I'll Be Missing You Too
I'll Be Missing You Too
by Falcon Horus
Summary: Sam falls in love with a new SGC-member. They become the happy couple. But will it last forever?
Category: Angst, Romance
Season: any Season
Pairing: Daniel/Janet, Sam/other
Rating: PG
Warnings: minor character death
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 08/12/03
Title: I'll be missing you too
Author: Falcon Horus & Dena
E-mail: thot_bastet@hotmail.com, natalieverrydt@hotmail.com
Status: part 2 of 2
Category: romance
Pairing: Sam/other, Daniel/Janet
Sequel info: This story is a prequel to I'll be missing you
Rating: PG
Content warnings: minor character-death
Spoilers: Crystal Skull
Summary: Sam falls in love with a new SGC-member. They become the happy couple. But will it last forever?
Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.
Author's notes: Thank you's go to Adele T for beta-ing this fic and to my sister Dena for helping me with some sad parts of this story! I hope you enjoy this fic and feedback is always welcome!
* 1 year earlier -
The Commissary
It was a day of celebration. The program was running for five years now and General Hammond thought it would make a nice occasion to thank everyone involved. Some Airmen had decorated the commissary and had moved some tables in order to make some space to dance.
The General had prepared a short speech to thank everyone for the good times. He also congratulated those who had been promoted and those who had helped save the Earth whenever alien-invasions had occurred.
"Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen! We're here today to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Stargate-program! It's been five years of hard work. During that time we made new friends and new enemies but overall we survived." The men and women present in the commissary applauded and cheered loudly. "We're having this little party to thank you all for being here in both the good times, and the bad. You definitely deserve it! Enjoy yourselves ... and that's an order!" The crowd laughed and again applauded loudly.
"Nice speech, Sir!" O'Neill handed his CO a glass of champagne, which the man gladly accepted. "You can be proud of yourself!"
"Thank you, Colonel!" The General took a sip from his glass and started walking around, mingling with his Airmen and his Marines.
Daniel, Teal'c, Sam and Janet stood on the other side of the room, holding a glass of champagne. Daniel was trying to teach Teal'c how to drink his champagne but the Jaffa had some difficulties understanding the idea of sipping.
"Sip! Don't gulp!" Daniel showed Teal'c and then it was his turn to sip. The Jaffa soon enough decided for his own good that he didn't like champagne that much.
"Daniel..." Sam pointed at a young man standing across the room. "...Who's that over there?"
"Who?" Daniel followed Sam's finger and noticed the young man next to the door. "The one next to the door?" Sam nodded.
"He's new to the base. I met with him this morning at the elevator. He asked where he could find Hammond's office. I believe he said his name was Jason Thomas." Daniel looked back at Sam. "Why do you wanna know?"
"Oh, no particular reason." Sam smiled and before Daniel could ask any further, she had already left them and went for the other side of the room. Janet smiled and looked from Daniel to Teal'c who didn't seem to have a clue why Sam suddenly showed an interest in new guys.
"Hello there!" The young man jumped on hearing an unfamiliar voice call out to him. He had been standing near the door for almost an hour and no one had said anything to him so he had reason to jump on the unexpected call.
"Hi!" He turned to the owner of the voice and his breath caught in his throat as he saw a beautiful woman standing next to him, checking him out with blue eyes deeper than any ocean can ever be. He was sure he was flashing a bright red right now but he remained absolutely professional as he noticed the insignia's on the Major's shoulders.
"I'm Major Samantha Carter, but you can call me Sam. I'm 1/4th of SG-1." Sam smiled at him, making him even more uncomfortable than he already was in her present.
"Oh ... uhm ... nice meeting you!" He extended his hand and she accepted it, shaking it gently. "I'm Captain Jason Thomas. I'm about to become 1/4th of SG-9." He smiled shyly and tried hard not to drown in Sam's blue eyes.
"Daniel told me you're new on base." Jason frowned slightly on hearing another unfamiliar name. `Damn it! She's already seeing someone.' "Dr. Daniel Jackson ... he told you where to find Hammond's office." Sam pointed across the room to where her friends were still standing, observing what was going on between her and the new guy.
"Oh yes, now I remember. And yes, I'm quite new. General Hammond invited me to this gathering so I could meet with the people that work here." He smiled again, still shy but a bit more confident than seconds before. Sam smiled back and suddenly noticed he wasn't drinking champagne.
"You want some champagne?"
"No, thank you! I don't drink alcohol. I'm kind of allergic to it." He was still smiling and confidence was finally returning to him.
"Why don't you come over and meet some of my friends?" He didn't have much of a choice as Sam already pulled him with her to the other side of the commissary.
While Sam was talking to Jason on the other side of the room, Jack had finally joined the remainder of his team after congratulating his CO with his speech.
"Hello kids, are we enjoying ourselves?" Jack looked at his archaeologist and his Jaffa, and noticed then that he was missing a kid. "Where's Carter?" His kids stared back at him, as if trying to hide their little secret.
"She's talking to this new guy over there." Janet pointed to the other side of the room and noticed Sam was now on her way back to them with the new guy in tow.
"Who's that bean-stick?" Jack looked from his oncoming Major to his kids and back but they hadn't the chance to answer his question as Sam soon joined them introducing them to her new friend.
"Hey Carter, making new friends?" Jack eyed the man behind Sam suspiciously.
"This is Captain Jason Thomas. He has been assigned to SG-9. Jason, these are my friends and teammates ... my CO, Colonel Jack O'Neill ... Dr. Daniel Jackson, archaeologist/anthropologist/linguist ... Teal'c, he's a Jaffa ... and last but not least the resident Chief Medical Officer and my best friend, Dr. Janet Fraiser!"
"Nice meeting you all!" They shook hands, except for Jack who kept a fair distance between himself and the bean-stick. "So, you've all been working here for five years now?"
"Yes, we have." Daniel smiled proudly. "It has both been a blessing and a curse. We've had lots of close calls but I'm sure Sam will tell you all about that." Daniel had finally seen the connection why Sam was so eagerly in meeting the new guy. It had taken him only ten minutes and one gentle hint from Janet.
Lieutenant Michaels, who appeared to be a DJ in his spare time, had finally managed to get the installation working. He started with some up-tempo songs but few people dared to show what they were capable of on a dance-floor. Slowly showing what he was worth as a DJ he threw in some slows, which surprisingly had a better effect than the up-tempo songs. More and more people paired up on the dance-floor. As soon as Daniel heard the first notes of Celine Dion's hit My Heart Will Go On he looked around wickedly. He could see lots of eyes gazing at him, wanting him to invite the person behind the eyes to dance but the one who wasn't looking at him caught his attention.
"Dr. Fraiser..." He held his hand out to her. "...Can I have this dance?" Janet looked up surprised and then she started smiling.
"Why, yes you can Dr. Jackson." She took hold of his hand and followed him to the dance-floor, feeling a couple of jealous eyes in her back.
"Sam, you wanna..." Jason was holding his hand out to her. She just smiled and followed him to the dance-floor, leaving a slightly jealous Jack behind.
Jason had a wonderful evening with his new friends, although he had the distinct feeling that Colonel O'Neill didn't seem to like him that much. He had learned some more about the way Jaffa celebrate an event while Sam, Daniel and Janet had explained Teal'c some more earthy rituals involving parties.
Around midnight most of the attendees left because of the few missions that were planned for the next day. Most of them had to get up bright and early. SG-1 was among those with a mission ahead. Jason walked Sam to her quarters on Base before he would leave for home.
"I had a wonderful evening, thank you!" Jason really had a great night and he had loved the company. In fact he was well on his way to fall in love with that particular company.
"Yeah, I liked it too! See you around?" Jason nodded and while Sam closed the door to her quarters, a sigh escaped his lungs and a smile appeared on his face.
"Goodnight Sam!"
Some weeks later
The SGC
It had been two weeks since the party and since Jason had met the wonderful Major Sam Carter. She had been all he could think of the past two weeks and that hadn't been too good, as he had almost screwed up his first mission together with SG-9. The mission hadn't been boring he could sure tell you that. He had found some interesting soil samples to play with in his new lab. He was actually on his way to that lab, holding his precious samples in his hands, when an Airman approached him.
"Captain Jason Thomas?" The Airman started and Jason turned to him, nodding slightly. "Major Carter is expecting you in her lab." Jason's heart almost jumped out of his chest. She wanted to see him. Or maybe she just wanted to see his samples.
"Thank you, Airman!" He shouldn't assume anything right now. Maybe she liked him too and just wanted to see him. The Airman continued his way but Jason stopped him because to be absolutely honest he had no idea where to find the Major's lab. "Uhm Airman ... where can I find Major Carter's lab?"
"Shall I take you, Sir?"
"Yeah, that would be ... uhm ... nice." The Airman smiled and quickly guided Jason through the base to Sam's lab.
"Here you go, Sir."
"Thanks!" Jason nodded to the Airman, who just smiled again and left him at Carter's doorstep. He was still holding his samples when he knocked on her door and entered after hearing a clear `door's open'.
"Captain Thomas, welcome to my lab!" Uh oh, she was after his samples. He wouldn't give them to her without a fight.
"Major, you ... uhm ... requested my presence?" Jason nervously looked around. She had called him by his rank, that couldn't be a good sign. Or she was just playing with him, trying to get him to blush, which wasn't too difficult in his case.
"Yeah, I did!" Sam looked at him from behind her computer. "Why didn't you tell me you were an astrophysicist?" Jason looked somewhat surprised and then he started smiling. She wasn't after his samples she just wanted to chat.
"You didn't ask!" He grinned and fiddled somewhat with his samples. `Okay Jason, you can do this! Ask her out!' "You want to see my samples I found on P4C...something?" He held the samples in the air.
"I'd love to." Jason took the samples and placed them on the table. Being a little clumsy he dropped one and both Jason and Sam bent to pick it up. In doing so they bumped into each other and fell to the floor, both laughing out loud. She gave the sample back to Jason and added a kiss to it. To say the least, he was surprised. `Ok Jason, now's good time to ask!'
