chair. “Why?”

Jack swallowed and looked into Sam’s eyes. “Because I’m still in love with you…and I always will be.”

Sam could feel tears welling up in her eyes. “Even after all that I’ve put you through?”

Jack reached out for the first time and touched her cheek with his thumb, wiping another tear away. His voice was soft when he finally answered her. “Even after all of that.” He dropped his hand down and found hers. “I guess I just really need you to help me understand what went wrong…what drove you away. I need to know so I can make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

Sam sniffed, squeezed his hand, and released it. Standing up, she crossed her arms over her chest as she looked out into the darkness. “And what if I can’t tell you?”

Jack watched her for a moment before standing up too and moving over to her side. Reaching out, he placed his hands on either side of her face and spoke up in a serious but gentle tone. “You have to…this whole thing has been driving me nuts. Nothing you did makes any sense to me. I just don’t think we can move on together if I don’t know what caused you to leave me in the first place.”

Sam’s voice was resolute. “It’s not going to be good enough for you if I promise never to hurt you like that again, is it?”

Jack shook his head and dropped his hands. “No. I can’t risk my heart again. I don’t think you even comprehend how much your relationship with Pete hurt me. I can’t do that again…I won’t…and as much as I’d like to believe you, your promise isn’t going to be enough.”

Sam could feel fresh tears tracing a path down her cheeks. She wished she knew exactly what to say to pacify him, but she didn’t…for the simple fact was she was determined he’d never know the truth. The consequences would be too great.

Jack felt helpless watching her struggle with what to say. Fighting his resolve, he decided there would be no harm in holding her. “Com’ here.” Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close while she quietly cried on his shoulder.

After a minute, the vibrations running through her body quieted and she moved her head off Jack’s shoulder and looked up at him. Jack could see she was at a loss for what to say, so instead he bent his head down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. Pulling back, he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Look,” he said quietly, “we don’t have to rush back into this. You and I both need time to heal, not to mention the fact that you just lost your dad. Like I told you a few days ago…I’ll always be here for you. I love you and that’s not going to change…no matter how much time you need before you can finally tell me what’s been going on.”

Sam gave him a small smile. “I don’t deserve that kind of patience from you.”

Jack pulled her back into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “Why don’t you leave that decision to me. You’re here now and that’s all that matters. Just tell me you’re safe…that you’re not in any kind of trouble .”

Sam looked up at him and shook her head. “No, I fine. My dad asked me the same thing. No one’s blackmailing me…I promise.”

Jack nodded. “I guess I’ll have to take that for now.”

Sam gave him a quick smile and then folded back into his arms. Closing her eyes, she took in how wonderful it felt to have him hold her again, and as she soaked up his strength, all she could do was hope that she could come up with an answer for him about her behavior that would make sense, and allow a more normal way of life back in.

Pulling back, Sam looked at the cabin. “We probably should join them before they become suspicious.”

Jack smiled. “Teal’c knows.”

Sam was stunned for a moment. “About us? How?”

Jack responded. “He’s apparently known for a long time but only recently told me about it. He could see that I wasn’t taking our separation very well and offered to help. The only way he could do that was to reveal what he knew.”

Sam let out a breath. “Well, that’s news. I guess we now only have to worry about Daniel.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Half the time Daniel’s got his nose so far up a book I don’t think he could tell you what time of day it is.” Sam laughed quietly. “Seriously, though, we should let him in on our little secret at some point…that is when we get things worked out.”

Sam’s smile dropped just a notch. “We will.” As if to prove her point, she reached up and offered her lips to him. They stood there for a moment, enveloped in each other and at how wonderful the sensations were as they continued to kiss. After another minute, they reluctantly pulled apart.

Jack released her and took her hand. “Shall we? I’m fairly confident that Teal’c and Daniel have managed to put their skills together and have a great fire going by now in the fireplace.”

Sam smiled. “We could make S’mores.”

Jack gestured with his hand. “My thoughts exactly!”

The next morning dawned bright and beautiful, with a sky that was crystal clear and deep blue in color. The temperatures were predicted to be wonderfully mild that day, so Jack dressed himself in a pair of tan cargo pants and a white T-shirt. Having slept better the night before than he had in months, Jack quietly whistled to himself as he gathered up the items he needed to prepare breakfast.

He was in the process of scrambling eggs when a pair of slender arms slid around his waist from behind, and a gentle kiss was planted on the back of his neck. Jack smiled to himself. “Good morning.”

Sam moved around to his right side and popped a piece of bacon in her mouth that had already been cooked. “Good morning.” Her smile was casual and much more carefree than it had been the night before. “How’d you sleep?”

Jack glanced over at her and returned her smile. “Better than I have in a long time.”

Sam was about to lean in and kiss him when Daniel emerged from one of the bedrooms. Yawning, rubbing one eye, and displaying a ruffled head of hair, it took no time to figure out that he had just stumbled out of bed.

“Jack,” he said with a slight protest in his tone, “how is this rest and relaxation if I’m up at the crack of dawn?”

Jack looked up at the clock and then back at him. “It’s 0900 hours, Daniel! What do you consider late?”

Daniel sat down on one of the chairs with a huff and yawned again. “Well it’s not my fault if Teal’c stays up half the night meditating with a room full of candles.”

Jack shook his head. “I’m sorry I don’t have more rooms, but you could have slept out on the couch.” Deciding to be obnoxious, he went on. “Buck up, Daniel! The sun is shining, it’s a beautiful morning, and we’re going to have a great day!” The exaggerated happiness in Jack’s voice was enough to make Daniel wince.

Groaning, he responded. “How ‘bout we start out with some coffee?”

Sam laughed. “I’ll get you a cup, Daniel.” Moving over to the coffee maker, she poured out a steaming black cup of fresh ground roast coffee and brought it over to him. “Where is Teal’c anyway?”

As if her question had been heard, the side door suddenly opened and Teal’c walked in, dressed in workout clothes with a sheer layer of sweat lining his dark skin. He looked refreshed and wide awake to Daniel’s annoyance, and it made Jack smile to see the contrast between the two.

Jack spoke up first. “T! Good morning. I take it you slept well. Did you have a good run?”

Teal’c nodded his head. “I did. The weather is quite favorable this morning.”

Daniel, now feeling like the only one who’d been put through the ringer, stood up and stretched. “Well, I’m going to go catch a shower and try to join the land of the living.”

Jack looked over at him. “Make it a fast one…breakfast will be ready in five minutes.” Just as he said it, Teal’c scooped up a handful of bacon, basically clearing off the plate. Looking first at Teal’c and then back at Daniel, he corrected himself. “Make that ten minutes.”

“Yes, Mom.” Daniel smiled to himself as he watched Jack pull out another package of bacon from the refrigerator. In his opinion, Jack deserved it for making fun of him.

After Daniel had left, Sam poured Teal’c a glass of juice and set it before him. He had a small, knowing smile on his face, and Jack took notice of it. “What?”

Teal’c now broadened his smile. “Things appear to be becoming more normal for you, O’Neill.” His eyes looked over at Sam, who returned his smile and then looked over at Jack.

Jack responded. “They are, buddy. We’re going to take things a little bit slower…there’s still some things we need to work out.” Leaving the skillet for a moment, he moved over and gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek. “But the important thing is that we’re back together.”

Teal’c smiled and bowed his head. “Indeed.”

Sam moved around the table and placed a small kiss on Teal’c’s cheek, surprising him. “Thanks, Teal’c, for your help and your discretion. It means a lot to both of us.”

Teal’c nodded at her. “You are welcome, Colonel Carter.”

Jack, feeling better by the minute, resumed his task of completing breakfast while Sam and Teal’c talked. Ten minutes later, they were all around the table, enjoying everything from pancakes and sausage to eggs and toast. The conversation between the four of them was light and carefree, a sharp contrast to all the chaos that had been going on in each of their lives only a few weeks ago.

After breakfast was finished and everyone was significantly stuffed, the dishes were cleaned up and the group headed out for a morning hike up to one of Jack’s favorite spots. With the crystal clear day, the view from the top of the hiking trail was magnificent, showing off a landscape that was encompassed by natural beauty: mountains with peaks covered in gleaming white snow; Evergreen trees filling the valley and giving off a clean pine scent that permeated the air around them; snow birds singing happily and squirrels running through the dried leaves that were scattered on the ground.

Returning from their hike a few hours later, Daniel took a short nap, Teal’c found a separate room for mediation, and Jack got out his fishing pole while Sam quietly read a book next to him. Desperately wanting to spend quality time with her instead of fish, Jack had to hold himself back, knowing that they still had a lot to work through…not to mention the fact that Daniel still had no idea about their relationship. So he took what he could get, carrying on an easy conversation with Sam while occasionally getting up to check his line, which allowed him the opportunity to give her a quick kiss.

A few hours later, after a lunch consisting of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, Jack was doing more fishing while Daniel, Teal’c, and Sam tossed around the football. After a few rounds, Teal’c had managed to get a feel for throwing it, along with using all the arm strength he had. Several times, he managed to throw it over the cabin into the front area of the house. When it happened a third time, Sam felt it was her turn to go and retrieve the ball, especially since Daniel was looking very impatient.

When Teal’c’s apologized and offered to retrieve the ball himself, Sam waved off his apology and trotted off as Jack looked over and shook his head, a small smile on his face. “Hey, Farve, you might want to watch those Hail Mary’s of yours.” At Teal’c’s obvious confusion over his statement, Jack elaborated for him. “Favre…Brett Favre…he’s a quarterback…throws a lot of footballs like you do…they call them Hail Mary’s.”

“I see.” Teal’c serious face and raised eyebrow told Jack that the humor had been lost on him.

Out in the front of the house, Sam had been searching for the ball but had yet to find it. After looking under another bush, she put one hand on her hip while shielding her eyes from the sun with the other and scanned the area around her. It was then that she finally saw the ball lying just up the road from Jack’s cabin, right at the top of a bend in the road. Rolling her eyes but smiling at the same time, she jogged off to retrieve it.

She had just reached the ball and was bending over to pick it up when she suddenly heard a loud mechanical roar. Growing louder at a very fast rate, Sam barely had time to blink before a white car, its tires spinning in the dirt, suddenly came around the bend. Being driven by two young men whooping and hollering, they failed to see Sam in front of them at first. Having pressed down on the accelerator, the car lurched forward; it was only then that they saw her. The driver slammed on the brakes, which caused the car to move from side to side, careening out of control. Sam, with hardly any time to react, tried to dive out of the way…but it was too late.

The front of the car impacted her body with all its force, sending her up onto the hood and smashing into the front windshield. As her body continued to be propelled off the top, rolling down the back and finally slamming into the dirt covered road, the car, now completely out of control, hit a boulder on the side of the road, flipped in the air and then smashed down on the ground. It landed on its roof, skidding several feet before finally coming to a stop next to some bushes on the side of the road.

Jack, Teal’c, and Daniel, who were all still outside at the back of the cabin, heard the loud crash. With his heart suddenly pounding wildly and a sickening feeling in his gut, he dropped his fishing pole and ran. Teal’c and Daniel were right behind him, and when they rounded the corner of the cabin, all three of them came to a dead halt. A car lay upside down on the side of the road that led to Jack’s cabin, smashed in and smoking. But what stopped Jack’s heart was what he saw lying just up the road from it. There in the middle of the road was Sam, lying on her back in a slightly contorted position. Her clothes had been slightly torn, and enough blood was seeping from her wounds that they could see it even from the distance at which they stood.

“Oh my God.” Daniel’s breathless disbelief and fear emanated through all of them.

Jack, not wanting to believe what he was seeing, took off at a dead run. He could feel the adrenaline coursing wildly through his veins as he approached Sam, his mind swirling with chaos. Reaching her body, he slammed down on his knees and hovered over her, almost afraid to touch her because it would then make it real.

Now by her side, he could see the extent of her injuries were severe. Reaching out, he carefully felt for a pulse at her carotid artery and held his breath. After a long moment, he managed to find one, though it was thready, erratic, and very weak.

“Jack?”

Daniel’s voice reminded Jack to breath. Barely able to talk because of all the emotions running through him, he finally spoke up. “Daniel, go call 911.” And then his voice got stronger as the sense of urgency overtook him. “Call them NOW…and call the base. Tell them to send a chopper ASAP. They might make it before the paramedics can.” At Daniel’s momentary hesitation, Jack looked up at him and yelled. “Daniel, DO IT!”

Daniel sprung into action, running back to the cabin as fast as he could. Teal’c, standing helplessly nearby, spoke up quickly. “I will go check on the people in that car.”

Jack barely heard him. Staring down at Sam’s body, physically broken and bleeding, a rush of emotion hit him full on. All they had been to one another, their separation, the hurt and emotional trauma from watching her with another man, and now finally getting her back. They had been given the chance he’d been praying for…but looking down at her now, unconscious and on the brink of death, deep down inside he knew their time together was almost up.

Reaching out, he gently touched her hair, and then stroked it softly as tears began streaming down his face. “Sam...you can’t leave me. Please…not after I just got you back.” His voice cracked with emotion as he very carefully put his hand under her head. Needing to feel any kind of warmth or hope, he closed his eyes and stretched his face up to the sky. Kneeling there as he carefully held her head, with tears running down his face in desperate despair as the sun shone down on them, he wanted to die right there along with her, because he knew that if she died, he would too.

Just then Teal’c’s voice registered urgently in his ears. “O’Neill!”

Jack looked around and saw what Teal’c was so frantic about. The car, once only smoking slightly, had now caught on fire near the back end of the car. Jack looked down at Sam briefly and then back at Teal’c, who was already trying to pull one of the unconscious passengers out of the car. He shouted back at Jack as he worked. “O’Neill, you must move her. This vehicle is going to explode.”

Just then Daniel ran out of the cabin and back over to Jack. “They’re on their way Jack…the paramedics and the chopper.”

Jack looked around and then up at Daniel, wiping at his eyes as he did. “ETA?”

Daniel adjusted his glasses as he looked down at Sam with a pained expression. “I don’t know about the local paramedics, but the SGC contacted one of the local bases nearby. They’re sending a chopper and a team of medics. They’re estimating about 15 minutes.”

Jack nodded over at Teal’c, his voice strained. “Go give Teal’c a hand. We need to get those people and Carter out of harm’s way.”

Daniel protested. “Jack, you can’t move her. She could have severe spinal cord injuries.”

“Daniel,” Jack said hastily, and then took a breath and lowered his tone. “Daniel, I know the risk, but we don’t have a choice. Now go.”

Jack could tell Daniel was trying to hold it together as much as he and Teal’c were. Making eye contact with him to ensure to Daniel that they shared the same concern, Daniel finally nodded and moved off to help Teal’c, who already had one of the men out of the car and was now working on the second one.

Looking back down at Sam, he took a steadying breath and carefully scooped her up all the way into his arms, being mindful of her head and neck. Standing up slowly, he turned around and quickly moved back towards the cabin. Deciding the car was far enough away from the cabin, Jack made the decision that Sam would be safest inside.

Kicking the door open with his foot, he carried her inside the cabin and then to his bedroom. Laying her down on the bed as easily as he could, he covered her with a blanket. But as he stood up, he caught his reflection in a full length mirror in the corner of the room, and it scared him half to death. His white T-shirt was soaked in bright red blood, bringing him to the realization that she was losing volume a lot faster than he had originally thought.

Stripping off his shirt, he pulled back the blanket and found the source of her bleeding. Knowing it could only be coming from a cut artery, Jack carefully stuffed the shirt against her wound. Quickly grabbing another shirt from his dresser, he threw it on and was just about to apply pressure to his wound when the car outside exploded.

Ducking out of instinct, he looked down at Sam and decided he had no choice but to leave her for a minute in order to check on Teal’c and Daniel. Racing for the front door, which was still standing open, he went through it and was relieved to find both Daniel and Teal’c standing next to the cabin, with the two men from the car at their feet. One of them was stirring slightly while the other one was still unconscious. But neither one of them had any injuries that appeared life threatening.

Jack looked over at the car, now completely engulfed in flames, and then spoke up. “Are you guys okay?”

Daniel answered for both of them. “We’re fine”

“I’m assuming a fire engine is on its way?” Jack eyed the car, hoping it would contain itself for the time being without catching anything else on fire.

Daniel nodded. “They’ll probably arrive first.” Hesitating for a moment, he finally decided to give Jack the bad news. “Jack, you should probably know that these two idiots reek of alcohol. They must have gotten disoriented and come up your road by mistake.”

Jack could barely look at the two young men on the ground. Instead, he growled a response back at Daniel. “You know, now’s not really the best time to be telling me that. Sam’s inside barely hanging on…if she dies, you’d better make sure these two are long gone, because if I find them, I’m going to kill them both.” Taking in a breath, he tried to calm down. “I need to get back inside. Carter’s losing a lot of blood. Send in the medics as soon as they get here.” Not waiting for a response, he backtracked to his bedroom.

When he entered the room, fear began tearing through his heart again. Since leaving her only a few minutes ago, her face was now as white as a sheet, and the T-shirt he’d left next to her wound was now thoroughly soaked in blood. Trying to hold it together, he moved over to the bathroom, pulled the towels off the rack and sat down beside her.

Removing the shirt, he placed fresh towels where it had been. He could feel hot tears searing at his eyes as he looked down at her pale face. Applying more pressure, he was suddenly surprised when she made a slight whimpering sound. “Sam? Sam, can you hear me?!” Jack’s voice was filled with desperation and he didn’t care.

Sam very slowly opened her eyes and tried to find her focus. Turning her head just slightly, she winced and softly cried out in pain. Jack found her hand and squeezed it. “Shhh…don’t move. I’m right here. The medics are on their way.” Jack’s voice cracked and he had to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment in order to keep it together. The last thing she needed was to see him falling apart. She needed all his strength, and he was determined to give it to her.

Sam’s eyes found his and she tried to smile ever so slightly as a single tear rolled down her face. “Jack.” Her voice was barely audible as Jack shook his head.

“Don’t talk. You need to save your strength.” Jack bent down and gave her the lightest kiss he could on her lips.

Sam cleared her throat slight and spoke again, this time with a little more volume. “There’s no time…I have to tell you something.”

Jack was sure he was going to break down right then. Trying to keep up a brave face, he pulled as much determination from his gut as he could and responded. “You can tell me later. Right now you need to focus on getting better.”

