Through His Eyes
Through His Eyes
by Airam
Summary: This is about Sam dealing with what she shared with Orlin after Ascension. This deviates from the show!
Category: Drama
Episode Related: 503 Ascension
Season: Season 5
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: 13+
Warnings: minor language
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: 2005-02-04
This takes place immediately after Ascension in Season Five. I always felt Sam would have been affected by what she shared with Orlin, this is that story. It will deviate from Canon! So those of you who want Sam and Jack together, this is your story!
----
The briefing had been long; over six hours had passed since she'd returned from 636, what the former inhabitants had called Velona. She'd answered their questions curtly and unemotionally; she just wanted to get out of there.
As the debriefing was winding down General Hammond noticed that Major Samantha Carter's distraction and agitation was increasing. When all their questions had been answered he spoke, "If there aren't any more questions..." When no one spoke up he closed the meeting, "Thank you everyone... Major Carter, I want you to take the rest of the week off, I'll see you Monday morning."
A grateful Sam looked up, "Thank you sir."
General Hammond rose from his chair and those seated at the table followed his actions, "That'll be all... Colonel O'Neill, I'd like to see you in my office."
Jack O'Neill replied, "Yes sir," before turning and watching his second in command leave the conference room without looking at any of their teammates. Jack then looked over at Daniel Jackson and Teal'c hoping they would know what was wrong with Sam. Daniel shrugged his shoulders while Teal'c looked at him with his ever-present impassive face. As the pair walked out Jack turned and headed to Hammond's adjoining office. "Sir?"
"Colonel, did you really authorize Major Carter to continue having contact with the alien without reporting it to the SGC?"
"Sort of sir, she asked me if she should hypothetically try and gather more information... I thought she was losing it at the time sir."
Hammond sat down and looked at the file in front of him, "I see... Colonel I want you to take one of our security teams over to the Major's home. Make sure there aren't any more monitoring devices there."
"Yes sir. I'll head over there with her."
"Good..." he cautiously spoke. He contemplated Carter's behavior from the debriefing before making one final request of SG-1's team leader, "I'm concerned about the Major's behavior, Colonel. I'd like for you and the rest of SG-1 to keep an eye on her over the weekend. SG-1 will be on down time until Monday morning."
"Thank you sir. We'll make sure she's okay," he added regretting that they had already let her down.
"Thank you Colonel. I'll see you Monday morning."
"Yes sir, and have a good weekend," he wished the base commander before leaving to find the rest of his team. He stopped in the conference room to call base security and arrange for one of their teams to meet him at the Major's home in an hour. Once he'd finished, he headed to the elevators where he found Daniel and Teal'c, "Where's Carter?"
Daniel and Teal'c shared a look before the archaeologist answered, "She, uh, caught the previous ride... she apparently doesn't want to speak to us..."
Jack looked at the elevator doors and then his friends, "Great... We're on down time until Monday morning... The General wants us to keep an eye on Carter."
Daniel looked down as the elevator doors opened and he walked in, "The way we haven't the past few weeks," he commented quietly.
Jack and Teal'c just looked at Daniel as they considered their own failings to their teammate and friend.
The three stopped at Sam's on-base quarters to look for her, however she hadn't been by. They then headed to her laboratory knowing that that was where Sam liked to escape. But they didn't find her there either... This confused them, it was almost two in the morning and there weren't many places she could have gone to. Jack picked up the phone and called the infirmary, but they hadn't seen her either. He dialed the front gate next, "Has Major Carter left the base? ... Thank you Sergeant." Jack replaced the receiver and looked at his friends, "She left fifteen minutes ago... Come on let's head over there."
Daniel looked up, "Are you sure that's a good idea? ... It seems like she doesn't really want to talk to us right now," he pointed out.
"Too bad... I have to head over there anyways with a security team to sweep the house... You guys can come or not," he told them.
Twenty minutes later they pulled up to Sam's house. "Her car's not here," Daniel pointed out as they walked up to her house.
"Yeah," Jack sighed as he approached a Marine heading into the house. "Who's in charge of crating all this stuff up?"
"Major Davis sir. He's down in the basement right now sir."
SG-1 followed the Marine into the house and down into the basement where they found Major Davis, "Davis, you seen Carter?"
Major Davis looked up from the inventory list he held in his hands, "Colonel! Yeah, she was here fifteen-twenty minutes ago."
"Is she still here?" Daniel asked.
"I don't think so... She had a bag in her hand and she just came down to get her jacket."
"Did she say where she was going?" Jack asked.
"No sir, and I didn't ask."
"Great," he replied as he led Daniel and Teal'c to Sam's kitchen area.
"Jack, she obviously doesn't want to talk to us... Let's give her some space right now, we can stop by tomorrow," Daniel suggested.
Jack looked around the kitchen, "Yeah... you guys take off then. I gotta stick around and wait for the security team to show up..."