"Uhm ... Sam ... would you ... uhm..." He was stuttering like hell but then he sighed deeply and asked Sam out in one breath. "Do-you-wanna-go-out-with-me-sometime?"
"Yeah, I would love to go out with you." Sam looked into his deep blue-green eyes, making him blush brightly red.
"You ... you would?" Jason hadn't heard her that well because he was too busy trying to get his fluttering heart under control. Sam just nodded and smiled. "Friday? ... I know this cool place."
"Sounds great!"
"I'll call you for the details?" Sam nodded. "Great! Well, I'd ... better ... be going!" Jason walked back to the door never taking his eyes away from the beautiful Major. He almost tripped over some stuff, making Sam's smile even wider.
Friday-evening
Jason had kept his word and had called Sam that he would pick her up at her place around 7.30 in the evening. She had agreed and had planned her Friday so she would be off work by 5.30, leaving enough time to get in front of her closet to pick the right dress. She was just on her way to the elevator when Jack caught up with her. He was planning on going fishing for the weekend and he hoped that his 2IC was finally going to say yes to his invitation.
"Hey Carter, what's up? Leaving so soon?" He noticed that she wasn't carrying work home with her, which was more than enough to get suspicious. Carter always worked; even at home she tried to figure out stuff he would never even try to understand.
"Sir!" She turned around to face him, a smile playing on her lips. "I have a date."
"A date?" Jack looked surprised at Carter. His 2IC had a personal life outside the base? That on itself was more than enough to feed the SGC's grapevine.
"Yes, with Captain Jason Thomas. The new guy!" Jack's face dropped. She was kidding, right. She couldn't possibly consider dating that bean-stick. Sam looked nervously at her watch. "Sir, I really have to go now." Sam swiped her card through the lock and waited for the doors to open. Stepping in she turned back to her CO, "Goodnight, Sir!" The doors closed, leaving Jack staring at them.
"Goodnight ... Sam." He just couldn't grasp the idea that his 2IC was going on a date with a guy she just met. He shook his head and turned around, almost bumping into Daniel who was standing right behind him. "Wow, Danny Boy, you want me dead or something? How long have you been standing here?"
"Just long enough to see that you are jealous of Sam's date." Daniel knew that Jack was a little overprotective over his kids and, more important in this case, he knew how his friend felt about Sam. He liked her more than he was aloud to.
"Oh right! Well, you're right. But she just met him!" Jack was trying to defend his case and his jealousy but failed.
"It's not like she's going to spend the night with him. It's just a date."
"Yeah, what ever!" Jack wished Daniel goodnight and then left him alone at the elevator. Daniel just smiled and continued his way.
Sam's Place
Jason had met up with Sam at her place exactly at 7.30. He was wearing a simple jeans and a blue sweater. His leather jacket was hanging loosely over his shoulder. It was a nice Spring-evening so he wouldn't be needing the jacket until later that evening. He knocked on her door and patiently for Sam to open it. If he hadn't been nervous before then he was now because the moment Sam opened the door his breath caught in his throat. She was wearing a simple blue dress and a silver necklace around her neck. He blinked a few times making sure he wasn't dreaming and then he gave her a small kiss on the cheek.
"Good evening, Beauty!" He smiled and held up his arm. Sam closed the door behind her, grabbed his arm and followed him to his car.
Downtown Jack
Sam had been silent most of the way to the bar but once inside, she didn't seem to be able to stop talking. The place wasn't overly crowded, giving them the opportunity to properly talk to one another. As soon as they had ordered their drinks they looked for a nice table to sit, which they found somewhere in the back, against the wall.
"So..." Sam looked at Jason. "...Tell me something more about you! How did you get involved in the project? That sort of thing!"
"Well, as you already know I'm an astrophysicist. Before I returned to the US I did some researching for Stephen Hawking. Here in the US I got a job at the Pentagon where I had to do research for the Stargate Project. And a couple of weeks ago they told me I was reassigned to Cheyenne Mountain. I must honestly say that I had never expected to see the Stargate in real life. And I did my homework, I read everything there's to know about it, including your work."
"Wow! What was Stephen Hawking like?" Sam sipped her drink and looked at the man across her. He was so fascinating.
"He's a great scientist with a great mind. I met him at Cambridge when I was doing research for my paper on Western European civilizations. I helped him with some research and he helped me. We still write each other. Maybe I can introduce you some day?"
"What? Wait a minute ... Western European civilizations?" Sam was confused. Was Jason telling her he had two Ph. D.'s?
"Yeah, about that. Before I started studying astrophysics I studied archaeology. I took two years at once so it only took me two years to graduate and another two to complete my paper. While I was working on my paper, I started studying astrophysics, at first just out of curiosity and later full time."
"Where did you study archaeology? You might have had class with Daniel." Sam was getting more and more interested in Jason. He kept on surprising her.
"I don't think we met because I studied archaeology in Belgium at the University of Louvain, in Europe." Jason smiled at Sam's hunger to know more about him. He sure knew that was a good thing because that meant she was truly interested in him.
"Europe?" Sam's mouth dropped. "You studied in Europe?"
"Yes, my father is stationed in Belgium. He has to guard the nuclear weapons that are stashed in Kleine Brogel, some tiny town somewhere in the east of the country."
"Oh, so you grew up in Europe?"
"Yeah, my family moved there when I was 2 or 3 years old. I'm half American and half Belgian, having citizenship of both countries. But I wanted to join the Air Force so after my studies I moved back here but not before getting my Ph. D. in astrophysics in Cambridge, England."
"How was your life in Belgium?" Sam ordered another drink while waiting for more details about Jason's life.
"Completely different then over here. Belgians are sometimes strange people. They are very ... independent. I wouldn't call them selfish exactly, but if something were happen to their neighbors, most of them wouldn't care about it. Of course they are not all like that. I've still got some very good friends living in Belgium. I keep in touch with them on a regular basis." Jason fell silent as he accepted his drink from the waitress, waiting for her to leave and for Sam to ask more of her questions but she too remained silent. "So ... how about you? Tell me something about yourself!"
"You have a couple of hours more?" They laughed happily. "Where do you want me to start?"
"I don't know. How about ... your family?" Jason would love to hear about Sam and all that she had been doing the past few years.
"There's not much to say except that I have a brother, Mark, who's married and has two wonderful kids. My father lives amongst the Tok'ra, he's Selmak's host." Sam waited for a reaction, but it didn't come, which meant either Jason hadn't fully understood what she had just dropped onto him or he didn't mind her father being a Tok'ra. "My mother died when I was about 16 years old." She saw his face drop.
"I'm sorry!" He kissed her hand and didn't release it again the rest of the evening. She just smiled shyly. "So, how about the project? What can you tell me about that? You must have some great stories to tell. Or is this not the right place to talk about those?"
"Yes, I do have some great stories. And no, I don't think anybody will hear us. Most of these people think we're just making small talk." Sam looked deep into Jason's eyes, took a deep breath and started telling about the past 5 years. She told him about her first trip, about Jolinar, Thor and Cassandra, and many of her other adventures. When Sam was done talking she noticed that Jason was staring at her. "What! Is something hanging out my nose?"
"No, silly! I was just thinking that you are a remarkable woman." He looked at her and then past her, noticing some people dancing. He smiled, got up and stretched his hand out to her. "Can I have this dance from you?" She nodded and followed him to dance-floor. The rest of the evening was filled with more dancing and the occasional laughter when either of them stepped onto the other's toes.
At 2.30 Jason drove Sam home. They had had a wonderful evening but just to make it a night to remember he took her to the park first to look at the full moon.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Jason looked up, holding Sam close. Feeling her shiver he handed her his jacket.
"Yeah, she is." Sam turned to Jason as he placed his jacket around her shoulders. He pulled her close and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, which she eagerly returned. For just that moment they were the only ones in the world, with the moon watching over them.
Jason dropped Sam off at her house and continued on his way. He had just had the time of his life and he knew many more dates would come after this one. He was head over heels for this woman and he already knew what he was going to write down in his next letter to his parents. They would be glad that he had finally met someone. But first things first, he wasn't going to rush into a relationship, he wanted to enjoy every second of it.
Jason and Sam started to see each other more and more, and went out on more dates. By the third or fourth date the entire Base knew about the relationship and there was only one unhappy camper. Jack had avoided the Captain as much as possible and whenever he saw the bean-stick with his 2IC he had turned green of jealousy. The rest of SG-1, however, greeted him in their midst and it often happened that they went out all together, except Jack of course. He always managed to get away from going to such outings.
A few months later
The Commissary
Jason was sitting in the commissary enjoying a hot cup of coffee. He had deserved one after coming back from his trip to a very wet planet. It had started raining the moment his team had arrived and it had only stopped when they had left. It was as if the planet wanted to punish them from stepping onto its surface. He had collected some samples he needed to look at but first he had promised himself the cup of coffee. His teammates had joined him but one by one they had left, enjoying some time off Base. From the corner of his eye he noticed Daniel entering the commissary, going straight for the coffee-machine. Jason had soon learned about the man's addiction to caffeine. He couldn't blame him. All those different tastes, nobody could resist those, could they?
"Hey Jason, how was your trip?" Daniel placed himself on the opposite side of Jason, cradling his cup in his hands.
"Hey Daniel! Didn't you hear the story of `SG-9 and the Planet of Rain'? We were soaked. I brought some samples back but all they will reveal is water, I think." Jason noticed that Daniel wanted to ask him something but it was as if he didn't know how. "What's on your mind?"
"What?" Daniel looked at Jason, sipping carefully from his coffee.
"You have that look in your eyes as if something's bothering you. So, what's up?"
"When you and Sam ... well, I..." Daniel looked around and when he was sure no one was listening in on them, he leaned closer to Jason. "I think I'm in love."
"In love?" Jason frowned slightly. "What makes you think you're in love?"
"Well, you see ... ever since the party ... I can't get her out of my mind." Jason's frown got bigger. "She ... every time I see her my heart races and I feel the butterflies in my stomach and my legs feel like jello and..."