Sam gave gentle pressure to Jack’s hand that was holding hers. “Jack…I’m dying. Please…” Her voice cracked and she had to allow a few more tears to roll down her face before continuing.

Jack wasn’t ready to face any part of her giving in, and he certainly wasn’t ready to let her go, but he could see she was determined to tell him something. Nodding, he moved his head closer to hers. “Alright…what is it?”

Ten minutes later, Jack opened the door to his bedroom and hurried out into the kitchen, practically running into Daniel and Teal’c, who had just come through the front door. Hardly seeing them, he frantically searched for something under a pile of papers.

“Jack,” Daniel said, his voice soft but firm, “how’s Sam?”

Jack looked over and finally saw his cell phone lying on the edge of an end table in the living room. Snatching it up, he pressed the number that would dial the SGC and put the phone to his ear. Turning around so he wouldn’t have to face the stares of Teal’c and Daniel, he waited impatiently for someone to pick up.

When they finally did, Jack practically barked back into their ear. “This is General O’Neill…get me Walter in the control room NOW!”

Daniel, now thoroughly confused and a little irritated at Jack’s lack of response, spoke up again. “Jack, what the hell is going on? How’s Sam?” When Jack just waved him off, Daniel decided to go check on her himself.

Walter finally answered. “This is Sergeant…”

“Walter, listen to me. I need you to dial up the Gate and contact the Asgard. Do it as fast as you can…and tell Thor that he’d better get his little grey butt into our galaxy now! Tell him where I’m at and to beam me up…” Just then a heavy but steady hand fell on his shoulder. Jack looked over and saw Teal’c standing close by with a serious look on his face. As he bowed his head slightly, Jack suddenly understood what he was trying to tell him.

“Sir?” Walter’s voice sounded nervous as he waited for Jack to respond.

Jack cleared his throat. “Tell Thor to beam Teal’c and I aboard his ship as soon as he arrives. Do it now, Walter…no excuses.” Jack cut off the conversation by snapping the phone shut and stuffing it into his pocket. Running his hands over his face, he took a steadying breath to try and calm his nerves. His whole body felt like it was shaking as he attempted to take in all that he had just learned.

Turning around, he looked briefly at Teal’c, who was calmly standing next to him, his hands held firmly behind his back. Deciding he owed him an explanation, however brief, he was about to speak when Daniel emerged from Jack’s bedroom, his face pale and his eyes heavy with emotion.

Daniel shook his head. “Jack, what are you doing? We can’t…”

Jack cut him off. “Daniel, don’t question me. I know what I’m doing. You just wait here for the authorities to show up. Make sure she gets back to the SGC.”

Daniel took off his glasses and ran a hand through his hair, visibly frustrated and upset. “Jack,” he said with a firm stance to his voice, “there’s nothing we can do. She’s dead…”

Jack cut him off again. “No she not, Daniel.”

Daniel tried to keep his tone from getting too agitated. “She has no pulse, she’s not breathing, and she’s lost a tremendous amount of blood. The medics will be here in a few minutes, but they can’t bring her back…she’s gone.”

Jack had so many feelings and nerves running through him at that moment he was ready to scream. But instead, an angry tone gave out his response. “Damnit, Daniel, you’re wrong!” Pointing to his bedroom, he went on, his voice just as harsh. “She may be dead, but that’s NOT Samantha Carter!”

Just then, a white beam of light engulfed both Teal’c and Jack, and in the blink of an eye, Daniel was left by himself…alone with a dead body, two strangers who were intoxicated, military and rescue personnel on their way, and now he had no idea what to say or do.

Jack and Teal’c both blinked out the bright light from their eyes as they realized they’d been beamed onto Thor’s ship. Looking around briefly, Jack spotted Thor behind one of the control stations and walked over to him, with Teal’c in tow. “Thor.” Jack’s voice was still firm and no-nonsense, but it had at least lost the angry edge.

Thor met Jack’s eyes and nodded slightly in acknowledgment. “General O’Neill…Teal’c. It is good to see you both again.”

Jack responded quickly. “Likewise…and I’m going to be even happier if you can tell me what the hell is going on. Why do I have a woman at my cabin who looks exactly like Carter, with all her memories and personality, who is now dead, but told me before she died that the real Carter is still out there?” Taking a breath, he went on. “She told me you could help me find these…Clonidians who may have her.”

Thor blinked and answered him. “Clonaudians…and yes, I can help you to some extent.”

Jack looked over at Teal’c and then back at Thor. “So it’s true?!”

Thor replied with a heavy tone. “I’m afraid so.”

Jack suddenly felt like his legs wouldn’t support him. Trying to breathe, he ran his hands over his head. “Well if that’s the case,” he said with his voice full of disbelief, “she said we had to find Carter quickly.”

Thor replied promptly. “The Clonaudian is dead?” Jack nodded. “Well,” he continued, “she’s right. Your Samantha Carter now has little time left to live.”

Jack thought he was going to be sick. Too many emotions had been running through his system, and he wasn’t sure he could handle them much longer. Thor, seeing Jack’s visible distress, spoke up. “I know you have questions, O’Neill, and I can help you understand some of them, but for now I need to get the ship navigating in the right direction. Did she tell you any kind of location in which we can go?”

Jack ran their conversation quickly through his head. “Um…she mentioned a planet named Tericana.”

Thor put the name through his ship’s database. “I have found it. Unfortunately, it is a quite a distance from here, but I will move the ship as fast as it will allow me to. Take some time to rest. I will tell you more of what I know in a moment.”

Though Jack wanted answers now, he wasn’t sure he could take much more at this point, so he didn’t argue with Thor’s logic. Feeling defeated and emotionally wrought, Jack moved over to one of the far walls and sank to the ground.

Teal’c, who sat down next to him, spoke up for the first time, his voice deep but soft. “O’Neill…can you tell me of what you have learned?”

Jack looked over at Teal’c. He’d been so focused in his own head that he’d almost forgotten how in the dark Teal’c was about everything. Jack sighed. “Sorry, Teal’c…I didn’t mean to leave you hanging. Yeah, I can tell you.” Hesitating to collect his thoughts, he went on. “She woke up as I was trying to hold pressure to her wound and said she had something she had to tell me…”

Sam cleared her throat slight and spoke again, this time with a little more volume. “There’s no time…I have to tell you something.”

Jack was sure he was going to break down right then. Trying to keep up a brave face, he pulled as much determination from his gut as he could and responded. “You can tell me later. Right now you need to focus on getting better.”

Sam gave gentle pressure to Jack’s hand that was holding hers. “Jack…I’m dying. Please…” Her voice cracked and she had to allow a few more tears to roll down her face before continuing.

Jack wasn’t ready to face any part of her giving in, and he certainly wasn’t ready to let her go, but he could see she was determined to tell him something. Nodding, he moved his head closer to hers. “Alright…what is it?”

Sam struggled to keep her voice clear. “I…I understand now why she loves you so much.”

Jack furrowed his brow. “Kerry? But we don’t love…”

Sam closed her eyes and tried to move her head. “No.” Opening her eyes again, she looked Jack directly in the face. “Samantha.”

Jack sat back a little. “Sam, what are you talking about?”

She was doing her best not to cry, more from the pain than anything else. “I’m not who you think I am.” Taking a painful breath, she could tell she didn’t have much time left. “I’m not Samantha Carter.”

Jack, jumping up like he’d been shot, suddenly began feeling a different, more nauseating feeling growing in his stomach. He was about to say something when she went on. “I’m apart of the Clonaudian race…our ship was trapped with yours in a gas cloud…after we attacked it.”

Jack’s world began to spin wildly and he had to think for a moment before he understood what she was referring to. “You’re talking about the mission where Sam and the crew of the Prometheus went missing for four days.” The woman nodded. “You’re telling me you cloned her?!” Jack’s mind started calculating how long ago that had been.

The woman went on, her voice growing weaker. “Give me your hand…I will prove to you that what I’m saying is true.” When Jack hesitated, she pleaded with him. “Please…I know how much you love her. She needs you…now more than ever.”

Jack slowly held out a hand. When she took it, at first nothing happened, but then a vision suddenly claimed his mind, and he was horrified at what he was began seeing….

…in the center of that darkness a woman slowly appeared. She was tall and lean, with short blond hair; she was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and green cargo pants. Her eyes were open and she seemed to be staring straight ahead of her, yet looking at nothing. As the image cleared, a chill run down his body as he continued to observe the woman’s face. It was expressionless, yet despite the void that seemed to fill her eyes, Jack could also see extreme pain in them.

But what wretched at his heart the most and placed a fear in his soul was the fact that the woman seemed to be in some sort of clear pod, encased completely without a visible means of escape. She seemed to be frozen in place, except for a single tear that was making its way very slowly down the left side of her face…

Jack ripped his hand away from hers, trying desperately to catch his breath as his heart beat wildly. With his mind clearing, the woman before him started coughing badly, spitting up dark red blood at the same time. Jack, watching her struggling to take some of her last breaths, bent down and took her firmly by the shoulders. “Where is she?!” Jack knew his voice wasn’t soft anymore, but now that he had been shown the truth, he didn’t care.

The woman, now gasping for air, finally managed to look at him through tear-filled eyes. “Tericana…a planet...they will probably take her there.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her vocal chords straining their last.

Jack could feel his whole body shaking. “And how do I know that when or if I find her, it’s not another one of their clones?”

The woman took a moment to answer. “There is one object my people failed to reproduce.” When she could see that she had Jack’s full attention, she went on. “Your grandmother’s ring…the one she wears around her neck…as a promise to your love…you never asked me for it back…even after I broke your heart.”

Jack had to sit back and look away. Everything about this woman was Sam…her looks, her voice, her personality…and she was dying a terrible death. It tore at his heart and kept his mind questioning if what was happening was really real. He wanted to be angry, incredibly angry, and he knew that that emotion would come, but now was not the time for it. Having to watch her suffer, someone he thought only minutes ago was the love of his life, kept his heart in constant turmoil, and he wanted to just stand up and scream in order to make the nightmare that had become his life end.

Suddenly, the room became incredibly quiet and Jack looked back at the woman before him. Her face was now deathly white and all motion had stopped. Her eyes were closed and her chest barely rose above a whispered breath. Jack began to reach a hand out to check for a pulse when her hand found his. Opening her eyes slowly, she managed to show him the faintest of smiles. “Jack,” she said, her voice almost now completely gone, “contact the Asgard. They can help you. I’m….I’m so sorry.”

And then she was gone. The light left her eyes as they slowly closed on their own accord and her hand went limp in his. Jack felt like he wanted to cry. Wasn’t this Samantha Carter before him? Did he really have a chance at getting her back? So many thoughts and emotions surged through his head that he had to sit there for a moment to keep from getting dizzy.

Knowing what he had to do, but unsure if any of this was real, he closed his eyes for a moment to try and concentrate on a single thought…any thought…in order to steady himself. But when he did, only one thing, one haunting thing, came through crystal clear to him…

“Please…I know how much you love her. She needs you…now more than ever.”

It was one of the last things she had said to him, and as it rung through his head, Jack shot to his feet, took one last look at the body before him, and then practically ran to his bedroom door. He knew that his cell phone was in the kitchen somewhere….

Jack took a shaky breath and looked over at Teal’c. “And that’s when I ran into the two of you.”

Teal’c, who had been quietly listening during Jack’s retelling of what had happened between him and “Sam” looked pensive but confident. Turning to Jack, he gave his friend a sympathetic smile and softly spoke to him. “We will find her, O’Neill…on that I give you my word.”

Jack, eternally grateful for Teal’c’s friendship and unwavering support of everything and everyone in his life, now felt incredibly lucky to have Teal’c with him. Jack knew that he was too personally involved with the situation, and he trusted that Teal’c would help guide him in the right direction if it was needed. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Jack nodded. “Thanks, T. You’re a true friend.”

Teal’c nodded. “As are you, O’Neill.” Pausing for a moment, he then continued. “So if I am understanding you correctly, the real Colonel Carter has not been with us since she and the Prometheus went missing?” Jack nodded. “That is indeed a long time…a lot has occurred during her absence.”

Jack, still trying to take in and register everything he’d just learned, suddenly looked up. “Oh my God!”

Teal’c gave him a concerned look. “What is wrong?”

Jack covered his face with his hands for a moment before dragging them back down to his lap. “She was never with Pete.”

Teal’c, now confused at his visible distress, spoke up. “Is this not a good thing, O’Neill?”

Jack shook his head. “No, no…its great…it’s just all that time, all that heartache, and Kerry…”

“Who is Kerry?”

Jack looked over at Teal’c. He suddenly remembered that he’d never told Teal’c about her. “Um, she’s a woman I was recently dating. I was so lost without Sam and felt I’d never have another chance with her…I moved on…I guess rather out of self-pity or despair, even though I knew I’d never feel the same way about another woman again.”

Teal’c couldn’t help but smile slightly. “I’m sure Colonel Carter will understand and forgive you…you had no way of knowing the truth until now.”

Jack simply nodded with a frown on his face. “I only hope I get the chance to ask for her forgiveness. If we don’t make it in time…if I lose her…again…”

Jack never had a chance to finish his sentence. Thor walked up to them, drawing both of their attentions. “We are traveling at the maximum speed my ship can go…we should arrive at Tericana within four of your Earth hours.”

Jack and Teal’c both stood up. “Thanks, Thor,” Jack said. “I appreciate you getting to us so quickly.”

Thor was silent for a moment and then finally spoke up. “I was expecting your call for help.”

At first Jack wasn’t sure he’d heard him correctly. “I’m sorry? Did you say you were expecting our call?”

Thor nodded. “Perhaps you would like to sit down. Now that I have the ship underway, I can help you to understand more of the Clonaudians and what has occurred.”

As Thor turned and walked down the hallway, Jack and Teal’c had no choice but to follow him. Arriving at a room not far from the bridge, Thor gestured to some chairs for Teal’c and Jack to occupy while he seated himself.

As Jack sat down, he spoke up before he’d even settled in his chair. “Look, Thor, I definitely want to know all that there is about these aliens, but I’m still stuck on the fact that you were expecting our call. Would you mind explaining that?”

Thor looked at both of them and then bowed his head slightly. “Very well.” Taking another moment, he then went on. “Some time ago, some of the scientists on our world had been experimenting in perfecting time travel. We know the ancients have accomplished this to an extent, but for the Asgard, it was a challenge that we had yet to overcome.”

Teal’c’s voice echoed in the small room. “For what purpose would you use this technology?”

Thor replied. “We had hoped that it would be an effective tool in stopping the Replicators, or any other dominating enemy, should the need arise. Of course, we had no plans of using it unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.” Waiting to see if they had another question, he continued. “We were experimenting with it on my ship several months ago…and to our delight, it worked.”

Jack couldn’t resist. “How do you express delight anyway…because I just can’t picture it?” When Thor just looked at him, Jack cleared his throat. “Um…so what…you jumped back in time and…?”

“As I was saying,” Thor said, annoyance now tracing his voice, “we were successful…the only problem was that we jumped forward in time instead of backwards.”

“I’d call that a bit of an oops.” Jack knew Thor was finding no humor in his remarks, but Jack felt humor was the only way to keep from going completely insane.

“When we discovered our error, we intended to immediately return to our own time. We knew it was dangerous to be experimenting with the timeline as it was. Effectively cloaking our ship, we waited for repairs to be made. It was during that time that we encountered the Clonaudian vessel…and its involvement in Colonel Carter’s life.”

Jack sat up in his chair. “What do you mean…involvement? How much did you see?” The humor from Jack’s voice was now gone.

Thor continued. “I cannot disclose to you how much I know. I do not wish to alter future outcomes.”

Jack interrupted him, his voice full and dark. “I don’t give a rat’s ass about future outcomes. You’re telling me you knew this was going to happen and you did nothing?!” Jack could feel the veins in his neck beginning to bulge. “I thought the Asgard were our allies! What happened to doing a favor for a friend….a friend mind you that has saved your skinny grey butt more times than I can count?!”

Thor, not even phased by Jack’s outburst, went on. “I know you are upset, O’Neill, but you must understand that if I had come and warned you about the forlorn mission, everything would have changed, including future events that are meant to happen.”

Jack was about to counter back again, but Teal’c laid a hand on his arm reminding Jack to keep his cool. Huffing out a breath, he finally responded. “Well, I’d like you to explain your reasoning to Carter if and when we find her. Do you realize how much of her life has been sacrificed…how many months she’ll never get back?”

Thor tilted his head slightly to the side and blinked. “I know how much you care about her, O’Neill…she is a valued asset to your team and world, not to mention all of the times she has come to our aid.”

Jack gave Thor a wry smile. “Well, you’ve got a funny way of showing your gratitude.”

Teal’c, having stayed silent, could see that a change in conversation was needed. “Can you tell us of these Clonaudians? It would be wise for us to know what we are now up against.”

Jack sat back in his chair and tried to refocus his brain in order to listen to what Thor had to say about them. “The Clonaudians are a race of aliens that predate the Replicators. While we know how the Replicators came into existence, little is known about how the Clonaudians came to be. In general, they are a small, elusive group with no known home world, though we know they have a tendency to visit planets like Tericana.

Jack broke into the conversation, his voice much less harsh than it had been minutes earlier. “Why that planet?”

Thor answered him. “The Clonaudians investigate life on other planets and in other galaxies by choosing a person from that race and cloning them in flesh and blood. Everything between the clone and the actual species is identical….a neural link is placed inside the head of the clone that allows it access to the memories and thoughts of the actual being. Their technology far exceeds our own, so understanding them has been a challenge.

From what we know, the Clonaudians learn about all forms of life this way, rather than participating in it themselves. The subjects are essentially placed in stasis for however long they are needed. An external neural link is placed on them so the clone can communicate with them, and a feeding tube is inserted into their stomach to provide the body with the nourishment it needs to survive.”

Jack felt a wave of nausea overcoming him again. “So you’re telling me this is how Carter’s been living all these months? In a pod without any function or control over her own system?”

Thor nodded. “Unfortunately…yes.”

Teal’c then asked his own question. “During this time in stasis, is the person aware of what is happening to them?”

Again Thor nodded. “They are...since their brain is constantly being probed, the person theoretically lives through what the clone sees.”

Jack stood up and began to pace, anger surging through his veins. “So Carter’s been able to see everything that’s been going on through the eyes of her clone?”

“Only if the clone allows the subject to view those events…but each time the clone accesses any of the subjects memories, the communication link that is established will give the subject the ability to see what the clone does for at least a short period of time.”