----
Late Friday afternoon Sam's home
Jack pulled up in his truck and was pleased to see Sam's car sitting in front of her house. He and Daniel had tried calling but with no success. On a whim he had driven to her house. He jogged up the front steps and rang the doorbell. He impatiently waited five seconds before knocking on the door. He waited another five seconds before ringing the doorbell repeatedly and then trying to look through her windows. After several more attempts he walked around the house and came to the conclusion that she wasn't home. Instead of leaving he sat down on her porch steps and waited for her to show up.
After forty-five minutes, Jack gave up on waiting so he got up and headed to his truck. He was passing in front of his truck when he saw Sam walking in the park across the street. He dashed across the street and ran up to meet her, "Carter!" he called out when he was ten feet in front of her.
Sam stopped in her tracks and looked up from the ground that she had been intently looking at and she looked at her CO with a blank face. Once she registered who was in front of her, she continued walking without looking at him, "Sir."
O'Neill stood still as she walked past him, dumbfounded by her lack of reaction. He chased after her, "Carter, what's going on?"
"I'm going home."
"You know what I mean, where've you been? We've been worried about you!" he explained to her as they crossed the street.
When they reached the sidewalk in front of her home she stopped and looked at her CO. When she did speak it was filled with sadness and bitterness, "Worried that I might be going crazy?" Her response floored Jack who was speechless and ashamed with himself as he looked at the ground. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone. Goodnight sir." She didn't wait for a response as she turned and headed inside.
----
Saturday Afternoon Sam's house
Daniel was walking up the porch steps when the front door to her house opened. "Sam," he exclaimed excited to see her.
Sam looked at him as she stepped out of the house and turned to lock her door, "Daniel," she quietly replied.
"Where you off to?"
"A walk," she told him as she came down the steps.
Daniel followed her and walked beside her, "Mind if I join you?"
Sam shrugged her shoulders as she continued walking to the park across the street. "It's a free country."
Daniel sensed Sam's unwillingness to talk and so restrained himself from asking her any questions. They walked in silence for thirty minutes before they arrived at a park bench looking down on a playground. After another fifteen minutes of silence, his curiosity got the better of him, "Sam, is everything okay?"
Sam sat in silence considering an answer before she let out a hysterical laugh. "No Daniel, everything is not okay!" she told him through laughs. "I mean, why would everything be okay?" She then continued in an unbelieving whisper, "I've been host to a Tok'ra symbiote, had that symbiote die within me, had an artificially intelligent virus take over my mind, been chased by the Goa'uld for over four years, cheated death who knows how many times, and just recently my teammates, the people I trust my life with, thought I was crazy when I told them an alien was at my home... why wouldn't everything be okay Daniel?" she asked him, her voice filled with contempt.
Daniel looked over at her and didn't know how to respond to her sudden outburst, he'd never seen her lose her cool this way. At Daniel's silence Sam just shook her head before standing up to leave. As she was about to step away Daniel reached up for her hand, "Sam, what happened with that alien?"
Sam looked up at the sky momentarily before looking back at her friend, "I saw me... I saw me through someone else's eyes."
She then released her hand and continued on with her walk leaving a concerned Daniel sitting on the bench alone.
----
Sunday Afternoon A park
"Sam!" a voice happily cried out.
Sam looked up at the sound of her name. When she looked around she found herself in the center of the park's plaza. She looked to one side of the plaza that was filled with tables with pairs of people sitting across from each other over a chess board. She finally located the source of the voice, and for the first time that weekend, let a small smile cross her face. "Jason!" she exclaimed as she walked over to meet him and give him a hug.
As Jason wrapped his arms around Sam he noticed the tension in her body as she held onto him longer than normal. "How are you? I've been trying to call you all weekend," he told her as he led her over to the table where he was involved in a match.
Sam sheepishly answered, "Yeah, sorry about that. I haven't been in the mood to talk..." she told him as she sat down. She looked at Jason's challenger and she let another genuine smile appear on her face, "Hey Mr. Parker."
"Hello Samantha," the older gentleman replied as he barely looked up to acknowledge her as he continued to study the board.
Jason looked over at Sam, "What's wrong? Trying to avoid your coworkers?"
"Yeah," she answered as she gave him a look letting him know that she couldn't talk about it where they were.
"I see," he replied as he looked at her before watching Mr. Parker make his move.
"Check."
Jason looked down at the board quickly and made his next move, "Want to play a game when I've finished this game? That is, of course, if Mr. Parker here doesn't mind letting us use his set," he smiled as he raised his hand and indicated the man across from him.
Mr. Parker spoke up, "I don't know how they do it where you're from, but here the winner stays."
Sam analyzed the board and saw what Jason saw and couldn't help but smile, which she didn't bother hiding from the older man. "What's got you all amused?" he asked her as he made his move.
Sam looked over at Jason who smiled back and gave her a small nod. "Mr. Parker, he has checkmate in three moves," she told him as Jason again quickly made his next move.