"Daniel, who are you talking about? Or is that a secret?" Jason had a pretty good idea who the archaeologist was talking about and he had to admit that he and Sam had discussed that subject a couple times on a few of their outings. They had agreed not to interfere too much with the two but if they could use a little push towards each other they would happily interfere because the two would look perfect together. They were an absolutely cute couple.
"Uhm ... well, it's ... uhm ... Jan... Dr. Fraiser." Jason smiled as even saying the woman's name made the poor guy flash a brightly red.
"Janet! Cool! Let's have a double date on ... Friday?" Daniel looked shocked at Jason. He wasn't going to ask Janet out on a date.
"Uhm..." Daniel blinked a few times, getting his thoughts back in order. "I can't ask her out on a date!"
"Why not?" Jason was now grinning like an idiot. He knew that if Daniel wasn't going to ask her out then he would do it for him.
"Hey guys!" Sam startled the two gentlemen, and she wasn't alone. "Can we join you?" Janet was standing right beside her.
"Sure honey, have a seat! We were just talking about going on a double date on Friday." Jason enjoyed Daniel's shocked face and Sam was right behind him.
"Who are you going to ask on a date, Daniel? Or do we need to find you a date?" Sam had to suppress a giggle as she saw both Doctors shift uncomfortably on their chairs. She had just had a serious talk with Janet and she had the idea that Jason had exactly the same talk with Daniel, none of it being planned of course. "Or..." Sam glanced at Jason, who couldn't help but laugh out loud as he knew exactly what she was going to say next. "...Janet can be Daniel's date?" Both Doctors first looked quite shocked at the couple across the table and then turned a nice shade of red.
"Sorry honey..." Jason looked at his watch as he noticed he had to go, look at his samples and then go home to get some rest. "I've got to go!"
"I'll accompany you!" Sam and Jason got up and left the commissary. At the door they turned around to see if Daniel and Janet had moved or where still staring into their cups of coffee. It was the latter and they were both nervously stirring in their cups, even though Sam had seen that they had almost finished their coffee.
"I think we need to help them a little along cause else they will keep flashing red every time they talk about each other." Jason looked back to his lovely Major and smiled a wicked smile.
"Yeah, I think you're right!" Sam kissed him and then they left to get a look at Jason's samples.
Friday-evening
Sam's Place
How exactly they had convinced the two Doctors to go along on a double date was still a mystery to both Jason and Sam but they had finally gotten them to come along and had agreed to meet at Sam's house at 7. Of course Jason was somewhat earlier, carrying a box meant for Sam.
"Honey!" Jason had gotten a key from Sam but still called out for her so not to scare her and letting her know that he had arrived.
"I'm almost there!" Sam's voice came from her bedroom. Ten minutes later, she walked into her living room, finding Jason sitting in front of the TV. He turned it off as soon as he saw her.
"Wow, you look lovely tonight!" Sam was wearing a simple black dress with a low neck. "Hey, I've got something for you." Jason picked the box up from the table and handed it to her.
"What is it?" Sam turned it around and looked at him questioningly.
"Open it up and you'll see what it is!" Jason smiled and there was nothing else for Sam to do then to open the box. A shiny golden necklace appeared in sight and Sam's mouth dropped a few inches.
"Oh Jason, it's beautiful!" Taking the necklace out of the box, she turned it around in her hands.
"So, you like it then?" Seeing her nod made him smile. He took the necklace from her hands and placed it around her bare neck, kissing it swiftly before guiding her over to a mirror so she could admire it too.
"Thank you, Jason!" Sam turned to him and looked him in the eye. "You're such a sweet guy." Jason nodded and then he kissed her long and passionately. Someone knocking on the frontdoor interrupted them. "We should open the door." Jason nodded but he didn't stop kissing her. Again the person at the door knocked and this time Jason reluctantly went to open it.
"Good evening, Daniel!" Jason stepped aside so the archaeologist could enter. "All set for the evening?" He laughed out loud as he heard the man grumble something. "Not nervous, are you?"
"As a matter of fact..." Daniel went into the living room, setting himself down starting to fiddle with his glasses. "...I am."
"Aw, don't be! It's going to be a wonderful night." Jason looked from Daniel to Sam, who had appeared behind him.
"Hey Daniel! Ready to go out and have some fun?" Sam smiled as she heard the man's grumble. "Janet will be here any minute now." She looked at the clock on the wall, which said 6.55. Five minutes later at exactly 7 o'clock they could hear a soft knock on the door. Again Jason walked to the door to open it, while Sam gathered her stuff so that they could leave.
"Evening Janet!" Jason smiled at the nervous woman in front of him. "You look wonderful!" Janet started to blush a brightly red and as soon as Daniel came into view, it only became worse.
"Thank you!" She looked at him and smiled. Daniel walked past her, brushing her arm slightly and both blushed again. Sam followed him outside and smiled at her friend.
"Wow Janet, you look good in that dress! Cassie and I were right all along." The black dress the Doctor was wearing had been bought that same week after getting her to come along. Cassie had been delighted when she heard of the date on Friday. And she had been more delighted when she had heard who was going to be her mother's date for the evening.
"Okay people, move out! I'm the driver for tonight." Everybody hopped into Jason's Volkswagen, Sam and Janet in the back and Daniel in front with Jason.
They first had dinner in a small Italian restaurant where Jason and Sam had been before and had found the cooking very well. They weren't surprised to see that the two Doctors kept some distance between each other. Jason and Sam agreed that the two needed a slight push and a little bit more courage to make some moves towards each other. So, they decided that going to the Downtown Jack wasn't such a bad idea so that they could get to know each other somewhat better and maybe dance a little as well.
Downtown Jack
They were lucky to have a table in the back where they could talk freely and have some fun with each other. Again Janet and Daniel tried to get away from each other as far as they possibly could get. This time however Sam thought otherwise and soon the two were sitting next to each other, trying hard not to touch the other one too much as the feeling alone could send them blushing for another ten minutes more. They ordered their drinks and soon a conversation started, because Jason started one that is.
"So..." Jason looked at the couple across the table, feeling Sam's hand searching his and entwining her fingers with his. "...Sam told me that Cassie has a talent for painting." Janet nodded but didn't put in her two cents, even though it was her daughter they were suddenly talking about. "Sam, let's go for a dance!" Jason pulled her with him onto the dance-floor.
"They are pathetic, aren't they?" Sam looked over Jason's shoulder so she could look at their table. "We need to do something."
"I was just thinking the same thing. And I think I have an idea." While continuing dancing Jason explained his little plan to Sam. He was going to have a little chat with Janet and Sam agreed to talk to Daniel. "Okay, let's get those two together before we're old and gray." The two lovebirds walked back to their table and while Sam slipped back onto her chair, Jason grabbed hold of the Doctor's arm and pulled her with him. Taken somewhat by surprise she almost stumbled over her own feet.
"Jason?" The man pulled the Doc out of the bar and walked over to a bench standing across the street under one of the lanterns. "What are you doing?"
"I'm helping you." Jason sat himself down and motioned for Janet to do the same. "Why are you and Daniel so ... distant?" The woman sitting next to him stared across the street at some non-existing point somewhere on the horizon. "Afraid you might get hurt again?" He placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look at him. "Sam told me you were married before you joined the Project and that you and your ex weren't exactly the happy couple."
"We were married for three years. It was the most painful experience in my life, not one I want to relive ever again. I build a wall around my heart and in doing so I lost a few good friends. When Cassandra arrived I aloud myself to love again." Jason listened while Janet explained. He let her talk, knowing that it would help her somehow. "When I first met Daniel, the Base was on lockdown due to a contagious virus. There wasn't much time for proper introduction. I already liked him the first moment I saw him but he was still married back then. The only reason he was on the Project was his wife Sha're. She had been chosen as a host and he hoped to find her and free her from the Goa'uld that possessed her. She had been a gift to him on his first mission through the Stargate to Abydos. Although a gift, she was his everything. He only lived for her. Daniel returned to Abydos after a year. He had to tell his father-in-law he hadn't been able to locate his daughter but apparently he found her there, carrying Apophis child. He lost her a second time when the little boy was born, and a third time one year after that when Teal'c chose Daniel's life over that of Sha're. He wanted the quit the SGC because his wife was dead and there was nothing worth to remain where he was. But he stayed to fulfill Sha're's last wish, find her son. At that point I really liked him and we had become very good friends, he being so accident-prone as he is. He lands 9 out of 10 missions in my infirmary. And now I ... I love him. I never thought I'd feel like this ever again and, to be honest, it scares me." Jason had been listening the entire time, once in while nodding his head just to let the woman next to him know he was still following her story. "I bored you, didn't I?"
"No, you didn't. In fact, I think you just helped yourself. You just admitted that you're afraid of getting hurt again. You're afraid if you open your hart to Daniel he will hurt you but I don't think he's that type of guy. When I first met Sam at that party I was not really looking for someone to fall in love with. I first wanted to get my life started here in Colorado Springs and maybe after a year or two I could start looking for a nice lady that wanted to spend her life with me. But, as you know, things turned out a bit different and I can assure you that in my entire life I haven't been this happy. I really love Sam and there's nothing in this world, or in this galaxy for that matter, that can keep us apart. I know that the jobs we do aren't exactly your every day jobs and that death isn't far away but I enjoy my every second with Sam as if it were my last one." Jason smiled. "I think we should be going back in. Sam might think I ran off with you."
"Yes, we probably should." Janet looked at the door of the bar across the street. "Thank you, Jason, I really needed this." Jason just smiled and followed his friend back to the Downtown Jack.
In the meanwhile Sam had her talk with Daniel and unlike Jason's talk with Janet hers wasn't as simple. Daniel had first told her it had been a mistake by taking the two of them on a double date. Then he had started rambling about how he could only think of the Doc and that he almost wished he came back hurt so he could be with her a little longer than just the PM-exam. During his entire monologue he had been blushing every time he said Janet's name. When he was finally done rambling and Sam thought she could finally say something herself he started talking about how dangerous his job was. Eventually Sam had gotten up, had walked to the bar and had asked for a cookie, which she had popped into Daniel's mouth just to make him shut up.