Jack’s head suddenly felt like it was going to explode. Too much was coming at him too fast…the news about Sam, the life he’d been living, all of the emotions and heartache he’d been through, all the time she’d lost…he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

And Thor suddenly tested that theory by speaking again. “As for the planet of Tericana, we have reason to believe that it is one of several planets where the Clonaudians leave their subjects once the neural link is severed.”

Jack, still pacing, stopped abruptly and looked over at Thor. “What do you mean…how does the neural link get severed?”

Thor took a moment to answer him, knowing what he was about to say would not go over well. “Only upon the death of a clone…once that happens, the Clonaudians can no longer receive information about the people they had been observing. Therefore, the subject is transported down to the planet and left there.” Thor paused briefly and then went on. “Due to the subject’s highly weakened state and dependency on the pod, once they are removed from it and placed on the planet’s surface, most do not survive beyond a day.”

The look of shock and disbelief on Teal’c’s face was echoed in Jack’s voice as he sunk into his chair. “Oh my God.” Jack suddenly felt completely lost and at the mercy of time, which was not being kind to them. Hope of finding her alive was fading with each passing minute, and now he had the entire surface of a planet to search.

Looking up at Thor with his heart in his eyes, he spoke up. “Can you at least search the planet with your ship’s sensors…identify her signature? I’m sure your ship has it logged somewhere…you found her when the Replicators had her.”

Thor blinked. “Only a life sign…not her specific signature. I can search the planet for life, but if there are other life signs present, then…”

Jack finished for him. “It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Frustrated, Jack sat back in his chair.

Thor stood up. “I must go check on our progress. I took the liberty of transporting up from your base some of your food stores, along with weapons and other attire that you usually wear when traveling to other worlds.”

Jack looked down and suddenly remembered that he was still wearing his tan pants and mismatched shirt that he had thrown on after the other one had been soaked in blood. Feeling like a train had hit him head on but determined to stay as strong as he could for Sam, he drew off the anger brewing in the pit of his stomach for the strength not to give into despair. Standing up, he nodded. “Thanks, Thor. We’ll get geared up and will be ready for transport as soon as we get there.”

Thor was almost to the door when he stopped and turned around, looking directly at Jack. “I am sorry, O’Neill, that I cannot help you by telling you more information. However, I would suggest that you lay down and rest. I took the liberty of imbedding some specific information into your brain that may help you find her.”

Jack was dumbfounded. “When did you do that…and for that matter how?”

“I cannot tell you the means by which I accomplished this since it was not originally my place to help you. But you and your team have done so much for the Asgard, I felt the risk was worth it.” Walking over closer to Jack, he looked up at him.

Jack knelt down until he was eye level with Thor. Though he’d been irritated at Thor for not telling more of what he knew, this gift was something he wasn’t going to question. “Okay, so how do I access it?”

Thor spoke up. “It is in the form of a dream…one you’ve had before but do not remember. Close your eyes and rest…you will dream it again, and this time you will remember it.” As Jack stood up, Thor moved back over to the door. “You should also know, O’Neill, that I provided a dream for Colonel Carter as well…one that will hopefully bring light to her heart, and keep her holding on until you can find her.”

As they watched Thor leave, Jack looked over at Teal’c, who had a determined look on his face. “We will find her, O’Neill…you must believe that.”

Jack nodded. “Just believe…it seems so simple, yet so hard when everything has been turned upside down.” Sighing heavily and then slapping a light hand on Teal’c shoulder, he continued. “Thanks, Teal’c. I don’t think I could do this without you.”

Moving out of the room, they proceeded down the hall to the storage room where they knew they’d find their equipment and food. With little to go on, Jack fully intended to take Thor up on his advice to rest. A dream was better than nothing, and if it helped them find Sam, it would mean everything to him. But only time would tell.

Thirty minutes later, Jack was sound asleep on the floor of one of the rooms off the bridge, his pack being used as a pillow. Jack’s body involuntarily flinched as a deluge of random images and echoing voices coursed through his mind…

…Harry then looked up with a serious yet strangely sympathetic expression that chilled Jack to his bones. They boy’s eyes searched only his, seemingly looking for something in them that would give him an answer to a puzzling question. And then he spoke up, his voice soft but strong. “Jack, you must remember one thing: everything is not always as it appears to be.”…

…Elrond waited until he had both of their attentions again. “But though it may be a dream, it also has real implications for your future.”…

…“I cannot tell you your future, nor can I tell you what part of this journey applies to it. But what I can do is give each of you a gift, a gift that will hopefully help to guide the future that awaits you.” …

…“What awaits your future, child, is out of my hands. It will happen regardless of anything I tell you. I only hope to give you a bit of help for your journey ahead.”…

…Elrond moved closer and stood in front of Jack, towering above him in a regal display of elegance and power. “My gift is for you, Jack. It would be wise for you to remember it…keep the images close to your heart, for one day, they may just prove to be the very key to your future.”…

…Slowly but decisively, Elrond placed his hands on either side of Jack’s head and closed his eyes. Jack at first felt nothing more than the steady pressure of the man’s hands on his head; but then a vision grew in his mind, and his eyes involuntarily shut, closing out the rest of his surroundings except for what he was seeing…

…There were slow flashes of three specific scenes: a great planet, covered in an atmospheric condition not unlike that of Earth; a field glowing golden in the sun, with grasses that flowed in a steady breeze, lining the banks of a crystal clear stream that wound its way through the center of the land; and finally a great and towering waterfall: the invisible rocks beneath the waterline at the top of the cascading display had inadvertently created a perfect spiral in the center of the flow, making it not only beautiful but incredibly unique.

When Jack’s mind went dark, he felt Elrond’s hands release his head and he opened his eyes. Before Jack had a chance to speak or question, Elrond injected his voice. “Do not question or ask me for answers I cannot give you. Simply remember what you have seen…for it will possible save your life one day, or that of someone else’s.”…

…“What gift was given to you is only for you, and though the images and memory of them fade from your mind now, in time, when they are needed, you will remember them.”…

Jack abruptly sat up, sweat pouring from the skin on his forehead as his heart beat wildly and he took in gasping breaths of sweet air. Teal’c, who had been quietly meditating in a corner of the room got up quickly and rushed to his side.

“O’Neill!” Teal’c’s voice was a deep, booming sound in Jack’s head as he tried to get his bearings. He now had a pounding headache, one that he was sure had something to do with whatever method Thor had used to implant the information into his brain. “O’Neill…are you okay?”

Jack placed a hand on his forehead and squeezed his eyes tightly for a moment before trying to focus on the room before him. “Man what a headache.” Jack glanced over and Teal’c and finally answered his question. “I’m okay, buddy…just a little unnerved.”

Teal’c helped Jack stand up. “Do you remember your dream?”

Jack thought for a minute, trying to sort through the random images and sounds paging through his head. Finally, he answered his question. “Apparently I do. Everything seems to be in the form of clues…landmarks…I’m assuming that’s what will help lead us in the right direction.”

Teal’c spoke up. “Was Thor in your dream?”

Jack shook his head. “No, but I have a feeling all the various characters that I encountered in it were really Thor in disguise. I guess since he felt he was already crossing a line, he didn’t want to do further damage.”

Teal’c relaxed his stance. “It is fortunate that Thor has been able to help us, otherwise we would have not known anything was wrong and would have assumed…”

“That Sam was dead, killed by that drunk driver.” For the first time, Jack took in a full perspective on the events surrounding them, and it sent chills down his spine. “As much as I hate that this has happened, as much as I fear we won’t find her in time, if they hadn’t have cloned Carter, it would have been her, and not her clone, that would have been hit and killed by that car.” Jack paused before continuing. “Of course, the real Carter would have never dated Pete, so then maybe our getaway weekend wouldn’t have happened anyway.”

They both sat there in silence for a moment reflecting before Teal’c’s voice broke the quiet. “We cannot change what has happened, O’Neill, but we can do our best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Jack and Teal’c made eye contact for a long minute, communicating without words that they were thinking the same thing and that they were in agreement. Knowing that Thor would never condone any action taken against the Clonaudians as retribution, the two men knew they were on their own.

Jack nodded. “If we get the opportunity…”

Teal’c bowed his head slightly. “I will be at your side.”

Jack gave him a brief smile. Then, looking at the door to the room they were in, Jack began moving towards it. “Let’s go check on our progress. We should be about there…I just hope we’re not too late.”

It was dark…incredibly dark…and her body, numb and heavy, now lay on something rock-hard, with jagged edges probing into her back muscles. The air around her was damp and hard to breathe as her lungs, painful and weak, desperately cried out to be filled with sweet, pure oxygen.

Sam tried to open her eyes, yet after a few moments had passed, she finally realized that they were open, but it was so black that she couldn’t make anything out. Opening her mouth, she decided to try her vocal cords, but only managed to make a few sounds that emitted more like a faint squawking than a human voice.

As a chill ran through her body, electrifying all of her nerves, Sam felt a warm tear slowly streaking down her left cheek. They had moved her…she remembered that…though she couldn’t see or move anything, she knew that she was finally out of the pod encasement. But as soon as they had freed her from it, she assumed that she had been forcibly sedated…she remembered feeling a sharp, biting puncture to her neck before her world had gone dark.

And so now she found herself in the darkest place she’d ever been, without hope, without any connection to the outside world. In the past month she had made slow progress with her clone…trying to manipulate the neural link had been one of the most challenging things she’d ever done in her life, but she had been communicating with her despite the clone’s repeated attempts to block her from its mind.

A few times she had actually been successful enough to control the clone for a short period of time…but always in the end, her efforts were thwarted. She had been counting on Jack’s knowledge of her usual behavior to figure out that something was terribly wrong, but the clone had counted on that from the beginning. It had practically killed her knowing how heartbroken Jack had to be at the idea that she didn’t love him anymore. Sam knew from just looking into the clone’s recent memories that it had broken off all relations with Jack and had even taken up a new relationship.

Time and time again she had tried to flood the clone’s mind with memory after memory of select, wonderful times with Jack that she had had with him, and though Sam knew the effects of her efforts were causing the clone to struggle with her choice, in the end it hadn’t mattered. It won every time.

But thanks to Jack’s persistent nature, she had managed to come up with plan that she thought would be her saving grace. Working out a dream in her head, she had managed to manipulate the clone enough so that during one of the few times Jack had been touching it, Sam had transmitted that information to his brain which would activate once he was asleep.

Unfortunately, she had hit another road block even with that plan. The aliens holding her had been randomly observing her neural patterns and figured out what she was trying to do. Just as the most critical part of her message to him was being transmitted, they had painfully disengaged her neural link to the clone, effectively ending her transmission. Sam was certain that whatever part had gotten through to Jack only confused him more.

Once the aliens had reconnected her to the clone, she discovered that they had made adjustments to her end, basically ending her ability to communicate and manipulate her twin. Her captors hadn’t been prepared for her abilities to fight the neural link, ones that she found even she didn’t know she had. Suspecting that she had inadvertently learned it from when her body had been possessed and controlled by the entity, she never questioned it but used it to her advantage…at least while it lasted.

But after they had adjusted her link, all of her abilities had ceased. She had become nothing more than a mummified version of herself, used only for information that her clone would need. In the beginning of her captivity, Sam had stayed strong and positive, knowing that help would come. But as her time with them continued, and things only got worse, she felt her hope and her confidence slipping away. Being forced to watch only bits and pieces of what was happening in her life was sheer agony, and once the aliens adjusted her link, she had not been able to see any of it. Her world had gone completely dark.

And so now she found herself alone, cold, barely breathing, in a dark place of which she had no knowledge, and now no hope of ever seeing anything or anyone she had ever loved again. After all that she had been through…after all the times she had touched death and lived to see another day, she knew that another miracle would not happen for her now.

Letting herself cry, feeling the last of anything real, she listened to the dull echoes of her own quiet sobs as she closed her eyes. Trying to focus on Jack’s face to give her soul a little quiet comfort while she waited for death to claim her, her mind slowly started drifting, and she entered what she could only assume was a dream, though the images and sounds within it seemed incredibly real…

As if she had been waiting unseen in the shadows around them, a woman appeared before them dressed in an elaborately designed white dress that almost glowed as she moved. Her hair was jet black and long down her back, shimmering in the sunlight that was being filtering through the windows. And around her neck hung a necklace that seemed to contain life itself; it was uniquely shaped into almost the figure of an angel, and set with white sparkling stones in the center. Elrond’s daughter was beautiful, and unlike her father’s hard features, her face was soft and her eyes kind and gentle.

Sam and Jack just starred up at her as she approached, as if she were a vision from a distant dream. They watched her as she stopped in front of Sam and then reached down and took her hands. Her smile was warm and her eyes sparkled as she began to speak. “Samantha,” she said in a soft, loving voice, “both you and Jack are destined for greatness. But as life often dictates, tragedy and heartache must be yours to bear as well. Now while I cannot show you what your life will hold more of, I can give you a light to carry in your heart when you find yourself in dark places with no apparent way out.”

Releasing one of Sam’s hands, Arwen reached up and touched the necklace that she wore. “This is the Evenstar. It represents beauty, hope, and most of all, enduring love. A portion of it’s life and light I now give to you to carry on your journey, wherever it may lead you.”

Sam was so entranced by what she was saying that she almost forgot to breath. Without words to say, she watched as Arwen took both her hands in her own once more, knelt down, and gently placed Sam’s fingertips on the Evenstar itself. Without evening realizing it, Sam’s eyes closed, and she sat perfectly still, her mind and heart a blank canvas as beautiful music suddenly spun its chords throughout her soul:

May it be

An evening star

Shines down

Upon you

May it be

When darkness falls

Your heart

Will be true

You walk a lonely road

Oh how far you are from home

Mornie` Utulie` (Darkness has come)

Believe and you

Will find your way

Mornie` Alantie` (Darkness has fallen)

A promise lives

Within you now

May it be

The shadow’s call

Will fly away

May it be

You journey on

To light the day

When the night is overcome

You may rise

To find the sun

Mornie` Utulie` (Darkness has come)

Believe and you

Will find your way

Mornie` Alantie` (Darkness has fallen)

A promise lives

Within you now

A promise lives

Within you now….

Sam’s head fell to the side as she allowed the dream to take her into its depths, pushing back the darkness that threatened to swallow her up forever. And without even knowing it, her lips formed out the patterns of one simple, heartfelt sentence…

“I love you, Jack.”

Jack and Teal’c both stood up from where they had been sitting on the bridge when the ship suddenly exited hyperspace. Dressed out in full gear, both of their bodies anxiously twitched in the anticipation of finally being able to get down to the planet, closer to hopefully finding Sam. Something inside of Jack’s gut told him they didn’t have much time, and he was doing the best he could to remain patient.

Looking out of the ship’s window, Jack spoke up. “Is that Tericana?”

Thor nodded. “It is. I have scanned the surface for life signs and have found some, but they are all scattered across the expanse of the planet.”

Jack clenched his jaw, knowing the odds of finding her over such a large area were not good. Quietly sighing, his heart growing heavier by the minute, he spoke up. “Any sign the Clonaudians?”

Thor took a moment before answering him. “Their ship appears to be on the other side of the planet.”

Teal’c’s left eyebrow rose slightly. “Have they not detected out presence?”

“No,” Thor answered. “I took the liberty of cloaking the ship right before we exited hyperspace.”

“What do these Clonaudians look like?” The more time that passed, Jack knew their chances of finding Sam alive grew less and less, and therefore his anger towards them grew more and more. The way he was feeling right now, he wanted nothing more than to kill any of them that he came across, not to mention the overwhelming desire to blow up their ship.

Thor responded. “The Clonaudians usually send the clones they have on their ship down to the surface to place the person on the planet whose clone had died. The Clonaudians themselves rarely ever leave the ship. What they look like is really only known to those whom they have taken.”

Jack could feel his frustration growing. “See…how is that even possible? After all these centuries, no one has been able to get a look at them or exterminate their asses?”

Thor looked at Jack. “Some have called the Clonaudian ship a ghost ship. Few have seen it, and when it does appear, it stays only long enough to perform the tasks it needs to. With all of the various cultures that it has learned from, the Clonaudians have found ways to survive and maintain their ship without the need of a home planet.”

Jack huffed. “They’re scavengers, Thor, and I’d like nothing more than to personally make them a real ghost ship!” Taking a breath, he tried to calm himself down. “Alright, if we can’t identify them, just beam us down to the planet in a neutral area where we can at least have a chance to access our situation.”

“Very well.” Moving over to another consol, he picked up one of the Asgard communicators. “Take this. When you find Colonel Carter, I will be ready to return you to my ship.”

Jack placed the egg-shaped communicator on the outside of his vest. Looking at Thor, Jack nodded. “Just put us where you think would be the best place to start looking for her.” Jack knew his hint wasn’t very subtle, but he didn’t care. Not knowing the extent of Thor’s knowledge of the immediate future of this situation, the only thing Jack could do was hope that he knew enough to bring them within proximity to Sam’s location. Because if he had to search an entire planet, Jack knew they’d never find her in time.

Within seconds, a bright, white light engulfed them, and moments later, they found themselves standing on the surface of the planet. Quickly looking around, they found they had been beamed into an open, desolate area, vacant of all life. White sand covered the ground they were standing on, and small dunes rose up from the ground. The sun was high in the sky and the temperature was uncomfortably hot.

Ducking behind a dune, they took a moment to scan the area for anyone who might prove to be a threat, using the scope on their guns to view the distance. When no one could be seen, they stood up and tried to decide on the best direction to go.

Scanning the horizon, Jack noticed what appeared to be a forest in the east, and a small mountain range even further off in the west. Thinking back on the memories of his dream, Jack visualized the golden field, the stream, and the waterfall. Logically, he knew it would make sense to head towards the mountains…the waterfall alone gave him that indication.

But then Jack looked at the forest. It was probably only two or three clicks away, and since they were running out of time and the mountain range would take at least a half a day to reach, Jack decided to head for the forest instead. “Let’s go that way. If I don’t see anything that looks familiar, at least from what I saw in that dream Thor sent me, we can turn around and hightail it back in the other direction.”

Teal’c nodded. “Very well.”

Moving over the sand proved to be more challenging than they had anticipated, slowly their progress tremendously. But after almost thirty minutes of hard, non-stop walking, they finally reached the top of one of the tallest dunes and looked out beyond it.