"Daniel, now you listen to me!" Sam looked him straight in the face, while he could do nothing else but listen to her. "Janet loves you. I have never seen her like this before. Every time you are in the neighborhood she's totally distracted. Last briefing was hell. She had absolutely no clue what we had discussed. The only thing she did know was that you had cleaned your glasses at least six times during that briefing and that those blue fatigues, you were wearing that day, really matched your eyes. She's head over heels with you, and the same goes for you. Just show her you care about her and that you return her feelings for you. Tell her you love her, cause you do!" Sam fell silent but kept staring at Daniel, who was processing all that she had just told him. "And you know what's more? Every time we come back from a mission where you got hurt, whether it's mildly or bad, she's different and it takes her a lot more strength to stay in that famous Doctor-mode of hers. Last time you got hurt badly and spend some time in the infirmary I found her crying in her office, just scared that one day you wouldn't be coming home. Daniel, she's terrified that some day you might not make it back and that her heart will break again! Colonel O'Neill's Napoleonic power-monger is as human as everybody else on this planet. And all you have to do is show her you care about her!" Sam looked at the door as she noticed Jason and Janet coming back in. "Now's your chance, Daniel!" She winked at him and as soon as he noticed his two friends coming back in he got up from his chair. He waited until they had arrived back at the table before sweeping the Doc into his arms and kissed her for all she was worth. And she was worth a lot he had decided after his talk with Sam. Janet was caught by surprise and struggled a little but gave up rather quickly and kissed Daniel back, getting lost in his strong arms. Jason and Sam looked surprised at what was happening in front of them.
"Uh ... honey, what..." Jason gestured towards the still kissing couple in front of them. "What did you tell him?"
"I just told him that Janet really loves him and that it was time he showed her he returns those feelings and that he cares about her. I didn't however specify how he should do that but apparently he has his ways." Sam smiled at Jason before pulling his head down so she could kiss him. They parted, however, rather quickly as they heard whistles and wolf howling coming from the other people in the bar, who were enjoying the view.
At last the two Doctors parted and grasped for air, but they kept their eyes locked with each other. They had forgotten the world around them and were certainly enjoying each other's company. Jason and Sam had sat back down and had ordered another drink to celebrate their accomplishment.
"I love you!" Daniel looked down into Janet's hazel brown eyes and smiled. "A lot!"
"I love you too!" She was drowning in his blue eyes. "A lot!"
After a while the two new love-birds remembered that they weren't alone and searched for the couple that brought them together, finding them amidst a couple of other people in the middle of the dance-floor slowing on some sappy song from R. Kelly.
"Shall we join them?" Daniel looked from their friends to his newly found love. Janet just nodded and followed him to the dance-floor. "Hey guys!" Daniel greeted Jason and Sam while they were in the midst of a passionate kiss.
"Oh hi! We thought you'd forgotten about us." Jason smiled widely and then returned his attention to Sam. "We did it!"
"Yeah, we did! We're a great team, aren't we?" Sam looked from their friends up to him and smiled.
"Indeed we are, honey! Indeed we are!"
They spend most of the evening dancing and drinking and by the end of it Jason got stuck with three very drunken friends. As their driver he had only been drinking non-alcoholic drinks so it was his duty to get them all home without causing any accidents. First he took Daniel home, as he seemed to be the only one able to remember he had an apartment somewhere in town. Janet, on the other hand, had fallen asleep in his car, giving him no other option then to take her with him back to Sam's place, where he had no other choice but to carry her to the spare room. Sam was able to walk on her own and wobbled into her bedroom, falling asleep as soon as she landed on the bed. Jason joined her and gently tucked her in, watching her sleep. After a while he joined her, spooning up behind her.
Sam's Place
Jason had been the only one who had been able to get up at a fairly normal hour. He had first called Cassandra, telling her not to worry over her mother as she had spend the night at Sam's house. He had also invited her for lunch so she could hear the detailed story from the previous night. After calling the teenager he had fixed himself some breakfast, as he knew the two women wouldn't be out of bed until lunchtime. Reading the morning paper he noticed the Doctor enter the kitchen. She was rubbing her head trying to get the headache away.
"Good morning!" Jason saw her flinch under his loud voice. "Having a hangover?" The woman nodded and searched for a chair, as she suddenly needed to sit down if she didn't want to fall over. "Here, take this! You'll feel better in an instant." He pushed a glass of water and an aspirin her way, ordering her to take it and then crawl back into bed for another hour. He assured her she would feel a lot better by then.
"Thank you!" Janet did as she was ordered and disappeared again. Jason took his paper back up and continued reading it until his sweetheart entered the kitchen, rubbing her head and swaying to all sides.
"Jason, I swear to you ... no more! Oh boy, my head isn't big enough. It's gonna explode!" Jason enveloped his Major in a hug, feeling her sink into his embrace. He lifted her up and carried her back to bed where he tucked her in. She too got some water, an aspirin and the order to get another hour of sleep. He would look after the house for as long as she wasn't capable of keeping her mind focused.
When Cassie arrived at lunchtime, the two women were still asleep, trying to get rid of their hangover. Jason and Cassandra spend the entire afternoon together talking and playing chess. They mostly talked about the previous night, but also about each other's lives. They both learned a lot and by the time there wasn't anything else to talk about Sam and Janet finally made their appearance, seemingly without a headache or a nauseous feeling. Jason drove the two Fraisers home and after that he relaxed with Sam in the couch in front of the TV.
The SGC
Jason had spent the rest of the weekend with Sam and the last night had been the most passionate one since they had started their relationship. In their act to get each other naked as soon as possible they had forgotten one thing, mission in the morning. Therefore they were a little late at the base. They had been more than surprised when Colonel O'Neill had called Sam to ask her politely to get her ass at the Base and into the briefing room ASAP. Still in a giggling mood they rushed through the halls to meet with their teams.
"I'll see you later!" They had come to the part where they had to split up, so they could join their teams. "Love you!" Jason kissed Sam rather swiftly and then ran further down the hallway.
"My lab!" Sam yelled after him. He just waved his hand before disappearing out of sight. She sighed heavily, already missing his company, and then took the hallway to her right. Turning into the hallway she bumped into Dr. Fraiser, who just came around the corner. "Janet? ... Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming!" Sam apologized herself to her friend, who just smiled back at her.
"No, of course you didn't see me! Me being so small and all ... or was it that handsome man that just passed into the other hallway?" Sam just smiled sheepishly, blushing a bit. "Uhm ... don't you have a mission in about an hour?"
"Yeah, I do!" Sam nodded and then decided it was more than high time to get ready if she didn't want to be stuck with one angry Colonel. She waved Janet goodbye and then hurried herself to the locker room.
The Gate Room
Sam had quickly changed into her green fatigues and collected her stuff. She had already missed their briefing and hoped that either Teal'c or Daniel would fill her in on the whys and whats of their upcoming mission. She didn't expect her CO to answer her questions, as he would probably be furious for her being late and missing the briefing in the first place. She finally reached the gate room, quickly attaching her P-90 to her vest and tucking her side arm away in its holster. Her team members looked up as she entered the gate room. They were checking their gear, waiting patiently for the gate to open but Lt. Simmons wasn't sitting at his computer, as he was checking some papers somewhere in the back of the control room.
"I'm sorry for being late, Sir. It won't happen again." Sam looked at Jack who didn't even twitch his face.
"You better not, Major! Take your time by the way! SG-9 is coming too and as I recall right then Mr. Bean-stick is 1/4th of that team. So, I'm guessing if you are late then he must be late as well!" Jack looked at his 2IC and seriously wished something would happen to the annoying guy who had made his life a living hell. The Colonel nodded and then he left his kids in the gate room to join the General in the control room.
"How come you're late?" Daniel looked from Jack in the control room to Sam, standing next to him. "Forgot to set the clock?"
"Jason spend his weekend with me and ... well, we had some fun!" Sam smiled secretly and Daniel already regretted he had asked something in the first place.
"Oh!" He smiled. "Thanks again for Friday! I had a really good time. Janet and I are going out again next Friday."
"Great!" Now it was Sam's turn to smile and it broadened as she noticed SG-9 enter the gate room. The two lovebirds automatically placed themselves next to each other, helping each other to check their gear one last time before heading out.
"Starting dialing!" Lt. Simmons voice sounded through the speakers and both teams looked up to the control room. O'Neill had finally returned into the gate room but he hadn't looked at Sam or Jason, ignoring them completely. As soon as the seven chevrons had locked into place the gate opened with its usual kawoosh and the teams stepped through after getting the `you have a go' from the General.
P5X-181
Their mission to P5X-181 was a simple re-con mission but still Hammond had ordered two teams because they had heard of some Goa'uld-activity in the neighborhood. The planet itself had once belonged to a Goa'uld as the MALP had send images back through the Stargate of a village and some strange statue in the middle of it. It wasn't that far from the Gate so easy to reach. As soon as they came trough Daniel got all excited and ran off to inspect what was left. When he reached the village he turned around and started waving at them.
"Guys, you've got to see this!" SG-1 hurried towards their archaeologist, while SG-9 secured the perimeter, and soon they were staring at an enormous statue of a naked man.
"Wow, someone went through an awful lot of trouble!" O'Neill inspected the statue.
"Wow!" Jason had joined the team and looked at the well-build, albeit naked man in front of him. "Michelangelo's David? I thought he stood in Florence, Italy. Not halfway across the galaxy!"
"Captain Thomas, checked the perimeter already?" Jack looked at the man, not wanting him anywhere near him or his 2IC.
"Major O'Brien gave me permission to help Dr. Jackson, Sir."
"Maybe he did but I'm the senior officer on this mission and I order you to keep yourself to your duty of securing the perimeter. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"
Jason jumped to attention, "Yes Sir!" He looked at Sam, shaking his head slightly, and then walked back to his team.
"Where were we?" Jack walked around the statue, inspecting it from all sides. "He sure worked out."