Sighing a breath of relief, Jack found himself looking over a large field, its expanse stretching in all directions and bordering the forest at the far end. Glowing golden in the bright sunlight, the feathery tops of the grass waved in unison in the gentle breeze, as if almost beckoning Jack and Teal’c to come closer.

But what truly enticed them both was the crystal clear stream flowing easily down the center of the field, its water sparkling wildly in the sun. With both of them hot and very thirsty, they made their way carefully down the other side of the dune and within minutes found themselves kneeling at its banks, lapping up water as fast as their hands would catch it.

After getting a good drink and wetting their heads down, Jack stood up and looked around, shielding his eyes against the sun. The grass was tall and thick, making it hard to see through. But Jack knew the direction of the forest and could see the tops of the trees reaching above the grassline at the far end of the field.

“Well,” he said, “I think the only choice we have is to follow next to the stream. That grass is too thick to travel through, at least easily. I guess we’ll just have to take our chances that no one is hiding in it.”

Teal’c nodded, studying the stream. When he didn’t say anything, Jack looked over at him and then down at the stream. “What’s up?”

Teal’c responded. “Perhaps my eyes are playing tricks on me, O’Neill, but is that steam not moving in the right direction? I would have assumed that the water flow would be coming from the forest.”

Jack looked at it for a moment, glancing first upstream and then downstream. “You’re right. That water should be flowing towards the dessert and not the forest.”

“Perhaps we are going in the wrong direction.” Teal’c looked over in the direction of the distant mountains.

But Jack just shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I saw this field in my dream…just not the flow of the stream. Maybe there’s an underground spring that’s feeding it.”

Teal’c just bowed his head in acknowledgment. Adjusting his gear, Jack nodded. “Let’s move out. This part shouldn’t take too long.”

Walking on either side of the stream, they made their way through the field in good time and without complications. Once they could see the edge of the forest ahead of them, sounds of running water began filling the air around them. As they reached the edge of the field, they suddenly discovered where the noise was coming from.

Between the field and the forest, they discovered that a very wide and deep ravine separated the two. The water from the stream cascaded to the depths of the cavern below them in a long, single waterfall. With dark shadows encompassing the bottom, it made the sheer drop off appear that much more terrifying.

Whistling lightly under his breath, Jack looked down and then across at the forest. “That’s quite a drop. Let’s make sure we do our best to avoid falling in there.”

“Indeed.” Teal’c looked further off to their right. “O’Neill…I believe there is a bridge over there that we can use to travel across it.”

Jack nodded. “Let’s do it.” Scanning the forest for movement, he went on. “Keep your eyes open. We’re going to be sitting ducks for a while until we can get coverage in those trees.”

Teal’c straightened his stance as if to show he was not intimidated. “Agreed.”

A few minutes later, they had made it to the bridge and were crossing it. Made of wood boards and rope that appeared to be rotting as each day went by, the bridge gave neither of them confidence. With mold covering most of the surfaces, it made traveling on it painfully slow.

Just as they were two thirds of the way across, Teal’c was putting his foot down on the next board when it suddenly cracked, bowed and snapped violently under his body weight. With his leg shooting through where the board had been, Teal’c grabbed for anything he could find. With the surge of motion, Jack whipped around, grabbing onto the rope as he did.

As Teal’c hung onto the next board with half his body dangling in the hole, Jack tried to steady himself as he reached down to give Teal’c a hand. “Hang on, Teal’c!” Adjusting the gun hanging around his chest, he was just about to take Teal’c’s hand when an eerie sound split the air. It was the sound of something snapping under pressure, and as Jack looked up, he saw what it was. “Oh crap!”

Just then, the ropes they had been using to hold onto snapped apart just behind Teal’c, and the two men suddenly found themselves falling. With both of them now yelling, what was left of the bridge fell in a wide arch, propelling them into the side of the cliff. Hitting it with a loud and painful thump, Jack and Teal’c held on for dear life…with Teal’c still grasping the last board, and Jack dangling by the rope.

Trying to catch his breath and allow his body a few seconds to shake off the massive adrenaline pumping through his veins, Jack glanced down at Teal’c. “You okay?”

Teal’c, also catching his breath, nodded. Glancing up above them, Jack could see they had a good 10 to 15 feet to climb. “Can you pull yourself up?” Again Teal’c nodded, lifting one hand up to the next step and starting the motion as if to prove to Jack that he could.

Jack blew out a breath and reached up, grabbing for the first step his hand touched. Happy to have something more solid than just a thin rope to hang onto, Jack slowly began pulling himself up what had now become a death ladder. With Teal’c right behind him, Jack knew they didn’t have much time before the rest of the bridge snapped under their weight, and he’d be damned if he was going to let a old, rotten walkway keep him from finding Sam. Keeping her face in his mind and knowing that time was slipping away for her, Jack managed to pull himself to the top with less effort than he had expected.

Rolling his body onto solid ground, Jack quickly got to his knees and grabbed onto the back of Teal’c’s vest, helping him the rest of the way up. Once Teal’c was safely at the top, Jack sat down and tried to catch his breath. Looking over at Teal’c, he noticed some blood on the ground beneath his leg. “Hey, are you okay? That looks like a pretty bad cut.”

Teal’c barely glanced down at it. “I will be fine. We need to find Colonel Carter.”

“I know,” Jack said, “but you need to at least cover it with something. I can’t have you getting a massive infection and losing a ton of blood.” Reaching into one of the pockets on his vest, he pulled out an extra large bandage and some tape and handed it to Teal’c. “While you wrap that leg up, I’ll take a look around…see if I can find any other waterfalls.” As Jack got up, he could already feel every muscle in his body twitching in pain. Knowing he was going to be sore in the morning, he groaned as he spoke up again. “And remind me to kick Thor’s little grey ass for dropping us off in the worse possible location.”

Walking a few feet forward, Jack noticed he was at the edge of a hill. Crouching down behind a large boulder, he looked over the area below to see if anything or anyone was going to be an obstacle to them. And as he did, he discovered what they’d been searching for. A few paces from the bottom of the hill was another waterfall…but this time instead of just one, there were four of them, spaced almost evenly, and all falling into one large body of water.

Seeing no one in the immediate area, Jack stood up as Teal’c joined him. “How’s the leg?”

Teal’c nodded. “It will be fine. Are those the waterfalls that you saw in your dream, O’Neill?”

Jack hesitated and then answered him. “I’m hoping one of them. We need to get closer before I know for sure.” As Jack moved out from behind the rock, he spoke again. “Keep a sharp eye out. Up till now, we’ve only seen a handful of wildlife, and while I’m happy we’re not having confrontations, it also makes me very uneasy.”

Teal’c nodded and adjusted his gun. Making their way down the hill proved to be uneventful, and before they knew it, they were standing before the four waterfalls and the large body of water that they dumped into.

Teal’c looked over at Jack. “Do you see one in particular that looks familiar, O’Neill?”

Jack studied the waterfalls as he replayed in his mind the image from his dream. Trying to decipher any unique qualities about the one he’d been shown, he tried his best to keep from getting frustrated as he looked at each cascading display of water. He knew that his increasing worry over Sam was keeping him from thinking clearly, so he took a breath, closed his eyes and then opened them again a moment later.

When he did, the clue he’d been looking for finally stood out to him. The second waterfall from the left had something that none of the others had…its water was flowing down in a beautiful and perfect spiral in the center of the fall. With all the mist created from the churning water, along with the other three waterfalls, it had been hard to see at first.

But now that he knew which one to focus on, he pointed it out to Teal’c. “That’s it. That’s the one that I saw in my dream.” Walking along the bank until he was directly across from it, Jack stood there and studied it, not sure of what to do next.

Teal’c, not wanting to pressure Jack, waited patiently while they stood there for another few minutes. He heard Jack blow out a frustrated breath. “Damnit, Thor. Why did you bring me this far and not give us anything else to go on?!” Teal’c knew that Jack was mainly talking to himself, but as Jack was reaching up for his communicator to radio Thor, Jack stopped mid motion.

“What is it, O’Neill?” Teal’c tried to look in the same direction that Jack was in hopes of seeing whatever it was that had suddenly drawn his attention.

“Wait a minute…” Jack mumbled to himself under his breath. Reaching for his gun, he clicked on the laser and aimed it at the waterfall. Moving his gun slowly from side to side several times, he finally stopped in the middle of the spiraling waterfall and spoke up. “There…that’s what we’re looking for.”

“What do you see, O’Neill?”

Jack glanced over at Teal’c. “Watch,” Jack said as he started moving his gun from side to side. “You see how the laser light disappears right there?” When Teal’c nodded, Jack continued as he turned off the laser and put his gun down. “There’s a cave behind that fall…we just can’t see it because of all the water.” Quickly looking at either side of the lake, Jack nodded at the far end. “There…we should be able to access it from that spot.”

As they moved out towards the area Jack had pointed out, an overwhelming sense of urgency gripped his heart. It was like he could feel the life draining out of his soul and he knew that Sam’s life was hanging by a thread. She had to be close by…Jack knew that in his gut. And since he’d always thought of her as his soulmate ever since they had become more to each other than just friends, what he was feeling made sense…and scared the hell out of him all in the same breath.

Allowing the adrenaline to take control of his body, he quickly spoke up. “Something’s really wrong, Teal’c.” Not needing a response, he adjusted the grip on his gun as he started to run, jumping over small obstacles that were in his way. He didn’t need to look back to know that Teal’c was right behind him.

As they approached the first fall, they could finally see a small path leading in the direction that they needed to go. The rocks were wet and slippery, but enough foot traffic had passed by on them to make a small, gravel walkway underneath each arching fall. Moving as quickly as they could, they arrived at the spiraling fall and discovered that Jack had been right…a cave, its mouth opening tall but narrow, was centered directly behind the spiraling water, beckoning them inside.

With his adrenaline now pumping in full force, Jack clicked on the light attached to his gun and aimed it before them. Upon enter the cave, they both noticed that the heavy, damp air held a distinct odor…one that could only be of rotting flesh. The smell wasn’t overpowering, but it was definitely present, as if the walls of the cave were now saturated in it. Fighting back a wave of nausea, they proceeded cautiously, shining their light on every angle of the cave. After they had gone a little further, they started coming across bones…some in piles, others side by side.

Teal’c’s voice echoed lowly in their surroundings, his tone laced with disgust. “This is not a cave…it is a tomb.”

Jack could feel the anger resurfacing in his body, threatening to take over rational thought. “These bastards need to die, Teal’c. Who knows how long they’ve been doing this…and to countless lives!” Trying to shake off the need to hit something hard, Jack spoke again. “Come on. We’ve got to find Sam.”

They continued on in what was now complete darkness, being careful not to step or trip over anything that had died there. After moving forward a few more paces, they were just passing a large crevice in the cave when Jack’s light moved past something that appeared to be light yellow in color. Stopping dead in his tracks, he slowly moved his light back to where he’d seen it…and he felt his heart stop when he saw what it…or rather who it was.

“Oh God…Sam!” Quickly moving into the large crevice, he dropped down onto his knees next to her as Teal’c’s pointed his light on her so they could see better. She was dressed exactly like he’d last seen her on Earth…before she had left with the Prometheus on that fateful mission. Her long sleeved black shirt and green cargo pants seemed untarnished, and her face, though incredibly pale and thin, didn’t have a scratch on it. There was a red puncture mark on her neck and two identical receptors imbedded on either side of her head. She was thinner than when he’d last seen her and her hair was slightly longer.

Jack was almost afraid to touch her…the fear that she was already lost to him gripped to his heart like a magnetic force. It was Teal’c’s voice who shook him free. “How can we be sure this is our Colonel Carter?”

Taking a steadying breath, Jack carefully reached inside the collar of her shirt and pulled out her dogtags. And there it sat…sparkling in the light of the flashlight was his grandmother’s ring, the one he’d given to Sam in the hospital after she had been recovered from the avalanche that had buried her and Jonas.

It was all real…everything the clone had said…all that had happened. Looking down at Sam’s unconscious body, he could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes. She had never stopped loving him…had never left him for another man. Instead, she had spent the last almost eight months suffering while he wallowed in his own self-pity.

“O’Neill,” Teal’c’s voice urged softly in his ears, “is this Colonel Carter?”

Jack choked back his own emotions and nodded. “Yeah, Teal’c, it’s her.” Reaching for her neck, he held his breath as he felt for a pulse. Her skin was cold and clammy and he could tell from the lack of significant chest rise that she was barely breathing. After a long, agonizing moment, he finally found a pulse…weak and erratic.

Releasing the breath he’d been holding, Jack glanced up at Teal’c and nodded. “She’s alive…but barely. We’ve got to get her out of here.”

“Can she be moved?” Teal’c voice was more emotional than Jack had heard in a long time.

Jack shook his head. “I don’t see any external injuries, but we really don’t have a lot of choice. If we wait, she doesn’t have a chance.” Pressing on his com, Jack spoke into it. “Thor, can you hear me?”

After a long silence , no response came. “Thor! This is O’Neill…do you read me?” When he still didn’t respond, Jack glanced up at Teal’c. “My guess is that these caves are somehow blocking his signal. We’re going to have to get back outside and then try again.”

Looking down at Sam, he was adjusting his gear when Jack suddenly noticed a slight movement of her head. “Sam?! Sam, can you hear me? It’s Jack…com’ on, baby, open your eyes…please!” At his prompting, her eyes opened slightly as she emitted a low groan and lolled her head to the other side. “Sam, that’s it. Can you hear me?” Carefully taking her face between both of his hands, Jack directed her face towards his, trying desperately to get her to respond. “Come on, Carter, I need you to focus…think…fight this.”

In the bright light of Teal’c’s flashlight, Sam furrowed her brow, swallowed once, and directed her eyes, which were still only partially open, at Jack’s anxious face. Opening her mouth ever so slightly, she emitted the faintest of whispered words. “I love you.” And then her eyes closed and her head went limp in Jack’s hands.

Jack could now hear his heart pounding in his ears and could feel the vibrations in his throat. “NO…Sam…stay with me…please!” When she didn’t respond, he went on, this time with less desperation and more determination in his voice. “Don’t you die on me! I’m going to get you out of here.”

Knowing they didn’t have any more time to waste, Jack carefully scooped her up into his arms and stood up. Holding her closely against him, Jack looked at Teal’c and nodded. “Let’s go.”

Teal’c nodded and turned his light back in the direction they’d come from. Moving carefully, they made their way through the cave until a dim light began to appear, letting them know that they were approaching the mouth of the cave.

As they came around the final corner before the opening, they suddenly found themselves face to face with four men, all of which were identical. Between them, they were carrying another body that they were obviously attempting to deposit inside the cave. For a moment, no one said anything due to the initial shock of meeting unexpectedly, but then as Jack stepped back, reaching for his gun while still holding onto Sam, one of the clones spoke up.

“You must leave that one here. She is not to leave this cave.” His voice was monotone but pointedly firm.

Jack, standing slightly behind Teal’c who had his gun pointed directly at them, replied in an angry voice. “Like Hell we will! I suggest you put that person you’re carrying down and step back or my friend here will have no problem killing you.” But when the clone simply reached up and touched a device on his shirt and then reached for his belt, Jack could see they were going to be left with no choice. “Teal’c!”

Jack moved back around the corner as Teal’c opened fire. Putting Sam down carefully, he stood back up, readying his gun at the same time as Teal’c came barreling around the corner with laser fire at his feet. Taking up opposite positions on the wall, the firefight continued for another minute before the last clone made a critical mistake and was hit by one of Jack’s bullets.

As the dust settled and the echoing of gunfire ceased, Jack glanced down at Sam to make sure she hadn’t been hit by a stray bullet. Not seeing any blood, he then looked over Teal’c. “You okay?”

Teal’c, his muscles flexing, nodded. “I am unharmed.”

Jack nodded as he emerged from the behind the corner and looked at the clones now lying on the ground, all dead. “I hate to say it but that felt great!” As Teal’c moved over to the victim lying on the handmade stretcher, Jack nodded. “Is he alive?”

Teal’c shook his head. “This one is not. He must have died before they brought him here.”

Jack looked back down at the device on one of the clones’ shirts. “Well, we’d better get moving. My guess is they signaled to that ship that we’re down here. As much as I’d like to kill more of them, we need to get Sam out of here.” Moving back over to her, he gently picked her up and followed Teal’c out into the light.

Moving carefully under the waterfalls, they were just about to emerge from underneath them when Teal’c suddenly yelled and jumped to the side. “O’Neill!”

A blast hit the wall right behind Jack’s head. Quickly flattening himself against the wet rock wall, Jack tried to see what they were up against, but Teal’c had the better perspective. Yelling against the almost deafening sound of the rushing water, Teal’c gave him a report. “We are surrounded…there appear to be at least 20 of them cutting off our position!”

Jack glanced back in the other direction, knowing full well that other end would probably be secured by clones…if they weren’t already advancing on their position. Now thoroughly wet from the constant mist and dripping water, Jack reached up and pressed on his com again. “Thor, this is O’Neill…we are very ready for you to beam us aboard!”

Just then, laser fire blasted at his feet, but this time from the opposite direction. Putting Sam partially down, he held onto her waist with one arm since there was no safe place to lay her. Picking up his gun with his free hand, he opened fire. With Teal’c now being fired at from the ones cutting off their original route, Jack saw their chances of success diminishing by the second. Readjusting Sam in the arm that was holding her, he was determined to somehow get through this. They hadn’t come this far only to lose to a bunch of robots.

As the clones continued to fire and encroach on their position, Jack slammed his fingers against the com again, yelling loudly this time. “Damnit, Thor, anytime now! Our chances aren’t getting…” In a bright flash of light, the three of them disappeared just as a laser blast from one of the clones’ guns hit the spot where Jack’s chest had been.

“…any better!” Jack blinked and suddenly realized that they were now safely aboard Thor’s vessel again. With his ears still ringing from the loud sounds that had been surrounding them, Jack set his gun down as he dropped to his knees and held Sam’s head in his lap as he brushed the water from her face and slicked her hair back.

Thor joined them. “How is Colonel Carter?”

Jack sniffed and used his free hand to wipe away the water dripping off his forehead. “Not good. She needs medical attention fast.” Looking up at Thor, his eyes pleaded with him as he spoke. “Is there anything you can do for her?”

Thor replied promptly. “Put her in that chamber. I will analyze her condition and see if I can treat it.”