"I have absolutely no idea how he ended up here." Daniel frowned, as he knew that Michelangelo had lived during the Renaissance and that had been more than 3000 years after the Egyptian Gate had been buried. "Oh, wait a minute, I think I found something!" Daniel ducked behind the statue and started mumbling to himself. Sam looked over his shoulder to see what the man had found. It was a silver plate with writing on it and as usual the writing wasn't in English, but in Italian as Daniel quickly explained. He quickly took his camera out of his pack and started filming the writings so he could study them back at the base.
"What does it say?" Sam was still looking at the writings but couldn't make much of it. The only Italian words she knew were `ciao' and `pizza', not much help in this case.
"Daniel, you can play around as much as you want but remember we have to be back by dinner-time!" O'Neill looked at the younger man and when he had nodded, albeit absentmindedly, Jack took off with Teal'c in tow.
"Hey honey, is the big bad Colonel gone?" Jason had joined the two friends as soon as he had seen Jack leave their sides. Sam gave him a friendly tug and smiled. "So, what did you find?"
"Nothing much, to be honest! I hope that I can translate what's on the plate but it seems to be Italian mixed with some other language I don't recognize yet. I'll have to check my books back at the Base."
"If you want I can help you with your research."
"Yeah, that would be nice!" With that Daniel returned to his investigation.
"Why don't we check the rest of this wonderful ghost-town and see if we can find anything that might help us!" Jason looked at Sam and both set out on their own investigation.
By the time they had to leave for home they hadn't found anything more that could help them unravel the mystery. But their time hadn't run out yet and therefore mere seconds before they had to leave Jason and Sam made a discovery, maybe even bigger than the statue in the center of the village. They had wandered into a church-like building, indicating that whoever used to live there had been religious in some way. Inside they found the most beautiful wall paintings they had ever seen.
"Would you look at that?" Jason turned around, wondering about the marvel in which the paintings had been made. "Compared to the Sixtinian Chapel this is a work of even greater painters, mastering their skills well. To be honest, it looks a lot like the paintings in that chapel! And more important Michelangelo painted them." Jason was still in awe when Daniel appeared behind him, summoned by Carter. And soon the others came in as well, mouths dropping as they entered and saw the marvelous paintings.
"Daniel?" Jack looked at his archaeologist who didn't seem to have a clue but was working hard to get everything on tape.
"I don't know, Jack. But this certainly asks for further investigation."
"Yeah well, not today! Hammond is expecting us back home!" Jack dragged his archaeologist out of the building as soon as he was done filming, pulling him back to the Gate. Occupying himself with Daniel, he hadn't noticed that Captain Thomas and Major Carter had somehow landed next to each other and were now lightly touching each other's hands, soon entwining their fingers.
Stargate Command
General Hammond rushed into the control room as soon as he heard the alarm indicating an incoming wormhole. Sergeant Davis was looking from the Gate to his computer and opened the iris as soon as SG-1's IDC-code came through the wormhole. Hammond went down into the gate room and welcomed his teams back home.
"Welcome home SG-1 and 9! Report to the infirmary! Debriefing at 1900 hours." Both teams left the gate room and went to the infirmary for their PM's. "Major Carter!" The General stopped her before she could leave.
"Sir?" Sam turned around, but not until she was sure Jason would wait for her in the hallway.
"We received a message from your father. He's coming for a visit tomorrow." Sam smiled brightly.
"Thank you, Sir!" Carter nodded and then walked out of the gate room into the hallway where she bumped into Jason. "I've got news for you." She pulled him along and while they were walking she told him about her father coming to visit. "You will finally meet him."
"Yeah, I probably will." Jason looked at the woman he loved and at once he knew he'd wish for tomorrow not to come but he also knew how much Sam missed her father at times. He was so going to die.
The Infirmary
Jason and Sam were the last ones that had to endure the post-mission exam. They came wandering into the infirmary as if they had all the time in the world. The only one still present, which wasn't such a big surprise, was Daniel. In fact the couple interrupted the passionate kiss the lovebirds were currently sharing. Wolf howling and whistling made them part.
"GO Daniel!" Jason laughed out loud and slapped the poor man on the back. "Sweeping the lady of her feet, ey!" Daniel just blushed a little and stepped out of Janet's way, giving her some space to perform her tests on Sam and later on Jason.
As soon as they were finished Sam and Daniel walked out, on to their debriefing. But Jason stalled a little so he was alone with Janet.
"Something wrong Jason?" She looked up at him and thought he looked a bit nervous in some odd way.
"Doc, there's something I need to know and I think you might be the only one who can help me." Jason dug a little black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it in front of Janet. "Do you think Sam will like it ... if she says yes, that is?" In the box there was a golden ring with a small diamond set in the middle of the point of origin of Earth. "A friend of mine is a goldsmith and he made it for me."
"It's beautiful!" Janet took it out of its box and turned it around in her hand, fitting it on her finger. "You sure you don't want to marry me instead of Sam?" She smiled at him. "Sam will surely love it. When will you ask her?"
"Well, you see ... her father is coming to visit tomorrow and ... well I first want to ask for Sam's hand. This may sound really old-fashioned but it's kind of important to me that her family doesn't hate me. I want Sammy to be happy." Jason blushed and the Doc smiled. "I wanted to ask her after tomorrow, maybe during a candle-light dinner, or on top of Cheyenne Mountain. I don't know yet."
"Daniel was right about you! You are a romantic soul. I know for one how important it is that your in-laws are as important as the one you marry. Jacob is a nice man. He will like you. And if he doesn't then Sam will surely talk to him until he does love you."
"Well, thank you!" He took the ring back and put the box back in his pocket. "I better get going or someone might get suspicious."
Sam's Lab
The debriefing had been one of the shortest ones in debriefing history. General Hammond had agreed to a further exploration and research, and had ordered an extra team to be assigned to the job. He also aloud Daniel to get an art historian to the Base to study the paintings and the sculpture. Because there was nothing really scientific to the mission, Sam and Jason had left very quickly and were now working with soil samples brought back by SG-12.
"Sam?" Jason looked up from his papers. "Does your father know you have a boyfriend?"
"Not yet, he doesn't! But after tomorrow he'll know." She looked up at him and smiled. She was finally going to be able to introduce the love of her life to her father.
"Now why does that make me feel awfully nervous?" He looked back down to his papers but his attention was drawn back to his girlfriend as she continued the little conversation.
"Dad's a really nice man ... once you know him! He's not that bad to meet. But then again you're the enemy, ey honey!" Sam laughed at his face. He now looked between nervous and afraid.
"Right! How do I have to introduce myself? Like this!" Jason got up from his chair and started talking to an invisible man. "Hello Mr. Carter, I'm Captain Jason Thomas and your daughter's boyfriend!" Sam giggled.
"Jason, not that I want to make you even more nervous, but my Dad used to be a General in the United States Air Force." Jason's face dropped. "Poor guy! Come here!" Sam pulled him closer and kissed him. At once his sorrows disappeared and he deepened the kiss just so he could enjoy it longer. They broke apart the moment Janet entered the office and did the same as what the two of them had done when they had run into her kiss with Daniel.
"Turtledoves, sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner in the commissary unless you already had something to eat?" The two of them looked at each other and nodded. They followed Janet out, picked up Daniel and enjoyed a nice meal in the commissary.
Daniel's Office
The four friends had spend their entire evening in the commissary talking about everything and nothing and making fun until SG-5 had come back seriously injured after an ambush by the Goa'uld. Not really in the mood to continue their fun they had parted and went either back to work or to bed.
"Good morning, Daniel!" Apparently the man had worked all night as everywhere Jason could see empty cups of coffee were laying. He had knew he would work all night unraveling the mystery and therefore it hadn't been such a bad idea to bring a fresh cup of coffee and help him make some more progress. Jason didn't have anything to do and he had promised to help Daniel.
"Good morning? Is it morning already?" Jason nodded and handed him the cup of steaming coffee, which he gladly accepted.
"Your sweetheart will bring you breakfast in a minute." Daniel smiled. "So, made some progress?" Jason looked at the many books and papers that lay spread over the man's desk.
"Yes, but I still have some problems..." Janet interrupted them, bringing something to eat for Daniel. She didn't stay long as she had patients to take care of. "...Translating certain pieces."
"Well, let me have a look then!" Jason moved over to where Daniel was sitting and cast a glance upon the text in front of him. The two friends got soon lost in their work and totally lost track of time.
The alarm of gate-activation sounded in the hallways, pulling both men out of their little world of Italian wonders. Jason looked at his clock and paled a little, making Daniel smile as he too had heard the news of Jacob's visit.
"I think your `doom' has arrived." Daniel's smile broadened and he really enjoyed this moment of making fun with his friend. "I think it's best if you went to meet him and make a good first impression." Jason only nodded and left Daniel alone in his office. "Good luck, Captain Thomas!" Daniel stepped into the hallway laughing out loud but Jason turned around at the corner and looked back at his dear friend.
"Wait till you have to meet the in-laws! Then it will be my turn to laugh!" With that Jason disappeared behind the corner, leaving a frowning Daniel behind. Jason was right about that. He would one day have to meet Janet's parents. Oh my, that wasn't something to look forward to. And at once he felt sorry for Jason but on the other side he felt nervous even though it wouldn't be all too soon before he would meet his in-laws.
*Control & Gate Room*
Many people had wished him all the strength they could give him. The grapevine had worked through the night as well, or so it seemed. Jason met up with Sam right out of the control room. He felt nervous but he was going to make a very good first impression, or so he hoped.
"Hey honey, ready for the guillotine?" Sam made fun at him.
"I'd rather choose a quick death than a slow one." Sam smiled but turned serious when the Stargate activated and the Tok'ra IDC came through. Sam took Jason hand, gave it a little squeeze and then pulled him out into the gate room, as soon as Jacob stepped onto the ramp.
"Jacob, good to see you again!" General Hammond gave his old friend a handshake he wouldn't easily forget.
"Sam!" As soon as he noticed his daughter he walked over to her and gave her a friendly but loving hug. "And who's this?" Jacob looked at the young man, who entwined his fingers with those of his little girl.
"Hey Dad!" Jason felt his cheeks flush, as he was about to meet his future father-in-law, if Sam said yes to his proposal that was. "Dad, this is Captain Jason Thomas. He's my boyfriend." Jacob blinked a few times to the news Sam had just dropped on his head. His daughter had a boyfriend and she seemed to love him with all her heart.