Jack simply nodded and then scooped Sam back up into his arms. Standing up, he carried her over to the same chamber that he had been in when Thor had transported him onto the ship from his frozen stasis in Antarctica. Hating the idea of having to put her back into any kind of containment, but knowing it was her best chance, Jack carefully laid her down and stepped back as the cover closed. If that chamber had saved him, surely it could save her.

Now feeling utterly lost and helpless, he stood over her and waited to see what the outcome would be. It felt like an eternity before Thor finally spoke again. “She is very close to death. Her body has lost significant function since being taken out of stasis. I will attempt to remove the neural receptors. With restored activity to her brain, our best hope is that her body will naturally begin to function again. I will also provide her body with a form of nourishment that may help, but only time will tell us her fate.”

Jack ran his hands through his hair, slicking it back while he tried to keep himself from breaking down. Keeping his eyes on Sam’s pale face, he responded, his voice quiet. “How long?”

Thor answered him. “That is uncertain, but the hope is within the hour.”

Jack turned around and looked directly at Thor. “Please, Thor…please,” he said, his voice almost begging, “how far into our future did you see? I have to know…”

“Unfortunately,” Thor said, “I did not see any further than where they had taken her. I was afraid that if I did, the timeline would be compromised. I am sorry, O’Neill.”

“Yeah,” Jack said, turning back around to look at Sam again. Just then, a vibration hit the ship, and Teal’c and Jack both looked around at Thor.

Teal’c spoke up first. “Are we under attack by the alien vessel?”

“No,” Thor said. “The ship is still cloaked, but…” He hesitated before going on. “It appears that the Clonaudian vessel is under attack.”

Jack felt a surge of strength overcome him. “From who?”

Thor responded. “It is uncertain, but it appears to be coming from two different Al’Kesh. I will attempt to maneuver the ship around in order to see the attack better.” Turning the ship in the direction of its starboard side, the Clonaudian vessel finally came into view. It’s impressive side dwarfed the two small Al’Kesh who were attacking it.

Jack smiled to himself. “You know, I never thought I’d be happy to see the Goa’uld, but it’s about time someone put those bastards in their place. I guess they finally pissed off the wrong people.” Watching the firefight, it was obvious that the Al’Kesh firepower was no match for the Clonaudians. But just as it appeared they were getting the upper hand, a mother ship jumped out of hyperspace and immediately joined the fight.

But even as the fight went on and the Clonaudians had taken some good hits, the Goa’uld still appeared to be losing the battle. Jack could feel his limbs itching for a ship that he could fly order to join the fight, even if it meant siding with the Goa’uld for once.

When one of the Al’Kesh took a huge hit, Jack finally couldn’t contain his tongue anymore. “Come on, Thor, get in there. With the firepower of your ship combined with theirs, those bastards don’t have a chance.”

Teal’c, watching the battle with as much intensity as Jack, backed him up. “Is there not a ship that we can fly? Colonel Carter’s life hangs in the balance because of them…not to mention countless others!”

Thor spoke calmly. “It is because of those lives, Teal’c, that I do not engage. If their ship is destroyed, they will be killed along with the aliens.”

Jack spat back a response. “Well, considering how much death we saw down in that cave, I’d say their lives are already forfeit. It’s a miracle we found Carter in time, and even now we don’t know if she’s going to live.” Taking a quick breath, he went on, his voice loaded with anger. “Because if she dies, Thor, I promise you I will spend every last day I have hunting them down until they’re nothing more than space dust…and I can back that promise with the full force of the SGC!”

Thor considered what he had just said for a moment before responding. “Very well. But we will have to jump into hyperspace without hesitation. I cannot risk too many people knowing of my involvement in the destruction of an entire race. It is against everything we believe in.”

Teal’c then responded. “The Goa’uld have more than likely been affected by these Clonaudians and will be glad for the help. Just knowing they have been destroyed will be satisfaction enough for them.”

Thor saw no need to respond. Making a few adjustments to his ship, he throttled up its speed and power just as the mother ship was laying down another load of firepower. In order to have full power of the weapons, Thor knew the ship’s cloak would have to be deactivated.

So at the last possible moment, the Asgard vessel finally made its massive presence known, and using the full power of its weaponry, blasted into the side of the Clonaudian ship at the same time as the rest of the ships. Turning around, Thor made one final pass as a destructive chain reaction began pulling apart the Clonaudian vessel.

And just before they entered hyperspace, Jack and Teal’c had the satisfaction of not only watching the ship disappear from the radar screen, but they also felt the shock waves as they rolled through the ship. And with the destruction of an entire evil race that was responsible for taking everything from the woman he loved, not to mention it’s unwelcomed stamp on hundreds of other civilizations, Jack knew that he could now sleep a little better at night, even if Sam never woke up again.

An hour later, Sam was still not awake. After Thor had successfully removed the neural receptors through a laser technology Jack didn’t understand, he had fed her body intravenously while in the chamber. Once her organs were back up to the best functional capacity that he could get them, the only thing left to do was wait and see if she would open her eyes.

They had moved her into one of the sleeping quarters on Thor’s ship and had made her as comfortable as possible. Teal’c had voluntarily left in order to give Jack his privacy with her, claiming he was going to get something to eat. But Jack knew better, and he found himself more amazed everyday at the kind of friend he had in that man. Jack knew that probably none of them would be still be alive if he hadn’t helped them escape their captivity during that first and very fateful encounter.

Pacing back and forth to keep himself from going crazy, Jack was completely sick with worry. So many emotions had been pounding through his system that he wasn’t sure he could even think clearly. But the one thing he knew for sure was that he wouldn’t be able to go on if he lost her now…not after all that had happened.

Finally tired of walking back and forth, he sat down next to her. Feeling defeated, Jack put his head down in his hands and listened to the white noise of the ship, along with the steady, soft sounds of Sam’s breathing…and that’s when he heard her finally take in a deep breath through her nose.

Quickly looking up, he watched as her head began to move slightly and she furrowed her brow, groaning softly. Jack reached down and took her right hand in his, cuddling it under his chin as he reached out with his other hand and stroked her head. “That’s it, Sam, come back to me.” Keeping his voice soft and soothing, he repeated himself over and over again, hoping his urgings would get through to her.

Sam felt like she had the weight of a thousand bricks on her body and her head had a shearing pain running through it. Trying her eyes, she slowly opened them as white light filtered into her vision. At first everything was just that…white. But then shadows began to appear and shapes took form. There was someone hovering over her…holding her hand and stroking her head.

The touch…so soothing and soft…gave a light to her soul that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Trying to focus her hearing, she could hear her name being called, but it sounded like someone was at the other end of a tunnel shouting it back to her. Trying to move both senses closer to it, she finally focused enough to realize that it was Jack’s voice.

Jack. Could it be truly real, or was it just another dream that she had created in her head to get her through another day in her new reality. Trying to think and focus, the last thing she remembered was waking up in total darkness…unable to think, feel, move, or speak. But then there had been a light, for the briefest of moments…a light that had given her hope.

When the voice urging her grew more intense, Sam tried to focus on the gentle pressure of the hand holding hers. It had to be real…feeling something like pressure had never been apart of her dreams before. Trying to clear her throat, which felt like sandpaper, Sam forced her eyes to open further as her vision got a sharper perspective. And when she finally saw his face, she knew it had to be a dream.

“Jack?” She hardly recognized her own voice. It had been so long since she’d used it. Trying to swallow, she closed her eyes again briefly and then opened them to see if he was still there when she did.

Jack found his smile. “Hey there…nice to see those pretty blue eyes of yours again.”

Sam gave him a small smile in return. “It’s nice to be seen…I just wish this was real.”

Jack gave her hand a firmer squeeze. “This is real…I’m here Sam, and I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe.”

For the first time, Sam carefully moved her head and looked around. Jack answered the question he could see forming in her mind. “You’re on an Asgard ship…we found you in a cave on a planet named Tericana.”

Sam was almost afraid to believe it. She had hoped so many times…had kept seeing his face in her head, convincing herself that she would see him again one day. But as the time had moved on, those dreams had faded, and she’d been left with virtually nothing. But now…feeling the gentle pressure from his hand, seeing his face in perfect detail, his eyes so full of emotion…her hope found its way back into her heart.

And with that renewed hope came her tears…not the tears of misery and failure that she had been crying off and on for the past few months, but tears that had been contained in a bottle deep down in her soul, waiting for that possible distant day when she would see her dreams come true.

Now finding it hard to speak from all the emotions swelling in her throat, all she managed to get out was one little word. “Really?”

As Jack wiped at the tears streaming down her face, he felt his own mimicking hers as he smiled at her through a blurred vision. “Really. You’re safe and we’re going home…and I’m never letting you go again.” As if wanting to prove it to her, he moved in, and for the first time in over seven months, kissed her.

His kiss was gentle and soft, allowing her to feel something she’d been longing for but never thought she know again. At first, she simply allowed herself to indulge in the feel of his lips as they caressed hers, but then she responded, taking in as much of him as her strength would allow.

Not wanting to wear her down too quickly, it took all of Jack’s willpower to break the kiss that had reignited his heart. Looking down at her, he kissed her fingers as they sat intertwined with his. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Watching a smile form on her face at his comment did his heart good, and he found himself grinning right back at her.

Clearing her throat, Sam continued. “So,” she said, her voice sounding stronger, “what have I missed?”

Jack didn’t know where to begin. They had so much to catch up on and so many gaps to fill in. “Well,” Jack said hesitantly, “how much do you remember? Thor told us that whenever your clone accessed your mind, you were able to see what was going on.”

At the mention of her clone, Sam’s smile faded…along with the coloring in her face. For a moment, she didn’t say anything, but then finally found the courage to look into his eyes again. “I can only remember bits and pieces. It took me a while at first to adapt and figure out what was going on. It seemed like a dream at first…or rather a nightmare. I remember the Prometheus under attack…I saw the gas cloud as an opportunity to escape them. Our shields were almost depleted and our hyperdrive was offline. I thought that if I could make one jump by diverting the power from the sublight engines, we could make it into the gas cloud. But I couldn’t get the system to input my command, so I went to one of the power stations to adjust the crystals manually…and then everything went black.” Sam took a breath. “I think I might have hit my head when the ship jumped…but the next thing I remember is being inside their ship.”

Jack, listening intently and holding her hand, nodded. “You told us…or rather your clone told us that she woke up after hitting her head and was alone on the ship. Apparently, she was seeing hallucinations of me, Teal’c, Daniel, and Jacob. And she was also seeing a little girl named Grace.”

Sam thought for a moment. “That was the first time they probed my mind. I remember that. They were testing her, preparing her for what she would need to know. And Grace was basically their representative…a figment of her imagination in order to trigger the memories she was learning. They had just placed me into stasis. At first, it was extremely painful whenever they accessed my memories…but as time wore on,” she said, taking in a shaky breath, “I guess I adapted to it.”

Jack could feel his blood heating up. Having to look away to keep her from seeing the anger in his eyes, he finally looked back at her when her voice reached his ears. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Jack looked down at her as strong emotions pulled at the lines on his face. “Everything you’ve been through…things I can’t even imagine…I should have been there for you sooner, Sam. I really don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me.”

Sam reached out and put her other hand on his cheek. “Jack,” she said, concern written on her face as her voice spoke softly to him. “None of this is your fault. You had no way of knowing that anything was wrong.”

Jack squeezed her hand and then stood up. “But that’s just it…deep down I knew something was wrong…terribly wrong…but I kept making excuses for all the differences I was seeing in you. Nothing you…or rather your clone was doing…made any sense to me. But I guess with everything that happened before you left for that mission in regards to Kinsey, I guess I just accepted it. Somehow it made sense…but yet it didn’t.”

Sam tried to plead with him as much as her voice would allow. “Please, Jack, don’t do this. She was made in my image…you couldn’t have known.”

Jack looked over at her, took a breath, and then took his seat again. Reclaiming her hand, he responded. “But I should have known…when she kissed me, it was different. All the excuses she made…when she started dating Pete, and then got engaged to him.”

Sam studied him for a moment. “Jack, I’m so sorry. I know how much that tore you up inside to think that I didn’t love you anymore. Every time she accessed my mind, I watched helplessly as she hurt you over and over again. It was sheer torture to think that you believed I no longer had you in my heart.” Tears formed in her eyes again. “I tried to convince her to stay with you…even though it killed me to think that you would be with her instead of me. But I decided the sacrifice was worth it, even if it meant that I’d never see you again. At least I would know you were happy.”

Jack was trying to hold back his own tears as he wiped at hers. “I’d like to believe that I would have eventually figured out her secret.”

Sam sniffed and gave him a weak smile. “That’s why she broke it off with you. From the very beginning, she knew how connected we were and she couldn’t risk you finding out her secret…or everything she had been sent to do and learn would be for nothing.”

“Not to mention the fact that a spotlight would have finally been shone on those bastards.” Feeling the need to pace again in hopes of displacing his anger, Jack stood up. “How did you communicate with her anyway?”

Sam took a moment before answering. “I’m not sure specifically how I accomplished it, but I guess the entity that possessed me years ago taught me a thing or two about mind control.”

Jack looked over at her. “Yeah, she mentioned that.”

Sam continued. “At first, I couldn’t do anything. But eventually I learned how to communicate with her through my neural receptor. One night I even flooded her mind with some of our happiest memories in hopes that she’d go back to you, but she eventually cut me off, countering me at every turn. Sometimes, I even broke through long enough when she was with you to actually see your face.”

Jack thought back on how at times he swore he saw something change in the clone’s eyes, an emotional wave that would diminish almost as quickly as it came on. And then it hit him. Turning around, he took his seat again slowly and looked at her. “That night…when she came to me…that was you wasn’t it?”

Sam smiled. “Yes, or at least for most of it.” As Jack took her hand and cradled it under his chin, she reached up with her other hand and stroked his cheek again. “I never did learn how to control her speech, but that night was probably my biggest victory…and it helped me to hold on a little longer. Seeing you in my mind as we made love was amazing, and despite the fact that I wasn’t really there, I was still able to see the love in your eyes, and that was enough.”

Jack leaned in and kissed her softly. Pulling back, he just looked at her. “You’re one amazing woman, Samantha Carter. Only you would have been able to do that. And you gave me hope that night as well…even though she was gone in the morning, I found a little more strength inside myself to hold on.” Jack took a breath. “I kept hoping that she’d talk to me about it, or maybe even come back, but she never did.”

Sam’s smile faded a little. “After that night, they began to figure out what I was doing. I’m assuming she contacted them because it was almost impossible after that to communicate with her.”

Jack could see from the expression on her face and the light in her eyes that she had paid dearly for that small victory. Not wanting to push her beyond her limits, he let it go, hoping that one day she’d be able to tell him more of what they had done to her. Though every fiber in his being wanted to stay blissfully unaware, if he was going to help her heal, he needed to know the details.

After listening to the silence for a moment, Jack finally spoke. “So how much did you see of your life after that?”

Sam thought for a moment. “Not much. The last major thing I was able to do before they finally figured out how to stop my communication with the clone was when I tried to send you a message…through a dream.”

It only took Jack a moment to figure out what she was referring to. It was the nightmare he’d had in which Jack had found himself in an incredibly dark and empty place, and then found he was sinking…but Sam had saved him. “You were trying to tell me about the clone!”

Sam adjusted her head. “You remember?”

“How can I not…it was incredibly vivid and terrifying. But as you started to tell me something, you were pulled away.” Reliving the dream in his mind sent chills down his spine. “I felt an empty terror inside my soul when I couldn’t find you.”

Sam wiped at a fresh tear. “I’m so sorry, Jack. I wasn’t trying to scare you…I just had to try and let you know what was really going on. After she became engaged to Pete, I guess I became desperate. I knew that if she permanently pulled away from you, not only would you be terribly hurt, but I’d have no chance of anyone knowing the truth.”

Jack shook his head. “So what happened?”

Sam closed her eyes for a moment. “They stopped me again…and this time it was permanent. I never got another opportunity to try again.” Slowly, her voice started cracking. “After that, I was alone, with only my thoughts. I never found a way back to you.”

When Sam covered her face with her hands, Jack quickly pulled her up into his arms and held her close. Sobs raked her body as she cried for all that she had lost and for all the emotions she had been unable to express. Minutes went by and Jack said nothing…he just continued to hold her, stroking her back and her hair as gently as he could, while occasionally kissing the side of her head.

And that’s how Teal’c found them minutes later when he quietly opened the door. Watching them for a moment, he was about to leave when Jack met his eyes and waved him in. Closing the door, Teal’c quietly entered the room and then knelt down beside them. As Sam’s sobs quieted, Jack whispered something softly in her ear and Sam looked over at Teal’c.

Giving her a soft but sad smile, Teal’c reached up and took her hand. “It is good to see you again, Colonel Carter.” His voice was surprisingly soft and gentle. “I am sorry it took us so long to find you, but know that as your friend, I will be here for you to help you in any way that I can. We have missed you greatly.”

Sam sniffed and wiped at her tears, though her eyes were still blurred with fresh ones that had yet to fall. Speaking was hard, but she managed it. “Thanks, Teal’c,” she said with a small, weak smile on her face. “I’ve missed you too…so much.” Leaving Jack’s arms, she leaned forward and fell into Teal’c’s embrace.

After a long moment in his arms, Sam sat up. But as she did, her head began to spin wildly, and she gripped the edge of the bed as Jack’s arms came around her. His voice was soft but firm and full of concern. “Whoa…not so fast…I think you need to lie back down. You’re body still has a lot of healing to do.”

As she laid back down, Jack and Teal’c both glanced at each other, worry emitting from both of their faces. Trying to put on a brave face, Jack covered her back up with the blanket from one of their packs. “You need to rest. We’ve got all the time in the world to talk later.”

Sam spoke up. “Where’s Thor? I’d like to thank him for all he’s done for me.”

Jack gave her a small smile. “He’s done a lot for both of us. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you’re awake.” Standing up, he continued. “I’ll go get him. I want to check on our progress anyway.” Leaning over, he kissed her lightly on the lips and then stood back up.

It took Sam a moment to realize what he’d just done…in front of Teal’c. “Um, Jack, is there something I should know?”

When he saw her look over at Teal’c, Jack finally realized what she was referring to. “Oh, yeah…um, Teal’c knows about us. In fact, he’s known for a long time...ever since our little side trip through Kansas City a couple years ago.”

“What?!” Sam’s eyes got a little bigger as she looked in amazement at each one of them, and then finally focused her vision on Teal’c. “And you never said anything?”

“It was not my place to judge either you or O’Neill. I could see how happy the two of you were and I felt great joy at knowing you had one another…even if that knowledge was held in secrecy.”

Jack put a hand on Teal’c’s shoulder. “I’ll let the two of you catch up for a moment while I go find our little grey friend.” Giving Sam’s hand another gentle squeeze, he let it go and moved over to the door.

“Jack?”

Jack turned around and looked at her. When he did, Sam spoke again. “Does anyone else know?”

Jack gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry…our secret is still safe. Except for Teal’c and your father, no one else knows.” The sudden thought of Jacob had Jack’s smile dropping and he had to turn away. Stepping out of the room, he closed the door and then closed his eyes. God, how was he going to tell her?

Before he had any more time to think about it, Thor’s voice registered to his ears. “General O’Neill. How is Colonel Carter?”

Jack opened his eyes and looked down at Thor. “I was just coming to find you. She woke up.”

“That is excellent news. She has a strong will and now that she is awake, she should hopefully be able to make a full recovery.”

Jack cocked his head to the side and then squatted down to Thor’s level. “Hopefully?”

Thor gave the slightest nod. “Her body and it’s systems have suffered greatly at the hands of the Clonaudians. She is the first that I have personally known to have been under their control yet managed to survive.”

Jack shook his head. “But with all the knowledge that you have on them, surely someone has made a full recovery before.”

Thor nodded. “There have been others before her, but none that I have personally known. The information I have obtained has come from many sources, and it is thanks to those sources that we knew anything at all about them. Without that knowledge, saving Colonel Carter’s life would have been impossible, even with my jump in time.”

Jack thought for a moment and then responded. “Thor, there’s something that’s been bugging me. Do clones usually tell the truth right before they die, or was that just amazing luck.”

Thor considered his question and then answered him. “The clones are forbidden to reveal any information regarding their creators. The fact that she shared this information with you can only be a testament that the clone herself had become fond of you.”

Jack stood up. “Yeah, well as much as I’d like to boost my ego with that statement, the only reason she did that was thanks to Carter and her persistence.” Jack knew what the next question was going to be and was about to tell him how Sam had accomplished that when the door opened and Teal’c emerged.

Jack looked over at him. “Everything okay?”

Teal’c nodded. “It is. How are we on our progress back to Earth?”

Jack quickly spoke up. “Oh yeah…I hadn’t gotten that far yet.” Looking at Thor, he repeated the question. “So how much longer until we reach home?”

Thor answered him promptly. “We should reach the planet within 30 of your Earth minutes.”

Jack nodded. “Good. Can you beam us directly into the infirmary on the base?” Looking briefly at the room where Sam was, he continued. “I’m worried about her…she’s still really pale.”

Thor replied. “I can. Colonel Carter still has a lot of healing to do. I have done all that I can, but hopefully with enough rest and replenishment of her nutrients, she will make a full recovery. I have taken the liberty of contacting the SGC for you so they will be ready for your arrival. That is what I was coming to tell you.”

“Good,” Jack said. “Oh, Carter would like to say hi and thank you.” When Thor simply moved towards the door that led into the room where she was, Jack pushed it open as he went through. Deciding to give them a moment, Jack closed the door after Thor reached Sam’s side.

Trying to organize his thoughts, Jack ran his hands over his face and through his hair. Teal’c, silently watching him, spoke up after a moment. “What is it, O’Neill?”

Jack shook his head. “She’s been through so much, Teal’c. There’s a shadow in her eyes that I may never be able to touch. Damn those aliens! I just wish I’d had to chance to personally kill a few dozen of them.”

Teal’c responded. “That would not have helped Colonel Carter.”

Jack sighed. “I know, but it would have made me feel a whole lot better.” Looking over at his friend, he continued. “How am I going to tell her?”

Teal’c thought for a moment. “About your relationship with the woman you called Kerry?”

“No…well yes…crap! That’s just one more thing I’ve got to break her heart with.” Putting his hand firmly against the closest wall, he pushed off of it after a moment. “No…I’m talking about her father.”

Teal’c finally understood his question. “Does she not know about his death?”

Jack shook his head. “No. Apparently the clone…or at least the aliens…cut off her communication with the clone before Jacob died. She doesn’t know.”

Teal’c thought for a moment and then responded in a soft but firm tone. “You must tell her, O’Neill.”

Jack nodded. “I know…but she’s been through so much, and there’s so much more for her to learn about the time she’s lost. Can’t I just wait for a little while until she’s strong enough to handle the news?”

“You cannot. If you do, you will risk her finding out from someone else on the base once we arrive there.”

Jack knew Teal’c was right, but he hated it all the same. The last thing Sam needed now was more sorrow. But Jack knew that if she heard it from anyone other than him, it would hurt that much worse. As he let out a breath, Thor opened the door and exited her room.

“I will check on our progress.” As he walked away, Jack watched him for a moment and then glanced at Teal’c, who nodded. Knowing he was basically reading his mind, Jack swallowed and opened the door, closing it behind him. Standing there for a moment, he was trying to find his courage when she spoke up.

“Jack?”

Jack grimaced slightly and then walked over to her, sitting down beside her once again. Giving her a small smile, he found he was hardly able to look at her, and she picked up on it.

“Jack, what’s wrong?” Her voice, still weak, was full of concern.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he finally forced himself to look at her. “Um, Sam, there’s something you need to know before we get back home.” When Sam just looked at him, fear suddenly tracing her pupils, he went on. “There’s no easy way to tell you this, so I’m just going to say it the best way I can.” Taking her hand in both of his, he kissed her fingertips and then rested his chin on them. “Your father...” Jack could hear his voice breaking up.

Sam could feel her heart pounding a little harder. “What about him?”

Jack swallowed hard. “I’m really sorry, Sam, but…he passed away about two weeks ago.”

At first, Sam didn’t know what to say or feel. So much had happened since she’d been taken, and she had been cheated out of so much. But this was almost too much. With disbelief on her face, she managed a few words. “What? How? What happened?”

Jack responded as best he could. “Apparently Selmak died of old age, and Jacob…died with him.” Trying to find any words to comfort her, he went on. “He died at the SGC. We were all there…including your clone. He was able to say goodbye to those he wanted to.”

But right after he said that, he knew it had been the wrong words, and he wanted to kick his own ass for saying them. He was about to try and backpedal when she spoke up, her voice strong with emotion as heavy tears fell down her cheeks. “But not to me, Jack!” Taking in a breath that was ragged and almost gasping, she went on. “I’ve been cheated of so much time, time I can’t get back. God it’s not fair! She cheated me of my life, of loving you, and now the chance to say goodbye! My father died and I’m never going to see him again.”

When Jack saw that she was trying to hold back more tears in an attempt to be brave, Jack carefully pulled her into his arms, rocking her gently as she began to let go. “I am so sorry, Sam. If I could bring him back, I would. Trust me, there’s nothing more I’d like than to go back and undo all of this.” Holding her tightly against him, he went on, his voice a little deeper. “They destroyed so many lives, but I promise you, they’ll never hurt you or anyone else again.”

After a moment, Sam spoke up against his shoulder. “How…how can you be so sure?”

Jack kissed the top of her head. “Because a mother ship, two Al’Kesh, and this very vessel kicked their ass and blew them out of the sky. According to Thor, they kept their entire race on that ship…so their gone…forever.” Jack pulled back and put his hands on either side of her face, kissing away her tears as they fell. “I promise you…you will never be taken away from me again. I will protect you with every last breath in my body, and I will do everything I can to wipe this pain from your heart.”

Sam managed a weak smile as her eyes connected with his. “Just love me…with my dad now gone,” she said, pausing for a short breath, “besides my brother and his family, you’re all I’ve got left.”

Jack kissed her gently and then pulled her back against him. “I will love you forever…and I will be here for you…always. I will never let go.”

As Sam sat enfolded in Jack’s arms, she soaked in the strength and the warmth from his skin. As her tears faded once more and her breathing became steady, she closed her eyes and listened to the soothing sounds of Jack’s steadily beating heart. Everything was real again…his touch, his breath, his kiss, his heart. There was so much more to talk about, so much more to understand, but she could feel herself slipping selfishly into the beckoning dark of sleep.

Taking in a breath, she snuggled in closer to Jack as she spoke a few whispered words. “I’m so tired, Jack.”

Jack, who had never seen her so fragile, adjusted her in his arms as he bent his head and kissed her cheek. “I know, baby. It’s okay…you can sleep. Just come back to me.” When she didn’t respond, he looked down and found that she was already gone…her breathing a little easier as the confines of sleep had captured her thoughts. Wanting to be nowhere else, and knowing that once they were back on the base their love would have to be hidden once again, Jack leaned back and found a comfortable position in which to rest while he held her securely in his arms.

The next thing he knew, Teal’c was shaking him gently on the shoulder. Opening his eyes, he glanced around and then quickly looked down to make sure Sam was still in his arms. Happy to see it had not all been another nightmare, Jack looked up at Teal’c and nodded. “Are we there yet?”

Teal’c replied softly. “We have just exited hyperspace. You have been sleeping for the last 20 minutes. I saw no need to wake you until now. Thor is prepared to beam us down to the SGC.”

Jack nodded. “Good. As much as I hate the thought of having to go back to pretending that Sam is just a friend, we need to get her medical attention.” Looking down at her, he brushed some hair away from her face. “I’m really worried about her.”

“As am I.” Teal’c adjusted his stance. “Shall I carry her for you?”

Jack shook his head. “No, I’ve got it, thanks.” Adjusting Sam in his lap, Jack carefully stood up with Teal’c’s help as he held her safely in his arms. But when she didn’t even flinch at the movement, Jack could feel his worry mounting once again, increasing his sense of urgency. “Let’s go.”

A few minutes later, they were standing on the bridge giving their thanks to Thor for all he’d done for them. Jack looked down at Sam and then back at Thor. “We’ll let you know how she’s doing…or feel free to stop by…anytime. We both owe you our lives, and I wouldn’t be standing here holding her if you hadn’t put your neck on the line. It’s a debt I’ll never be able to repay.”

Thor nodded. “Your friendship and allegiance is enough. I am just happy to have been able to assist you in finding Colonel Carter.” Moving over to one of the center consoles, he made some adjustments and then looked up at them. “Are you ready?”

Jack nodded. “Take care, my friend.”

Daniel had been pacing endlessly in the infirmary for the last 10 minutes, unsure of what to do or where to go. Ever since receiving the message from Thor that he was on his way back to Earth with Jack, Teal’c, and most importantly, Sam, Daniel had been going out of his mind with worry and endless questions. The message they had received had been brief and to the point, telling them only that they should be prepared for their arrival and that Colonel Carter would need immediate medical assistance.

Since then, Dr. Carolyn Lam and her team had been making preparations to ensure that the infirmary would be set up and ready for their arrival. But without more detailed information on her condition, it hadn’t taken long to perform the tasks that needed to be done…and so now they found themselves waiting…and hoping that it wouldn’t be too late.

Daniel had been doing his level best to stay out of everyone’s way, wearing down only what he thought was a small patch in the floor. But when he ran into Dr. Lam again, he could tell by her expression that he was getting in the way.

Dr. Lam sighed. “Dr. Jackson, I promise you that if they beam in here, someone will come and get you. But I expect they will probably be beamed into the gateroom. I’ve got some of my staff waiting there. Why don’t you go and join them.”

Daniel ran a hand through his hair and adjusted his glasses. “Look, I’m sorry to be in the way, but my gut feeling is that Thor will beam them in here. I just wish I knew what was taking so long…”

Just then, a bright beam of white light filled the room, and both Dr. Lam and Daniel had to squint against it until it disappeared, revealing Teal’c, Jack, and Sam, who was still nestled securely in Jack’s arms.

“Oh my god…Sam!” Moving over to them, Daniel glanced up at Jack before concentrating his attention on Sam again. “I can’t believe it’s really true…all this time. How is she?”

Jack replied, speaking directly to Dr. Lam. “She was barely alive when we found her. Thor did all that he could for her, but she’s extremely weak and malnourished. She became unconscious again about 30 minutes ago. I thought she had just fallen asleep, but I can’t seem to wake her.”

Dr. Lam placed one of her hands on Sam’s forehead and used her fingers to open each eye in succession, shining a pen light into them to check the pupil response. “Her pupils are barely reactive. Let’s get her into bed…I’m going to need to make a full assessment before I know what we’re dealing with here.”

As Jack laid her down, he found it incredibly hard to let go of her and step away. As he did, he watched helplessly as the medical team went to work, one attaching a blood pressure cuff, while another got venous access for an I.V.

Dr. Lam, glancing over at them, could see the worry on all of their faces. Taking a moment from what she was doing, she spoke up. “Why don’t the three of you wait outside…I promise to come let you know what’s going on as soon as I’ve had a chance to figure it out.”

Jack looked from Sam to the doctor and blinked. Dr. Lam was new to the SGC, barely there a week, and now he had to trust her with Sam’s life. “Just take care of her, okay?”

Dr. Lam offered him a small, reassuring smile. “Of course, General. She will receive the best care we can give her.” As she turned back to her patient, Jack took one more long look before leading the others out of the room.

Once outside of the infirmary, Jack took in a hard breath and then sat down in one of the chairs that had been placed against the wall. Holding his head for a minute, he then sat back and tried to come to grips with everything that had happened.

Daniel, anxious for information, stood in front of Jack and spoke up. “Okay, Jack, so what the hell happened up there? All you left me with was a dead body which you said wasn’t Sam.” When Jack didn’t say anything immediately, Daniel sat down beside him and continued, his voice firm but a little softer. “Look, we know about the Clonaudians and obviously how they must have cloned Sam, but how did you manage to find her?”

Teal’c was the first to speak up. “How do you know about the Clonaudians, Daniel Jackson?”

Jack took a moment and thought about what Daniel had said and then followed Teal’c’s question. “Yeah, how do you know anything about them? Did Thor tell you?”

“Ah, no…I guess we both have a lot to discuss.” Daniel adjusted his glasses and stood up again.

“I guess we do,” Jack said frankly, “so out with it. Up until Teal’c and I were beamed aboard Thor’s ship and he told us what had been going on, we were basically in the dark…except of course what the clone told me.”

Daniel turned and looked at Jack. “Sam’s clone told you that she wasn’t…Sam?!”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, right before she died. I guess she had a heavy conscious.”

“Well what all did she tell you?” Daniel was now standing in front of Jack.

Jack stood up. “Daniel, that’s not important right now…but what is important is how you came to know about the Clonaudians…and more specifically when!”

Daniel held up his hands and took a step back. “Now, Jack, just calm down! We didn’t find out about their race until just a few days ago.”

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “How?”

“Well,” Daniel said, “the Tok’ra paid us a visit a few days ago. Apparently one of their field operatives who had been presumed dead turned up alive. He somehow managed to escape and made it back through the Stargate to their home world.”

Teal’c spoke up. “But why did they feel the need to share this information with us?”

Daniel shrugged. “This operative knew where their ship was and that if it were taken out, these Clonaudians would no longer be able to clone other species. Apparently they’re quite nomadic.” Daniel took a breath and went on. “Anyway, they were wanting to mount an immediate offensive to destroy their ship and were seeking our help. Since you weren’t here, Major Davis took the liberty of contacting Atlantis in the hopes that the Daedalus could help with the fight.”

Jack, who was now slowly pacing back and forth, replied. “Why not send the Prometheus?”

Daniel answered him. “Well, considering the urgency and the distance the Prometheus would have to travel, Major Davis felt that the Daedalus might be in a better position…and a closer one for that matter…to help. Elizabeth was going to dispatch them to the coordinates provided by the Tok’ra, but I guess at the last minute, they had their own problems…specifically with the Wrath.”

“Ahh.” Jack stopped pacing and looked over at Teal’c. “So the two Al’Kesh we saw fighting their ship must have been the Tok’ra. But when did they acquire a mother ship?”

Teal’c thought for a moment. “Perhaps they did not. It could have indeed been the Goa’uld.”

“With the Tok’ra?” As much as the two races hated each other, Jack found it hard to believe that they would unite, even over something that could affect them both.

Daniel held up a finger. “Um…since it’s obvious you guys saw the battle, the mother ship you must be referring to was actually the Goa’uld. Apparently, the Tok’ra joined forced with a minor system lord in order to make their mission a success. I guess these Clonaudians managed to piss off a lot of people.”

“Wow,” Jack said, a little stunned. “I never thought I’d see those two groups united over anything.”

Daniel went on. “The Tok’ra were kind enough to report back that the mission had been a success…and they also said they acquired a little unexpected help from an Asguard vessel.” Daniel looked directly at Jack. “I take it you know something about that?”

Jack shrugged. “Thor will deny it, but yeah, after a little friendly persuasion, he managed to sufficiently toast their asses.” Taking a breath, he went on. “So are we going to get anymore information from our Tok’ra buddies or are they moving on to something else?”

Daniel responded. “They’re going to send a representative in a few days to give us more details in case we might have any more clones among us. Since the crew of the Prometheus had been temporarily taken by them, I thought it might not be a bad idea.”

Jack nodded. “Well, from what I got from Carter, she was the only one they had cloned, but it would be nice to know what to look for in case any of the other crew members were taken.” Pausing for a moment, he went on, looking directly at Daniel. “By the way, were the Tok’ra planning on blowing up the ship, even if there was a remote possibility that Carter might still be on board?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. Since I told them that what I thought was our Samantha Carter had just died, but that you were off with the Asgard looking for the real one, they knew enough to reassure us that once a clone died, the original species would be transported down to a planet and basically dumped.” Hesitating, he went on. “Major Davis did ask Elizabeth to send the Daedalus to the planet where you found Sam in order to look for survivors…especially since there was a chance that Sam could be one of them. She assured him that she would send the ship as soon as she could. I would imagine that they are probably there now. Hopefully we’ll hear something from them soon.”

Jack sighed heavily. Weariness was settling into his bones and he could feel a headache coming on. “Alright,” he said. “I’ll have Walter send a message to Atlantis and the Daedalus that we’ve found Carter. Hopefully if they do manage to find any survivors, they can help get them back to wherever they came from…or find them a new place to live.”

Teal’c eyed Jack carefully. “Perhaps you should take some rest, O’Neill. I will stay here and wait for word on Colonel Carter.”