"Nice meeting you, Sir!" Jason stretched his hand out and Jacob shook it lightly. "I have heard a lot about you, Sir!"
"No doubt you have! Too bad I can't say the same about you." Jason smiled faintly and suddenly wished someone needed his expertise ASAP in no matter what. He just wanted to get out as soon as possible, away from the man in front of him.
"Major Carter ... Captain Thomas, you both get a leave so you can spend some time with Jacob. I don't want to see any of you back on Base before 1900 hours! And that's an order!" General Hammond smiled and left them alone, retreating back in his office.
"Okay, let's go then!" Jason sounded a lot happier than he had intended to, knowing he didn't feel comfortable at all.
Colorado Springs
Sam had to stop by the grocery, as she wasn't exactly used on getting guests on such short notice. While she took care of some food, Jason took off with Jacob to get something to drink. Now that they were more or less on their own, Jacob started to ask Jason out.
"So Captain Thomas..." Jason turned to him. "Tell me something about yourself! And where exactly did you meet Sam?"
"I grew up in Belgium. My Dad is a Colonel in the US Army and he's currently stationed in Belgium, Kleine Brogel, guarding the nukes. I have a Ph. D. in both Archaeology and Astrophysics. I spend some time in England before coming to America and joining the Air Force. I've worked at the Pentagon before being reassigned to Cheyenne Mountain. I met your daughter at a party organized by General Hammond. Actually, to be quite honest, your daughter met me. She's a wonderful woman, Sir, and I really love her." Jason turned back to the shelves and looked around, searching for Sam. Seeing she wasn't even near them he picked the box with the ring out of his pocket and showed it to her father. "Sir, I would like to ask you for Sam's hand in marriage! I really love her and I can't imagine a life without her. It's really important to me that you too like me. I only want the best for Sammy." He quickly closed the box and put it back in his pocket, as he had spotted Sam coming their way.
Jacob sighed, "Let me think about, okay!"
"Hey honey, found something to drink?" Jason looked at Sam and grabbed a bottle of wine out of the shelf. They left the store and drove home in Jason's Beetle.
Sam's Place
As soon as they had gotten home Jason had opened the bottle of wine and they had set themselves down in the living room. Of course there was a lot to talk about and Jacob wanted to know all the new things on Base and on Earth.
"So, what's new?" Jacob looked at Jason, while he sat himself down next to Sam, who promptly rested her head on his shoulder.
"Well ... SG-1 is still the same. Daniel and Janet are finally dating." Sam giggled as she remembered the hard work she and Jason had done to get those two Doctors together. "We really had to help them on their way. It had become pretty pathetic to see them, constantly blushing and getting easily distracted. In Janet's case getting distracted isn't the right thing."
"She didn't hurt anyone, did she?" Jacob laughed out loud. He kind of hoped she had injected someone, preferably Jack, with some weird drug because she couldn't get her mind off Daniel.
"No, we don't think it got that far but it was close." Sam took a sip from her wine and sat herself a bit closer to Jason, feeling his heart beat in his chest she sighed happily. "How are the Tok'ra?"
"All is well with them. Not many Goa'uld are moving around so everything is rather quiet. That's why I could come for a visit. Anyway, how did you meet Jason? He told me you met him on a party in the SGC." Jacob steered the conversation back to the couple at hand.
"Yup, we did. I saw him standing at the door, all on his own and walked over to him. I was sold the moment I laid eyes on him."
"Same here, honey, same here!" Jason entwined his fingers with Sam's and kissed the top of her head.
"We started dating and now we're here, almost together for a year now. I think it was love at first sight." Sam was interrupted by a knock on the door. Jason got up and walked over to it. "Who's there, honey?"
"We are here!" Daniel's head appeared from behind the corner. Jason shuffled passed him, holding two large bags of what seemed to be ingredients for a huge dinner. Janet followed him, holding a smaller bag. "And we brought dinner!"
"And who's going to fix that huge dinner? You know I can't cook. Janet?" The other woman shook her head but smiled when Jason came back from the kitchen, taking the smaller bag from her arms.
"Jason will do the cooking! I heard he's quite the chef." Jason heard what was said and reappeared in the living room. "Isn't that right, Mr. Thomas?" Janet ducked behind Daniel's back as Jason lunged out to her.
"You little..." Daniel glared at Jason, warning him not to hurt his Doc.
"Jason?" Sam looked up at him from where she was still seated.
"Okay, I admit! I used to work in a restaurant in Belgium, in the weekends. And yes, I can cook pretty well I might add. I learned from the best. So, what did you two conspirators got me?"
"We brought you the recipe as well. I think Janet said coq-au-vin." Daniel handed Jason a piece of paper and smiled widely.
"Oh, that's my specialty!" Jason returned Daniel's smile and then disappeared into the kitchen, not to be seen again before dinner was ready and could be served.
Even though Sam now knew that Jason could cook, she was still surprised to taste his coq-au-vin. It sure was bliss for their taste. The three friends couldn't remember a time they had eaten anything like what Jason had just made them. Jacob was impressed and he was more and more certain that his daughter was in good hands. He didn't let it notice but he started to like the Captain sitting across from him, enjoying his glass of wine.
"So Janet, how did you know Jason could cook?"
"Through the grapevine, to be honest. Apparently one of my nurses had been a year in Belgium as an exchange student and she knew this American guy, who I may add resembled Jason a lot, who helped in a nice restaurant in some city called Louvain." Jason sighed but didn't take the smile of his face.
"I should have known my secret wouldn't be save for long. But now that you know I could start giving lessons to those who can't cook!" Sam playfully stomped him with her fist. "And those that can, could always use an update, especially when children are involved." Now it was Janet's turn to hit him over the head with her napkin.
"Don't you dare questioning my cooking abilities! I can make the best spaghetti in the galaxy, at least that's what Cassie tells me."
"Honey, you are as mean in your kitchen as you are in your infirmary!"
"Daniel!" Now the napkin flew the other way but Daniel ducked and it flew over his head onto the ground. The others started to laugh as the playful banter continued until it was time for the five friends to return to the Base.
Cheyenne Mountain
Driving back to the SGC had been quite nerve-racking to Jason as Jacob had been in his Beetle and Sam wasn't with him to save him if necessary. But the man had been his friendly self and they had talked a lot. When arriving in his usual parking spot at the mountain, Jacob stalled him.
"Jason, I still don't know much about you but I hope we can change that soon enough. My daughter really loves you and you love her back. I won't stop you from marrying her if she wants to. You have my blessing, son!" Jason smiled and shook the man's hand.
"Thank you, Sir! I'll take good care of your daughter, I promise!"
"You better or I know where to find you!" Jason's smile disappeared for a second but then it returned as he saw Sam waving at him. They walked up to her and the two lovebirds beside her, and continued their way into the mountain.
The Commissary
As soon as Jacob had left again, the two couples had gathered in the commissary. They weren't doing much, just sitting and drinking a cup of coffee. A radio was playing softly and a few Airmen were sitting in one of the corners. Nothing much happened until Jason suddenly heard the few first notes of the song that brought love to him. He got up and walked over to the radio and turned up the volume a little, allowing Celine Dion's voice to fill the room. Then he walked back to the table and stretched his hand out to Sam.
"Wanna dance?" She smiled and followed him to the center of the commissary where he pulled her close. The few Airmen and the two Doctors watched them as they slowly moved around. The song was halfway when Jason suddenly let go of Sam and dropped on one knee in front of her. Janet smiled, as she knew that Jason was going to pop the question. He picked the box once again out of his pocket, opened it and looked up at Sam. "Will you marry me?" Sam looked down on him and blinked a few times. She wasn't dreaming. Jason was really sitting in front of her, holding an engagement ring.
"Yes!" Jason smiled and placed the ring around her finger. He picked her up in a big embrace and kissed her. The Airmen in the corner started to cheer and the two Doctors were the first to congratulate the happy couple.
"What's going on in here?" Jack stood in the doorway and at once all went silent. The air tensed and if someone had dropped a needle they would have surely heard it touch the ground. Daniel looked at Janet and pulled her close, while Jason did the same with Sam. "Captain Thomas, having a party?" The Colonel looked from one to the other and his eyes rested long on his 2IC's face. "And I'm not invited?" Still no one dared to move or make a sound.
"Jason and I are engaged." It sounded weird but Sam surely liked the sound to it. Her CO looked from his 2IC to the man she was going to marry. Jealousy raged in his body and he lost control there and then. He pushed Carter aside and grabbed Jason by his collar and threw him against the wall.
"You son of a bitch!" He smacked Jason in the face and dropped him to the ground, leaving him with a bloody nose. But Jack, or the raging jealousy for that matter, wasn't done with him yet. Sitting on top of Jason he kept hitting him. Jason shielded his face with his arms but the Colonel was having a certain advantage over him.
"Somebody please help him!" Sam was lying on the floor. When O'Neill had pushed her aside she had hit one of the tables with her head, leaving her with a small gash. The Airmen in the corner finally found their breaths back and soon they were holding a raging Jack. Security was called and soon Hammond marched into the commissary. Without thinking twice he ordered them to take Jack to the brig. He risked suspension for attacking fellow officers but the worst thing was that he had hurt Carter both mentally and physically. Both Sam and Jason were taken to the infirmary to be patched up and where they could continue celebrating their engagement, albeit less cheerful.
Three weeks later
Gate Room
Jason stood staring at the Gate. The last few weeks had been bliss for the newly engaged couple. He and Sam had gone on a short romantic holiday right after Colonel O'Neill had apologized for his somewhat jealous behavior. They hadn't filed a complaint against him, because Sam didn't want to tear SG-1 apart, but instead he had been suspended for the last three weeks. And now he was back and on a mission with his team. They had left 2 days ago and were not due back until the next day. SG-9 had been assigned to visit this strange planet where weird plants were growing. The UAV hadn't shown any inhabitants in the neighborhood of the Gate so they didn't have to worry whether they would be hostile or not. The opening wormhole brought Jason back to Earth, and out of his reverie, and he followed his team members through the Stargate's event-horizon.