Jack just shook his head. “I appreciate the thought, Teal’c, but I’m not going anywhere until I know exactly what’s going on with Cater.”

“Well, you aren’t going to have to wait any longer.” Dr. Lam had emerged from the infirmary without any of them seeing her.

Jack was the first of them to speak. “Doc, please tell me you have good news.”

Dr. Lam sighed. “Colonel Carter has lapsed into what I can only describe as a semi-coma. Her body is extremely malnourished and she is incredibly dehydrated. How she has made it this long can only be attributed to luck and possibly to whatever Thor did to sustain her life. Her white blood cell count is elevated, indicating infection, and her iron count is so low that I’ve order several blood transfusions over the next few hours. Her blood pressure is also low enough that I’ve already bolused 500 cc’s of saline and have a drip running wide open in hopes of bringing it up. She’s going to be receiving I.V. antibiotics to fight her infection. Once a more detailed account of her bloodwork comes back, I’ll be able to hopefully treat the infection better.”

Jack could feel his worry mounting as his headache increased in the stunned silence that followed the news she had just delivered. “Um…so define a semi-coma for me…what are her chances?”

Dr. Lam responded. “A semi-coma is the body’s way of protecting itself without becoming completely incapacitated. Basically, it’s comparable to a medically induced coma, except we don’t have control of when she wakes up. The hope is that once her body has been restored to more normal levels of function, she will awaken. We’ll just have to give it a few days…only time will tell us if she’s strong enough to pull through this.”

Teal’c firmly spoke up. “Colonel Carter is a survivor…she will awaken.”

Dr. Lam nodded. “Well, I’ll take your confidence and pass it around to my team. Hopefully you’re right, but if I don’t see some improvement in her condition soon, I’d say her chances of survival are slim to none.” Seeing the emotionally torn looks on all of their faces, she went on, speaking a little softer. “I’m truly sorry…I wish I had better news for you. My team and I will do all that we can for her, but her body’s simply been put through so much, I honestly don’t know if we will be able to get her back.”

After a moment wrought with disbelief, Daniel finally found words. “Um, when can we see her?”

Dr. Lam looked briefly back at the room where Sam was. “Maybe in a few hours…I need to get her blood transfused and some more fluids delivered in hopes of stabilizing her. Check back with me later this afternoon…perhaps I can let you see her then, one at a time, for a few minutes.” Giving them a small, awkward smile, she turned around and headed back to the infirmary.

Each of them just stood there for a few minutes, trying to take in what she had just told them. Finally, Daniel just shook his head. “I can’t believe it…is it really possible we could lose her twice in one week?”

Jack blinked and looked over at him, irritation lacing his voice. “Technically, we’ve never lost her…at least not yet, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand here and watch her die…not after all she been through and managed to survive.”

Daniel nodded. “I’m sorry, Jack, I didn’t mean…”

Jack hastily waved him off. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to go busy myself with something until we can see her. I’m sure I have a million memos to catch up on.” Not waiting for a response from either of them, he turned and walked off towards the elevators as fast as he could go.

But even as he arrived at them, he could feel his emotions welling up in his throat, and he knew he’d never make it to his office in time. Darting for the nearest bathroom, he yanked open the door, pulled it shut, and hastily locked it just as his stomach flipped. Reaching the toilet, he suddenly threw up what little was in his stomach, followed by a few rounds of dry heaving before he finally felt the wave back off.

Using his sleeve to wipe at his mouth, he flushed the toilet, backed up until his back became flush with the wall, and then proceeded to crumple to the floor. Sitting there blankly staring at nothing, his mind processed all that had happened in a flash of memory, and within a few minutes, he finally allowed himself to quietly cry.

He loved her so much, and now after everything…from losing whom he thought was Sam to Pete and all the hell that had followed that relationship, to watching her die only to find her barely alive in a cave on a distant planet…after all of that, now he might really lose her…forever. She had fought so hard to live, holding onto their love and using her incredible intelligence to battle an unknown enemy. She had watched for months as her life was lived out for her and had now only just learned that during that time she’d lost her father, without even a chance to say goodbye. After all that, would her love for him be enough motivation to pull her back from the brink of death…only to discover that during the time she had been gone, he had moved on and started seeing someone new?

And now to top it all off, he was expected to run the SGC and act like she was just another brave officer whom he might sadly lose from his command due to unforeseen and dire circumstances. Sitting there, allowing his tears to fall, he knew he hadn’t felt that helpless and low since Charlie’s death. But then he realized something that he already knew…it had been Sam who had pulled him back from despair. She had lifted him up and given him a new reason to live, and in that moment as he pushed himself to his feet, he found determination returning. It was now his turn …she needed him more than ever, and he was not going to fail her.

Taking a strengthening breath, he moved over to the sink and turned on the water. After washing his hands, he splashed cold water on his face and then looked up into the mirror. The reflection staring back at him he barely recognized. His eyes no longer held the light that Sam always put there and there were new, hard lines around the corners of his mouth and eyes. With dark circles under his eyes and hair that had a definition of its own, Jack suddenly realized how old he looked and felt…without Sam in his life, he would be destined for a very short existence.

And it was then and there, in that small bathroom in the SGC, among grief, tears, and regret, that Jack finally knew what he had to do. If Sam survived and came back to him, major changes would have to take place in order to ensure that they were given every opportunity they could realistically have in order to love one another. Nothing else matter to him.

Three days later, not much had changed. Sam was still incapacitated and non-responsive, though the fluids and blood that had been pumped into her so rapidly over the first 24 hours had proved to help. With her blood pressure up and her hemoglobin steadily increasing, along with massive doses of Levofloxin on board fighting the infection, Dr. Lam had upped her condition from critical to fair.

Between the three of them, Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c had maintained round the clock observation of her, with Jack usually taking the night shift. He had no desire to go home, and since he was still expected to play the role of General, the night shift became the most logical and practical one for him.

Sleep would come and go in spurts, although it was never very sound. Yet despite the lack of sleep, minimal food eaten, and hours worked behind his desk to keep his mind occupied, Jack was holding it together surprisingly well, and had only managed to bite off a few heads.

Over the last few nights, Jack had talked to Sam, read her random articles from magazines, and had even attempted a few paragraphs from one of the Physics books he’d found in her lab. But after stumbling over the 50^th word, he gave it up and instead picked up one of the novels he’d found in the infirmary and began reading from it, finding “Moby Dick” much easier to read, and much more entertaining for him.

But the one thing he knew he couldn’t do was hold her hand…touch her face…kiss her lips. He kept imagining in his mind that she was Sleeping Beauty, just waiting for that one special kiss from her Prince Charming…but it was a kiss he couldn’t give her, so long as they were on the base with eyes constantly watching.

On the fourth morning of Sam’s vigil, Teal’c had just taken Jack’s place at her side and he was on his way up to his office for a little unofficial shut eye when the Gate’s alarm suddenly rang overhead. Rolling his eyes, Jack diverted his direction and arrived in the control room a few minutes later.

“What have we got, Walter?” His voice, audibly tired, lacked any of its usual animation.

Walter adjusted nervously in his chair. “Incoming wormhole, Sir.”

“I.D.C?”

“It appears to be the Tok’ra’s I.D.C., Sir. We’ve been expecting a representative now for a couple of days.”

Jack thought for a moment and then groaned. “Yeah, right…Daniel told me.” Not at all ready for a major debriefing, Jack sighed. “Open the Iris.” Turning on his heels, he slowly made his way into the Gateroom as the wormhole engaged.

Standing in place as attentively as he could, the seconds ticked by but no one came through. Turning, he looked up at Walter and held out his hands. “So…are they going to grace up with their presence, or is this party for nothing?!” When Walter responded by simply standing up slowly and staring at the Gate, his mouth hanging partially open, Jack was about to turn around to see what had captured everyone’s attention in the control room when a familiar voice reached his ears.

“I take it you haven’t had your morning coffee yet, Jack.”

Jack’s heart almost stopped as he slowly turned around and faced the person who had addressed him. Meeting their face, Jack was stunned into silence until the man moved forward and placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. Blinking, he finally spoke, his voice full of disbelief. “Jacob?”

Jacob smiled. “Hello, Jack. How are you?”

The only response Jack had was to simply reach out and embrace the friend he’d thought he’d lost. And as he did, the world around him suddenly became a little brighter, and hope began to filter back into his heart…

“So,” Jack said, settling into his chair behind the desk in his office, “what the hell happened?”

Jacob, sitting in the chair opposite Jack, sighed. “I guess you could say that I figured out what was going on with Sam when I went to see her after you and I talked that day.” Pausing for a moment, he went on. “I tried reasoning with her, but she made no indications of budging or offering me information. But I guess when she saw that I wasn’t going to back down, she suddenly gave in. She claimed that she would let me in on what was going on, but only if I would give Pete a chance after she told me.”

Jack adjusted in his chair. “So what did she tell you?”

“Well,” Jacob said, “she told me that she had to get something from the bedroom before she let me know what was going on. She was gone for over five minutes, so I walked down the hall to her bedroom. But when I knocked on the door and didn’t get a response, I opened the door.” Pausing for a moment, he then went on. “She was just standing in the middle of the room, her eyes closed…and she was holding some sort of box-shaped device. When I called out her name, she opened her eyes, looked at me, and simply said she was sorry. The next thing I knew, I was encompassed into a bright white light and suddenly found myself on what I could only assume was a ship. I had only a moment to look around before I suddenly found a needle in my neck. After that, everything went dark.”

“So they cloned you too.” Jack couldn’t believe how easily it had been accomplished, and as he sat there and thought about it, he found himself realizing that it had been his fault that Jacob had had to go through that. “I’m really sorry, Jacob. If I hadn’t asked you to talk to her…”

“Jack,” Jacob said, interrupting him. “It’s not your fault. It probably would have happened sooner or later.”

Jack sighed. “So what happened? After you went to talk to her, your clone only last a little more than two weeks before it died.”

Jacob thought for a moment before speaking. “The Tok’ra knew about the existence of the Clonaudians, but their race was so elusive, that it never occurred to me that they would have been involved in the changes we saw in Sam. We know that they have cloned the Tok’ra before, so more than likely the reason that my clone failed was that they engineered it that way. My guess is they were trying to eliminate anyone else from becoming suspicious…and therefore I wasn’t needed.”

“So they dumped you…on Tericana.” Jack ran his hands over his face and leaned back in his chair. Blowing out a breath, he shook his head. “How did you survive? When we found Sam, she was barely alive.”

Jacob stood up and began to pace back and forth. “I was only in my pod for a few weeks…Sam was in hers for months. Plus, I had Selmak to help heal me.” Hesitating for a moment, he went on. “After they dumped me, it took me a few days to regain some of my strength. When I was able to move, I wandered around until I came upon a Stargate.”

Jack looked surprised. “They dumped you near a Gate?”

Jacob shrugged. “I guess they assumed that I would die right along with everyone else. So I made it back to the Tok’ra homeworld and explained what had happened.”

Jack nodded. “So you planned an attack.”

Jacob looked over at him. “We were planning a rescue mission…to save Sam. We contacted the SGC, and that’s when Daniel explained what had happened to Sam’s clone, and that you and Teal’c were with the Asgard looking for her. At that point we knew that she would be dumped on the planet, so our rescue mission turned into an attack. After what they had done, we couldn’t continue to allow them to exist…even if it meant sacrificing the innocents that were onboard their ship.”

Jack responded. “Were you on one of the Al’Kesh that attacked their ship?”

Jacob shook his head. “No. Even though I’d made it back to the Tok’ra, I still had a lot of healing to do…which is why it took me so long to get here.” Stopping his pacing, he looked over at Jack. “How’s Sam? All we were told was that you had managed to find her.”

It was now Jack’s turn to pace as Jacob sat down. “She’s holding her own. But I’m not going to lie to you, Jacob…when we first found her, she was barely breathing. On the way back to Earth, Thor attempted to heal her, but was only able to do it to a certain point. She regained consciousness for a short time, but lost it again right before we got back here…and she hasn’t opened her eyes since.” Sighing heavily, he sat back down. “Honestly, everyday that goes by and she doesn’t wake up…I’m scared, Jacob…more scared than I think I ever have been. I can’t lose her again…if she dies, my life might as well be over.”

Jacob watched Jack for a moment before responding. For the first time since they’d started talking, Jacob realized just how tired Jack looked and sounded. “Jack, you need to get some rest.”

Jack just shook his head. “I’m not going to rest until she’s better…I can’t.” Glancing up at Jacob, Jack continued. “You should know that I had no choice but to tell her that you had died. I was afraid that she’d find out from someone here at the base…of course that was before I knew she’d slip into a coma.”

Jacob stood up and moved over to where Jack sat. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he firmly gripped it as he spoke. “If I know anything about my daughter, it’s that she’s a fighter…and she loves you. Don’t give up yet…she will pull through this.” Releasing his shoulder and straightening his form, Jacob went on. “I’m going to go spend some time with her. I think you need to go get some sleep. You aren’t going to do her any good when she wakes up if you can barely stand yourself. I’ll come get you if her condition changes.”

Watching Jacob move towards his office door, Jack spoke up as he reached the door. “Thanks, Jacob.” Taking in a breath, he went on. “I can’t tell you how good it is to have you back.”

Jacob nodded and offered him a small smile. “It’s good to be back.”

After Jacob’s surprising resurrection, life for Jack around the SGC got a little better. Though the days still passed excruciatingly slow, knowing that Sam now had one more reason to live gave all of them a little more hope. Jacob had also volunteered to take half of Jack’s night watch over Sam to ensure that he got some sleep. Knowing that he still had a base to run on a daily basis, Jack accepted his offer with little fight, and found that the sleep he was now getting was at least helping him through his days without biting off too many heads.

On the tenth night since Sam had been brought back to the SGC, Jack was in the process of reading through a chapter in a book that Daniel had started earlier that day when Jacob walked in.

Jack looked up and nodded. “Hey. You’re a little early tonight, aren’t you?”

Jacob pulled up a nearby chair and sat down. Since she had become stabilized, Sam had been moved into a private room that offered more space and kept curious yet concerned eyes away. Sighing, he responded. “I know. I just couldn’t sleep. Dr. Lam hasn’t offered anything new as far as her prognosis?”

Jack just shook his head. “No. She’s actually encouraged now that her infection seems to be gone, but when I asked her about when she would regain consciousness, her only answer was that that part was up to Sam.” Looking over at her, he carefully brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I don’t know, Jacob. I guess I would have thought she would have woken up by now. Of course with these damn cameras, I can’t show her any of the affection I’d like to, but at least I can talk to her without restraint. But it hasn’t seemed to help.”

“She knows you’re here, Jack. Her body’s just been through a lot. We’re lucky that you and Teal’c found her before it was too late. You never did tell me how Thor knew where she would be. I know the Tok’ra have been trying to track them and put a stop to what they were doing, but no one could ever pinpoint their location or where they’d be. Frankly, when we found out Sam’s clone had been killed, it was a complete guess on my part that the Clonaudians would even return to the same planet where they’d dumped me.”

Jack put the book down and proceeded to fill Jacob in on all the details of how Thor had come into play…starting from the time he and Teal’c had been beamed aboard his ship to finding Sam. Jack also described his dream and how he now knew that it had been purposely orchestrated by Thor since it basically led them to Sam, or at least as far as the cave.

“Honestly, Jacob,” Jack said, “I never had a chance to ask her, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Thor sent Sam a dream as well…something to help her hold on just long enough for us to find her. I vaguely remember a part of the dream that said we were both to receive a ‘gift’.”

Jacob sighed. “It would make sense.” Hesitating for a moment, he went on. “I take it none of that dream went into your official report. The Asgard usually prefer to remain as neutral as they can.”

“Trust me,” Jack said, “it’s not in there. Thor only told me that if I were to rest, I’d have a dream that would help me find her. It was made perfectly clear that he was never going to own up to it. Hell, it was a miracle that he helped deliver the final shot that blew up their ship. He may be small, but his stubbornness makes up for what he lacks in height.”

Jacob chuckled. “Yes, Jack, but you’re just as stubborn…and I guess in this case, it was a good thing.”

Just then, a weak voice reached their ears. “Dad?”

Both Jack and Jacob, who had been partially facing away from Sam, whipped around at the same time. Standing up so fast that the chairs were practically knocked over, they each assumed a position on either side of her bed.

“Sam? Can you hear me?” Jack reached for her hand, not giving a damn who saw him do it, and squeezed it gently. Looking at her face as she turned her head slightly side to side, he could see her struggling to open her eyes. “That’s it, Sam, come back to us…please.”

Sam could hear Jack’s voice coaxing her to open her eyes, and she focused all her energy on doing just that. It seemed like an incredibly hard thing to do, even though it should have been a menial task. But after a few more minutes of struggling, she managed to accomplish it. The light was low over her head and she found it hard to focus on anything.

But when she heard Jack’s voice again, she carefully turned her head in the direction it was coming from. She could see a dark shadow with fuzzy features standing over her, but she couldn’t make out any detail. “Jack?”

Jack, feeling a big surge of energy rush through his heart, smiled. “Hey. Welcome back.”

Sam tried to blink, but it felt like there was something gooey on her eyes. “I…I can’t see really well.”

Jack reached for a towel that was next to him. “That’s because since you’ve been sleeping so long, they put some kind of lubrication on your eyes to keep them moist. Close your eyes for a moment and I’ll try and wipe some of it off.” When she did, he carefully took the towel and wiped away some of the gel. “Try and blink a few times. The doc said that would help.”

Sam did what he suggested, and after a minute, felt her eyes begin to water, clearing out what was left of the gel. As she did, Jack’s face came into full detail for her. Seeing his face and feeling his touch was incredibly reassuring. Giving him a small smile, she spoke up. “Hey. I’ve been trying to get back to you.”

Jack smiled as he glanced over at Jacob and then looked back down at her. “And I’ve been waiting…we all have been. You gave us quite a scare, but everything’s going to be alright…I promise.”

“It was strange,” she said a little groggy. “I thought I heard you talking to my dad.”

“That’s because you did.” Jacob spoke for the first time and reached for her other hand. As Sam turned her head, a look of shock appeared on her face, and Jacob went on softly. “Hey, sweetheart. It’s good to see you again.”

Sam knew she was going to cry. “Oh my god…Dad! But I thought…Jack said that Selmak had died of old age and you had too.”

Jacob smiled. “Selmak’s old…but not that old. There’s still life left in both of us.”

Sam looked back over at Jack briefly and then back at Jacob. “But… how?”

Jacob responded. “Let’s just say we shared a mutual experience…and until Jack got you back here, he didn’t know anything different than what he had told you. Needless to say, I gave everyone a bit of a surprise. I’ll fill you in on the details later…but let’s just take one thing at a time.”

Sam felt her father wiping at some of her tears with his free hand. “I love you, Dad.”

Jacob bent over her and kissed her on the forehead. “And I love you…so much.”

Jack suddenly felt like he was a third wheel and knew they deserved a moment alone. “I’m going to go get Dr. Lam.” But when Sam held onto his hand and looked over at him, he squeezed her hand gently again and smiled. “Don’t worry. I won’t go far. You and your dad need a moment together.” Releasing her hand, he walked to the door and then turned around. “I love you.”

Sam smiled through a teary vision. “I love you too, Jack.”

After he was gone, Sam turned back to her dad. Jacob smiled at her as he nodded in the direction that Jack had gone. “He’s been worried out of his mind about you…as have we all. He hasn’t left the base since they brought you home 10 days ago. I thought I was going to have to talk to the doctor and get him sedated in order for him to get some rest, but he finally agreed to allow me to help him out with part of his night shift of watching over you.”

Sam smiled. “He’s an amazing man, Dad. I owe him my life more times than I can count...” Suddenly realizing what Jacob had said, she stopped short and looked a little stunned. “Wait…did you say 10 days? I’ve been unconscious that long?”

Jacob nodded. “Which is the reason why we were all getting so worried that we’d never see those beautiful blue eyes of yours looking back at us again.”

Sam thought for a moment and then spoke up. “So tell me…what happened to you? I was so devastated when Jack told me you’d died. I thought that was just one more thing my clone had taken from me that I’d never get back.”

Jacob sat down on the edge of her bed and adjusted his hand in hers. “Well, as I told Jack, I guess you could say I figured out why you…or rather your clone…was acting so strangely…” Jacob proceeded to give her the shortened version of what had happened, knowing that once she was strong enough, details could be discussed.

A few minutes later, Jack was walking down the hall with a slightly frantic Dr. Lam, who was trying to pull herself together after having been woken up by a very determined General O’Neill. As they reached Sam’s door, Jack suddenly had a thought and quickly spoke up. “Hey, Doc…hold on a minute. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” When she looked over at him, he continued, his voice low but firm. “You need to understand that even though Carter knows about her father’s miraculous return from the grave, she doesn’t know about Janet Frasier’s death…or at least I don’t think she knows. The two of them were very close, and she’s probably going to ask why you’re here and not her…no offense.”

Dr. Lam gave him a small, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, General…I assumed that much. As far as she’s concerned, I’m just filling in…for now. But you’ll need to tell her soon. I will do the best I can to keep my staff from letting something slip.”

Jack nodded. “Thanks…and I will tell her. I just don’t want to do it in there if at all possible.”

Dr. Lam smiled. “I’m sure it will be easier to hear and accept it if it comes from you…especially if it’s after she’s been on her feet for a few days.” When Jack simply straightened slightly and gave her a stiff, sad nod, she put her hand on the door. “Shall we?”

Three days later, Sam thought she would go insane if she had to stay in the infirmary one more minute. Dr. Lam was due to release her, and having been expecting her all day, Sam had taken to counting down the hours by the secondhand in the clock on the wall.

After waking up three nights ago, Sam had been blessed with sporadic but short moments with Jack, had spent time catching up with both Teal’c and Daniel, shared some of her meals with her father eating at her bedside, and had seen dozens of well wishers happy to have her back and seeing her getting back on her feet. Even her faithful lab assistant Henry had been by to see her, reassuring her that things in her lab were running smoothly, and that everything would be ready for her when she returned.

Tired of watching the clock, Sam sat back on her pillow and closed her eyes. Her return…she was back, finally herself again, but Jack had ordered her off the base for a least a few weeks of rest and recouping, coinciding with practically the same orders she was getting from Dr. Lam.

Sam found Dr. Lam competent and very nice, but she missed Janet desperately. Though she had been told that Janet had left on an extended vacation with Cassie, she found herself selfishly wishing Janet was the one that was taking care of her instead. Not to mention the fact that Janet would have found some way of getting her some alone time with Jack. As much as Sam was looking forward to going home again, she speculated that with Jack’s responsibilities, she wouldn’t be getting to see much of him…even after she left the base.

As the minutes continued to tick by and the quiet of her room persisted to drown away her hearing, Sam knew she had finally had enough of her containment and was in the process of pulling out her I.V. when the door opened and Dr. Lam walked in, followed by Jack.

“Well,” Dr. Lam said. “I see you were right about her getting ready to climb the walls.” Glancing a Jack with a quick smile, she moved towards Sam. “I take it you’re in no longer need of my services?”

Sam could feel herself begin to blush. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve had my fill of beds, wires, lines, and needles being poked under my skin. I feel fine…besides, you said I could go home today.”

Dr. Lam nodded curtly with a smile. “I did…and it seems you are helping to expedite that promise.” Laughing lightly as Sam sighed and tried to replace the tape she’d ripped off, Dr. Lam continued. “Don’t worry, Colonel. I’m here to serve you with your walking papers…and the General here is even going to personally see to it that you make it home okay.”

Sam eyed Jack with a carefully placed smile as Dr. Lam looked over her chart one more time. “You’ve made amazing progress, Colonel Carter. Every factor was against you, yet you managed to pull through. As some would say, you apparently have a lot more to do here on Earth before your time is up.”

Jack nodded. “You’ve got that right, Doc.” Giving Sam a knowing smile, he went on, speaking directly to Sam. “Carter, I’m going to go make a run by my office and then I’ll meet you topside.”

Sam glanced at Dr. Lam and then smiled. “Sounds good, Sir. And thanks for the lift home.”

Jack gave her a lazy salute. “No problem, Carter. I’m just happy that I have the opportunity to drive you home. You gave us all quite a scare.” When they held each other’s gazes for a few moments, he went on, his voice soft and low. “See you in a few.”

Sam nodded. “Okay.”

As Jack left, one of the nurses came in and started to disconnect Sam from all of her machines. “Dr. Lam…thank you. You did a wonderful job managing my care. It couldn’t have been easy with so many expectations being put on you after they got me back here. I owe you my life.”

Dr. Lam hugged the clipboard she’d been writing on to her chest. “It was my pleasure, Colonel. But all I did was what I’d been trained to do. You had the hardest job…and of course your friends made an incredible effort as well.” Pausing for a moment, she went on. “Just be sure and get some rest. Even though I know that’s the last thing you want to do right now, your body’s still not fully healed yet, so promise me you won’t overdo it.”

Sam gave her a smile as the nurse handed her some fresh clothes that she had retrieved from Sam’s locker upon her request a few hours ago. “I promise.”

Fifteen minutes later, Sam found herself walking out of the base and into the air for the first time in almost a year. The rush of cold December air hit her skin and sent a welcoming shiver throughout her body. Snow blanketed the ground and crunched under her feet as she made her way slowly into the parking lot. As she did, gentle snowflakes began falling around her, with a few catching on her eyelashes and tickling her cheeks.

Walking in the quiet of the falling snow, she took in a heavy breath and watched as it came out in the form of a foggy mist before her face. Everything seemed so much more alive…so much more real to her than it ever had before. She took it all in as she continued walking towards Jack’s truck, realizing how much she’d missed feeling alive, and wondering how much had really changed during the precious time that she had lost.

Reaching Jack’s truck, she suddenly realized he wasn’t in it. Looking back at the entrance to the base, she considered going back and looking for him, but then a gentle whirl of wind whipped past her head, lifting a portion of her hair, and the sensation it left behind in its wake helped her quickly realize she had no desire to step a foot back inside the SGC for at least a week. Deciding he had probably just gotten held up, she set her bag down beside the passenger side door.

Moving to the front of the vehicle, she looked beyond it and saw the large rock that marked the start of the trailhead that she and Jack had taken so many times on workouts. Deciding it would be a better place to wait than next to his truck, Sam walked carefully over to it, and after checking the surface for rock for ice, climbed on top and sat down, her back to the base.

Looking out ahead of her, she was unable to see any of the deep ravine and valley that lay beneath her. For with the new snow that had just started falling, a vale of heavy, low clouds had settled into the area, coating the air in a white, misty fog. Sitting there, her legs tucked up to her chest as her arms hugged them, she couldn’t help but wonder if, like the new snow, her new beginning would be shrouded in mysteries that she would be afraid of.

What had changed during her absence…what new discoveries did she miss out on, had some of the faces she’d seen every day in her lab moved on to new things, what adventures had her team been on that she would never know about, and most importantly…had Jack’s feelings for her changed?

That last question seemed to coat her mind in doubt, for even though they had just confessed their love for each other upon her waking, Sam knew Jack well enough to recognize a latent fear in his eyes that he wasn’t expressing to her. It was a look that she had never seen before, and it scared her, even more than she was willing to consider.

As she sat there, taking in all that her heart was trying to absorb, with her heart feeling a little lost and her soul still stranded in a sea of forgetting, a single ray of sunlight breached the cloud cover from the heavens above. Stretching out with its golden fingers, the ray hit Sam’s skin and warmed it almost instantly.

And that’s how Jack found her a moment later…the love of his life with her face turned up into the sun and her eyes closed, as gentle snowflakes caressed her cheeks and dusted her hair. Jack was forced to stand there for a moment and just watch her...it was if he was observing the creation of a living masterpiece and had no desire to disturb the process.

But after another minute, the soft wind at his back was beginning to chill him, so he found his voice. “I hope you know how incredibly beautiful you are.” Jack smiled softly when she opened her eyes and looked over at him. Moving towards her, he reached the edge of the rock, took one of her hands, and kissed it. “Right now…in this very moment…I will never forget how you just looked.”

Sam blushed and turned her body to face him, allowing her legs to dangle over the edge. “And how do I look, General O’Neill?”

Jack held out his arms and helped her down off the rock…and right into them. Wrapping his arms around her, he answered her. “Like the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen…beautiful, free, happy, and yet still a little sad.” Giving her a light kiss on the lips, he went on. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that sadness is wiped away…forever.”

Sam responded by dipping her head and laying it on his chest. As his body warmth held her, she took in a breath and exhaled. “I’m sorry, Jack,” she said quietly. “So much has happened…and I know from just looking into your eyes, there’s still more for me to learn.” When she felt his body stiffen ever so slightly, that confirmation for her forced her to hold on a little tighter. “As easy as it would be to assume I’ve just been changed by everything that’s happened, I know that answer wouldn’t be right. I have to find the courage to find myself again.” Looking up at him, she went on. “I just have to breathe.”

Jack ran a light finger over her cheek. “And I’ll be here to remind you to breathe…and to give you all the courage you need to get through this. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sam nodded and then stretched up and gave him a kiss on the lips, warming them for a moment. Upon pulling back, she offered him a smile. “As much as I’m enjoying this, we probably shouldn’t risk drawing any unnecessary attention.”

Jack glanced back at the base, now only barely visible through the cloud cover, and sighed. “Well, let’s get out of here so we don’t have to worry about that. Are you ready?” Offering her his arm, he was satisfied when she readily took it, and they strolled carefully back to his truck together.

After helping her up into the cab, he moved around to the other side and got in, closing out the cold. Looking over at her, he dusted off a few snowflakes from her hair, coat, and cheek. “Before I get you home, there’s one place that we need to stop first. Frankly, I’d rather put off doing it, but it has to be done.”

Sam felt a little uneasy as she listened to him. “Okay.” Giving him a quick smile, she reached around and put on her seatbelt, hoping that the ride home wouldn’t be too unexpected as Jack brought the truck to life. But as they sat there for a moment allowing the truck to warm up, the distance between them suddenly felt too far. Quickly unbuckling her seatbelt, she moved over until she was right next to him and able to feel his arm come around her as she laid her head on his shoulder. “As long as I’ve got you with me, I’m ready for anything.”

Jack kissed the top of her head and then nodded. “Okay…here we go.” Pulling out of the parking lot, he knew there was no turning back now. But after all they’d been through, they had managed to find each other again…and to Jack, that represented the courage he was seeking in order to tell her about the things that she needed to know.

Fifteen minutes later, Jack pulled off the road and entered the cemetery. Making his way slowly up the road, he finally pulled over to the side and cut the engine. Taking a breath, he looked over at Sam, who was still sitting next to him. Her facial expression as she looked out over the snowy landscape was a mixture of confusion and fear. The headstones scattered throughout the cemetery made the view that much more ominous, with various shades of stone grey appearing that much colder as small mounds of snow layered the top of each one.

Sam swallowed hard as Jack took her hand. “What are we doing here, Jack?” Her voice was small and a little shaky, telling him that she indeed had no idea about Janet’s death.

Jack wasn’t sure how to tell her. When Janet had died, they had all grieved together…and as time had progressed, the pain had gotten easier. But sitting there now, about to tell the real Samantha Carter about her bestfriend’s death, Jack found the ache in his heart renewed…and not just over Janet’s passing, but over the fact that he was going to have to break Sam’s heart in the process.

“Um,” Jack began, unsure of where to begin, “I really don’t know the best way of telling you this…so I’m just going to say it.” Looking over at her, he swallowed back as much of his emotion as he could as she gripped his hand firmly. “I know you were told that Janet was on an extended vacation…but the truth is that not only is she gone…she’s never coming back. Janet died shortly after your clone took over your life.”

Sam could feel her heart begin to pound harder as the realization of what he had just told her settled into her bones. As it did, hot tears began welling up in her eyes. “What? How? Why didn’t anyone tell me before now?”

Jack reached out and wiped at some of the tears falling down her face. He tried to keep his voice low and calm as he talked to her. “We all agreed not to tell you because you didn’t need that kind of stress when you were trying to heal. But we knew that it would be only a matter of time before you found out the truth, so Dr. Lam made me promise to tell you the truth as soon you were released from her care.”

Sam took a moment and then nodded, her bottom lip quivering. “How did she die?”

Jack took a breath. “She died caring for a patient on the front lines. SG-13 was ambushed on P3X-666 by the Goa’uld, and a firefight ensued. Several teams were sent through to help, but there were casualties and injuries. One of the soldiers had to be stabilized before he could be moved. Janet was in the process of tending to him when…a staff blast hit her in the chest. Thanks to her efforts, the soldier lived, but unfortunately she didn’t.”

Jack could see she was trying to put up a brave front as she replied. “Nothing could be done?”

Jack lightly squeezed her hand and shook his head. “It was instantaneous. Daniel was with her when it happened…he saw the whole thing.”

Sam put a hand to her mouth. “Oh God…poor Daniel.”

Jack furrowed his brow. “It was hard on him most of all…mainly because I think in some way he blames himself. I tried to tell him that there was nothing he could have done, but after it happened, he kept suggesting that if he had been in a different position or had been keeping a better lookout…he’s better now, but the funeral was really hard on him.”

Sam just sat there for a moment before hugging her arms to her chest. “I can’t believe she’s gone…after all these years…it’s not right, Jack.” Wiping at her eyes, she continued. “I take it she’s buried here?”

Jack nodded. “I thought you might like the opportunity to say goodbye.”

Sam squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she tried to contain her tears. After another silent minute in the truck, she nodded.

Jack let go of her hand and hopped out of the truck, moving around to the passenger side. Opening the door, he held out his hand and helped her down into the snow, which was ankle deep. Not letting her go, he carefully led her to where Janet was buried.

Arriving at her grave, Jack suddenly realized it had been the first time he’d returned since her funeral. A beautifully engraved headstone now marked the place where she laid, with an encased picture of their friend smiling back at them underneath her name and the number of years she had lived. And below the picture was a simple yet profound statement: “Mother, Daughter, Friend, Physician, Hero. You’re caring touch will be greatly missed, and you will be remembered always.”

Sam slowly reached out and gently brushed the snow off the top of her tombstone. And before she knew it, the wall of tears that she’d been holding back broke through and her knees went weak. But before she had a chance to hit the ground, Jack’s strong arms came around her and held her body to his, wrapping her in his strength. His voice floated through to her ears as his lips kissed the top of her head. “I’ve got you…it’s okay. Just let it go.”

And so over the next few minutes, Sam cried against Jack’s chest, sobbing for all that she had lost…from her dear friend to the precious months of her own life. She would never again see Janet’s smile or be able to confide to her the secrets closest to her heart. She would never be able to take away the pain in Jack’s heart when he thought that she had stopped loving him…scars ran deep, and she knew the memory of those months would affect him. Her clone had not only stolen precious moments from her, but she had hurt friends and strangers alike…from Jack to a man named Pete.

With her sobs lessened, she finally spoke as she held onto Jack for dear life. “It’s not fair, Jack. Look how many people she hurt…look at all the times she took away from me…I’ll never be able to put right what she made wrong.”

Jack pulled back slightly and reached under her chin with his hand, directing her to look at him. His voice was softer than usual but just as firm. “No one expects you to make up for anything she did. What happened was incredibly unfair, and I would have given anything to have traded places with you. It kills me to know that they put you through so much more than I know you’re telling me. The whole time you were going through Hell, I was sitting here, wallowing in self-pity.” Taking a breath, he gripped both sides of her face. “I am so sorry for everything you’ve been through, and I’m not going to even pretend that I understand half of your pain. But I promise you that I will be here for you always…so lean on me as much as you need to, because I not going to let those bastards take away one more happy day from you.”

Sam offered him a weak smile through her tears. “As long as I’ve got you with me, I know I’ll be okay. It’s just going to take some time to get readjusted to everything.”

Jack gave her a stiff, short smile and then pulled her back against him. “I’m not going anywhere…and you are going to be okay. Of all the people I know, you’re the only one I can confidently say has the strength inside to do it.” Pulling back again, he looked into her eyes once more. “But don’t you dare try and be strong when you don’t think you can be. I am going to help you through this, but you have to let me. Okay?”

Sam wiped at her eyes and nodded. “I promise.” Reaching up, she touched his cheek, which was now cold from the amount of time they’d been standing there. “I love you, Jack. You’ve done more for me already than you even know.” Moving in towards him, she captured his lips in a warming kiss that they both felt. Standing there as one amid the snowy landscape, with snowflakes slowly falling down around them and cold whispers of wind tracing along their cheeks, Sam and Jack felt the world melt away for a moment, and in that time felt their hearts reconnecting on a level that only soulmates understood.