P2X-311
As soon as they stepped onto P2X-311 they could witness a clear blue sky any of them had ever seen and a vast green field filled with the strangest flowers and bushes. All colors were there, blue and yellow flowers in between red and purple bushes, mixed with deep green grass and pink leafs coming from yellow trees. SG-9 was in total wonder for what they saw and in that time they hadn't heard the strange buzzing coming from somewhere over the field. Lt. Aguilera was the first to notice something wasn't right. She turned around and listened intently until she had found the right direction of which the sound came. Major O'Brien looked at his Lieutenant's strange behavior and frowned.
"Lt. Aguilera, something wrong?" The woman looked at her CO and vaguely nodded.
"There's a strange buzzing coming our way, Sir. Can't you hear it?" The rest of SG-9 turned the same way as their Lt. and listened intently. And then all hell broke loose as they were suddenly attacked by a whole bunch of bees the size of a 3510i Nokia mobile flew over them, paused mid-air and then turned, coming straight for SG-9.
"They're coming straight at us! Captain, dial us out of here!" Jason ran back to the DHD, feeling the bees getting closer and closer, and started dialing out. As soon as the Gate opened and Lt. Gates had sent their IDC they jumped through not waiting for the bees to get to them first.
*Control & Gate Room*
Lt. Simmons was staring at his screen. He was bored and he actually didn't want to be sitting behind the computer at that moment but Sergeant Davis had called in sick and so he had no other choice. He felt sad too as he had heard Major Carter was engaged with Captain Thomas. He envied the guy but he felt no jealousy like Colonel O'Neill had felt, and therefore he had already congratulated the couple. He had even gotten a kiss on the cheek from Sam and that was more than he could ever dream off. He had gone straight to Janet and had told her all about it. She had smiled and of course she had told everything to Daniel, who in turn had told it to Sam. Graham sighed heavily and shifted again on his chair, still staring at the analysis the computer was running at the moment. But not much later he almost fell off his chair when the Gate started to turn. There wasn't a team scheduled to come so that could only mean trouble and he really hoped it wouldn't be SG-1 because then he would loose 25$ in a bet with Sergeant Siler.
"Lieutenant, what's going on?" General Hammond had come running out of his office as soon as he had heard the alarm.
"Unscheduled incoming wormhole, Sir!" Simmons closed the iris as was procedure and waited for a possible IDC-code. "It's SG-9, Sir!" The iris was opened again and it wasn't a minute too soon as the four members of SG-9 came flying onto the ramp.
"Close the iris! Close it!" Major O'Brien yelled to Simmons in the gate room, who didn't think another second and closed the door behind SG-9.
"Call for a medical team!" General Hammond rushed into the gate room and heard the last thuds of bees that squished themselves against the iris. "Major O'Brien, what's going on?"
"Killer bees the size of a Nokia, Sir!" Doctor Fraiser rushed into the gate room with her medical team following closely. She ordered them all to the infirmary where they were subjected to all the tests she could think of. And so it was that only an hour or two later they were aloud to leave. General Hammond requested an immediate debriefing.
Briefing Room
SG-9 looked around, as they still seemed to feel the bees coming after them. Lt. Aguilera had been in bit of shock as she was terrified of bees after being stung by one as a kid. Jason had comforted his teammate but it hadn't been easy.
"So Major, what did you see on P2X-311?" O'Brien looked at General Hammond and told him about the strange plants and trees, and the weird use of colors as if some painter had had some fun instead of drawing like he saw it in front of him. He told him how he had found Lt. Aguilera turning around as if searching for something.
"And then they came, Sir, those killer bees. They attacked us and we had to make a dash through the Stargate, if we wanted to make it out alive. They were the size of a mobile." O'Brien looked at his teammates and he just knew they had escaped from hell. SG-9 definitely needed some serious leave and someone to talk to or else they were going to have nightmares and a new phobia to deal with.
"Captain Thomas, are you alright?" General Hammond looked at the Captain, who had just lost his jacket. He noticed the man was sweating a bit.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just so hot in here." Jason smiled as he poured himself a glass of water and drank it at once. General Hammond frowned and looked from Jason to Dr. Fraiser.
"It isn't hot in here, Jason." Fraiser got up and walked around the table, placing her hand on his forehead. "You have a fever. I think you should get to the infirmary right now, Captain." Jason nodded and got up from his chair. He started to regret that movement soon enough as the room started to turn faster and faster. He heard a voice coming from far away asking him if he was feeling all right and then everything went black.
The Infirmary
Jason was running a dangerously high fever. He was delirious and getting his fever down was an almost inconceivable thing to do. Dr. Fraiser was standing next to his bedside when General Hammond entered the room.
"How is he?" Hammond looked down on the Captain and already knew that it wasn't going the right way.
"Not good, Sir. Apparently one of those bees has stung him and injected a poison into his system that I have never seen before." Janet looked down to her hands. "I really have no idea what to do, Sir. You'd better call Sam back because this isn't looking too good." Hammond nodded and looked at Jason once again. The Captain was talking gibberish to someone who wasn't really there. Then he fell silent again and seemed to have fallen into a restless sleep.
"I'll be in my office. If there is any change, good or bad, then notify me immediately!" Janet nodded and Hammond left.
General Hammond's Office
As soon as Hammond was back in his office he sent for Colonel Ferretti. He knew the news would devastate Sam and he really hoped that Jack wouldn't be a total pain now that Carter might be needing all the support she could get.
"General, Sir, you requested my presence?" Ferretti stood in the doorway and looked at his CO. He had heard of SG-9's hasty return and hoped that this had nothing to do with that.
"Yes Colonel!" Hammond briefly looked at the little jet, standing on his desk and then looked up at Ferretti. "You heard of SG-9's hasty return. Captain Thomas has been stung by one of those bees and has fallen gravely ill. Doctor Fraiser doesn't think he'll make it and therefore I have to call Major Carter back. Your team is to go through the Gate and relieve SG-1. You and your team will be leaving within the hour."
"Yes Sir!" Colonel Ferretti nodded and left the office to gather his team and to get ready for their mission. His hopes had been in vein. The good Captain was in trouble and there was nothing that could help him. He really hated these kinds of missions but he had to go cause Sam had the right to be with him until the last minute.
P2X-124
As soon as the Stargate on P2X-124 had burst to life SG-1 had taken cover because you never knew what was going to come through, friend or foe. When they saw Ferretti's team come through they came out of hiding and greeted them.
"Colonel Ferretti, what an honor to have you here!" Colonel O'Neill shook the hand of his colleague. "But I bet you dialed the wrong address! One team on this god forsaken planet is more than enough, believe me!"
"Sir, we're here to relieve you of your mission." Ferretti turned to Carter. "SG-1 has to return to Base at once."
"What do you mean?" O'Neill looked the man staring at his 2IC.
"SG-9's mission was cut short. They were attacked by killer bees and apparently one stung Captain Thomas. He has fallen gravely ill. Doctor Fraiser..." Ferretti didn't get the chance to finish his explanation as Sam started to gather her things at once and ran over to the DHD, dialing home at once.
"Daniel ... Teal'c, time to go home!" Carter's teammates joined her at the DHD but O'Neill stayed behind, not intending to follow his friends home.
"O'Neill, are you not coming?" Teal'c looked back as he noticed that the Colonel hadn't joined them.
"No, I want to finish this job before I go home. There's probably nothing we can do at the base but wait. You know Fraiser, always overreacting and in the end nothing's wrong!" Daniel glared at Jack as he heard him talk like that about Janet.
"Sir?" Sam was confused to see that her CO wasn't going home with them. She though he had changed after he had apologized for what happened in the commissary three weeks before but she realized that he hadn't. He was still jealous and he would never like Jason. She turned back to the Gate, tears starting to make their way down. "Jerk!"
*Control & Gate Room*
General Hammond had been pacing the control room until finally the Stargate had burst to life and three members of SG-1 stepped onto the ramp. He wasn't all too surprised that Colonel O'Neill wasn't with them. The moment he walked in Sam ran out of the gate room, as she had dropped everything she was carrying at once, going straight to the infirmary.
"Dr. Jackson, where's Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond saw the pain in the two man's faces. It hurt them that in times like these Jack abandoned his kids.
"He did not wish to come back with us, Sir." Teal'c answered instead of Daniel, who didn't seem to care the older man wasn't there with them. Hammond just knew from the way the archaeologist looked that his 2IC had made some remark about Doctor Fraiser.
"Sir, how's Jason?" At last Daniel looked at him. General Hammond's face turned grim and all he did was shake his head.
"He's running a high fever and Dr. Fraiser doesn't know what to do. His situation is getting worse every hour." Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other and at once left the gate room. They needed to be with their friends, now more than ever.
The Infirmary
Sam had run as fast as she could to be with her fianc as soon as possible. Dr. Fraiser had stopped her before she had the chance to see Jason.
"Whoa Sam, not so fast! Let me explain first what's going on with Jason." Dr. Fraiser pushed Sam in the nearest room and sat her down, taking a chair herself. Taking Sam's hands in hers she finally looked her straight in the face. "I'm going to be honest with you, Sam, I'm afraid it's not looking too good ... I'm so sorry."
"Please don't say that, Janet!" Tears were rolling down her cheeks and falling on their combined hands. Pulling back her hands she stood up shakily and walked over to the door. "Can I see him?"
"I don't think..."
"Please Janet, I have to see him!" She had a pleading look on her face that Janet couldn't resist in a million years, even if she had wanted to.
"Alright, but..." Her speech was in vain since Sam was already running to the bedside of her fianc. Upon seeing him lying there covered in ice-blankets she slowed her pace in shock.
"Oh God Jason!" Closing the remaining distance she took his hand in hers and placed a gentle kiss on it, tears falling on his hand while doing so. "Please don't leave me, Jason! I need you, now more than ever!" She placed herself next to him on the bed and put her head on his shoulder. Silent sobs racked her body as she cried herself asleep in his arms. In the doorway two figures were silently taking in the scene before them.
"This can't be happening, not when they both finally found some happiness, damn it Teal'c, he can't die, he doesn't deserve this and neither does Sam!"
"I concur Daniel Jackson, but perhaps his time has come."
"Maybe, but we will be left to pick up the pieces Teal'c and from what I'm seeing there are going to be a lot of pieces to pick up." Janet had joined them and motioned for them to sit on a bed so she could do the post mission exams. "Janet, tell me he's going to be okay."
"You don't know how much I want to tell you that Daniel, how much I want to tell that to Sam, but ... I can't." Daniel could see some tears forming at the back of her eyes but she quickly blinked them away hoping no one had noticed. The rest of the exam was conducted in silence and when they were finished Janet left the two of them to go check on Jason and Sam. Seeing them together just broke her heart but in the back of her mind she knew there was nothing she could do to save him. All she could do was make him as comfortable as possible and prepare Sam for his last moments. "Sam, sweetie, wake up." When she didn't respond she put a hand on her shoulder to give her a gentle tug.
"NO!" Sam jerked her head up and nearly fell of the small bed. If it hadn't been for Janet to catch her she would have fallen. Holding her in a strong embrace Janet put Sam on her feet again.
"It's going to be okay, sweetie!" Moving out of Janet's embrace she walked to the other side of the bed.
"How Janet, how is it going to be okay? You know what, Janet, this is all just a dream and if I wake up all of this will disappear and we will get married and..."
"SAM! Stop it! This is not a dream and you know it, now face it!" Daniel and Teal'c who were still in the infirmary overheard the shouting-match and walked over to the two women.
"What the hell is going on here?" Daniel walked over to Sam, who sank to the floor crying her heart out. Daniel picked her up and placed her on the next bed. When he turned around to say something to Janet he saw how Jason's eyelashes slowly fluttered open. "Oh my God Janet, I think he's waking up!" Janet rushed over to his bedside and immediately started checking his vitals.
"Sam?" His voice was a mere whisper but everybody clearly understood the name he had just spoken. Climbing of the bed Daniel had put her on, she slowly approached the bed. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"Jason?"
"I'm right over here Sammie, being pestered by the good Doc here." He sounded as if he was just having a post-mission. Looking at Janet Sam got the confirmation she needed, he was having his last moment of clarity and when that moment would end it would only go downhill from there. She had heard about it but she never thought that would actually happen to her fianc.
"Guys, I think it's best if we leave them alone for now." Pushing the two men out Janet closed the curtain around the bed, ran over to the nearest chair and broke down right there and then.
"Honey?" Daniel pulled her in an embrace, which she eagerly accepted.
"He's dying, isn't he?" When he felt the silent nod she gave him he just hugged her tighter. "Teal'c, make sure that nobody disturbs them and please call the General."
"I will Daniel Jackson." He moved over to the phone and made the call everybody in the infirmary was dreading to make. It took the General only a few minutes to run to the infirmary and when he entered it he was immediately taken aback at what he saw. Some nurses were standing in a corner quietly talking to one another, clearly about what was happening behind the curtain. In the other corner he found Daniel holding a crying Doctor and in the middle of the room was a stoic Teal'c standing guard.
"Oh my God!" He just stood there taking in the scene before him. He had never seen so many people so devastated. "Am I too late, Teal'c?"
"You are not, but I am under strict orders not to let anyone pass."
"I see." Taking a seat he sat there waiting just like all the others in the room.
In the meantime Sam and Jason were quietly talking about all kinds of things. She tried to hold herself together but the more they talked the harder it became. In the end she just couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore.
"Hey, what are those for?"
"Because..." He looked at her with those puppy-dog eyes and that made her even cry harder.
"Hey ... hey Sammy, I'm okay now, you're not going to lose me!" She could see that he too was holding up a brave front. She could even see it in his eyes that he knew what was happening to him.
"Cut the crap Jason, we both know what's going on here."
"I know Sam, but please let us pretend that it isn't going to happen, ok?" He looked at her intently and all she could do was nod her consent. "Come here!" He pulled her on the bed and into his strong arms. Once again she put her head on his chest, hoping to hear his heartbeat one more time. Both of them were crying now. "I'll always be with you, Sam, I'm never going to leave you!" He whispered some more incoherent words in her ear, just to make her feel better.
"You'll always be in my heart, Jason."
"I just feel so bad that I'm leaving you behind alone on this planet. I always thought that when my time came I could leave you to the care of some family." He gave her a wink that spoke volumes.
"You are Jason, you are."
"I know that you have great friends whom you see as family but that's not exactly what I meant Sam."
"I know what you meant Jason and ... you are leaving me with family." Looking him directly in the face she could see the confusion written all over his face.
"Well now you've completely lost me!"
"Jason, I ... I have something to tell you."
"You do?"
"Yeah."
"Well tell me then, or are you going to wait until I'm dead here?"
"That's not funny Jason."
"Sorry sweetie, please continue." Once again tears started to make their way down her face. He gently wiped them away with his fingertips.
"You're going to be a Daddy, Jason!" He looked at her with shock and then he just started to laugh.
"Oh my God Sam! You're kidding me right? You're just saying this to make me feel better, aren't you?" Seeing the expression on her face he decided that she wasn't making this up. All he could do was pull her into a hug and kiss her for all she was worth. And she was worth a lot, he decided when the kiss ended. Looking down at her stomach he placed a loving hand over their baby. "Be good to your mom, little buddy!"
"Don't do this Jason ... please don't do this!"
"Do what?"
"Saying goodbye! You can't say goodbye yet! I need you here with me, with our baby. You still need to teach our baby to catch a good ball and all the stuff Daddies do with their kids!"
"I know, God I know. I love you Sam and I love our baby!" Both of them were crying again but that didn't bother them. "I'll be watching you both!" He took his fiance in his arms and rocked her slowly back and forth. After a while Sam heard him taking in a sharp breath.
"Jason?" Panic was written all over her face.
"It's time Sam, get the others. I'd like to say goodbye to them as well." Sliding from his arms she pulled back the curtains to let the others know that it was time. Upon seeing the curtain opening all of them jumped up from their respective seats and ran over to Jason's bedside. "Hey!" He eyed them all, seeing that not one of his friends was missing; he all gave them a small nod. "You'll probably already know that I'm dying here so we can skip that bit, but I just wanted to say that it was an honor serving with you all. You've all been great friends from the beginning till the end and I appreciate that. I'm not going to say goodbye, I'm just going to say..." Once again he shut his eyes to make the pain go away. "See you on the other side!" Looking over at Daniel and Teal'c he motioned for them to come closer.
"What's up, pal?"
"The sky!" While all the rest chuckled at his attempt at humor Jason spoke a few words to the two men. "Take care of my family guys, they're gonna need ya!" If they were confused about his last words they weren't showing it. "Love you, Samantha Carter!" She took his hand, which pulled her close for one last kiss.
"Love you too, Jason Thomas." She felt his hand slowly going limp in hers. When she looked up at his face she saw the one thing that she had dreaded from the beginning. He was dead. Daniel slowly moved over to Sam and pulled her into a hug. She lost herself in his arms, she felt so empty inside now that he was gone. Janet pulled the sheet over his head and started to get everybody out of the room so she could give Sam some last private minutes with her deceased fianc. All had been so caught up in their grief that they hadn't heard the alerts for an incoming wormhole. It had been Colonel O'Neill and the rest of the team that were coming back from the mission Sam would never forget. After being informed that the General had been called to the infirmary he decided to go see what was so important over there. When he entered the infirmary he was greeted with a rather odd scene. The General was talking to the leader of SG-9 in a voice thick of emotions; Janet was curled up in Daniel's lap and was once again crying. Nurses were scattered trough the room, doing all sorts of trivial stuff, just to keep themselves busy.
"Did somebody die in here or what?" All of a sudden he was the center of attention. "Just checking! Because you people look like hell." Janet got up from her place, walked over to the Colonel and just slapped him right in the face.
"You're the most insensitive person I've ever met!" `What the hell!' was all he could say before he saw Sam coming from behind the curtain, her face covered in tears, arms clutched to her stomach. With one look from her he realized what a jerk he had been.
Air Force-Cemetery
Snow was falling and a cold wind blew over the graveyard. The mourners had gathered together around the coffin. The Stars and Stripes was neatly draped, and flowers were lying next to the coffin. The family of the deceased was sitting on the right side and the friends on the left. Among them were Daniel, Janet, Teal'c and a few others who had had the honors of working together with him. Sam was sitting on the right, tears running down her face. Jacob tried really hard to comfort his daughter but it was hard. She had really loved him and he hadn't seen her that happy in a long time. They had made a special tombstone for him: `You'll be in our hearts forever'.
The priest ended his prayers, while four Airmen folded the flag and gave it to the man's family. It was over. He was now really gone. The people who had attended the funeral started to leave the cemetery, leaving five friends behind.
"I loved him so much, Dad!" Sam buried her face in her father's shoulder. He looked at Daniel, who was holding a crying Janet in much the same way, and Teal'c, who seemed to be as stoic as ever but a closer look on his face betrayed the sadness he felt with this loss.
"I know, Sam! I know! He was a wonderful guy and we will miss him." Jacob held his daughter in his arms and soothed her gently with sweet gentle words.
"Yeah, he sure was a great guy. You know, I will never forget when we played that prank on him." Daniel looked at his friends. "The one where we placed that bucket of water on his door. He was soaked but he kept smiling like a complete idiot." Daniel chuckled slightly as he remembered his friend's face. They had gotten it back tenfold but they had had their fun with him.
"Yeah, I think that security-tape made it into the Top 10 of Best Pranks On Base Personnel." Janet smiled as she mostly remembered the cold he got from the prank. "I miss him, Daniel!" She sighed and leaned her head back against Daniel's chest. She felt so sorry for her best friend. `Why did it have to end like this? They were about to get married. She was so happy.' Teal'c didn't say much, as he had lost a dear friend.
From behind a tree a lone figure was taking in the scene before him, praying to the Gods that one day his team members would forgive him for what he had done to them.
* The End *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
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