The old man stole a quick glance up at the pair across from him before returning his attention to the board and trying to see what they could both see and he could not. After a few moments he saw what they were referring to. "Well I'll be..." a dumbfounded Mr. Parker told them.
"Don't worry Mr. Parker, he's pulled that one on me at least five times," she told him as he laid down his king. "Jason's actually the one who taught me how to play."
An hour later, Sam and Jason got up from their table and thanked Mr. Parker for the use of his board and hospitality. As they walked away Sam got the first question in, "So what brings you to Colorado Springs Jason?"
He answered her quietly and somberly, "I brought Katie over for a visit with Maria's parents."
"I forgot they lived here..." she told him. "How are you holding up?"
Jason shrugged his shoulders as he answered, "There are good days and bad days... I really miss her," he told her as the tears started to form in his eyes.
Sam stopped and offered him a comforting hug that he gladly accepted. She didn't say anything to her friend, there were no words that could comfort him. When they released their hold on each other Sam made a suggestion, "Let's go have a cup of coffee at my place."
"Yeah, that sounds nice." Several cups of coffee later, Jason asked Sam a question, "Sam, what's on your mind?"
She looked up, trying to act as if she didn't know what he was talking about, "Nothing."
"Come on Sam, I've known you too long to know when you've got something on your mind."
Sam looked at her friend, grateful for his presence as she finally decided to talk to someone about what had happened to her. "I've been thinking about my life... and where I am in my life."
"Why the deep reflection? Something happen?"
"Yeah... I can't tell you too much because of my work."
Jason smiled, "I know you're in some pretty classified stuff... so be general if you want... That is, if the scientist in you can be general," he added lightly which brought a small smile to Sam's lips.
"Well I met someone a few weeks ago that shouldn't be here. When I told my coworkers about it they thought I was crazy." Sam noticed the confused and questioning look on Jason's face.
"What do you mean by someone who shouldn't be here? Like a ghost?" Jason noted the distraught look on Sam's face, "Never mind, it doesn't matter... go on."
She let out a sigh of relief as he absolved her of trying to explain that the person she saw was an alien, "Anyways, this guy told me a lot of things, including some stuff on something I was researching. After hearing what he had to say about it, I recommended they not go forward with the experiment. But they did anyways. This guy stopped the experiment from becoming a terrible disaster, but he was killed in the process... Before that he showed me who he was, and I... I saw me through his eyes..."
As Jason listened to Sam he could detect the insecurity she felt, "What did he see?"
"Someone who lived in the world of science and was afraid to take a leap of faith... Someone who had exiled her heart... Who knew what she wanted, but hid behind the regulations because it was safe... Someone who knew a lot of pain and heartache, yet still had a good heart... He saw someone who still had hope..."
"Was he right?" he asked her after a few moments of silence.
During the few days of analyzing her life after Orlin's death, she had come to terms with what he saw, "Yeah, he was... I saw how lonely he had been and I don't want that for me..."
Jason detected her hesitation, "But...?"
"But I love my work and it's really important," she told him. "Do you ever regret resigning your commission?" she finally asked him, hoping that it wouldn't cause him too much pain to talk about the circumstances surrounding his resignation.
Jason looked down as he considered his answer, "No, because what I got in return was more important... besides I didn't really like my work..." He then considered who Sam was and what she was going through now, "Look Sam, don't make a decision where you feel you're sacrificing something. I know you love the work that you do and the people you work with. You're a smart woman Sam... you'll find the balance if you want to. At least now you know what you want... The question is what are you going to do about it?"
Sam listened to his words and realized that she still had some work to do. She gave him a small smile, "The doctor is still working on that one."
"Yeah, well don't wait too long Sam," he told her as he recalled his own life with Maria. As he looked down he read the time on his wristwatch, "God, it's almost seven!"
Sam looked at her own watch startled by Jason's sudden animation as he stood up, "Do you have to be somewhere?"
"Yeah, I'm having dinner with Katie and her grandparents tonight before we have to catch our flight back to D.C." he told her as they headed to the door. He continued to speak as he opened the door, "I had a nice time today Sam. I'm- oh!" he exclaimed as he saw someone come up the steps.
Sam recognized her visitor and her shock was evident, "Sir?!"
Jason looked from Sam to the visitor, who appeared to be equally surprised, and recognized him from her description. "You must be Colonel O'Neill," he said as he extended his hand.
Jack accepted the hand as his gaze raced between Sam and her visitor, "Yeah, and you are?"
"Jason Barnes. Sam's told me a lot about you," he told him warmly.
Jack's own mind and thoughts were conflicting with the warm reception he was receiving, "She has, has she?"
Jason smiled as he looked back at Sam, "Yeah..." He then wrapped his arms around Sam and gave her a hug that she warmly returned. Jason whispered in her ear, "I had a great time today Sam, thanks."
"Me too," she whispered back.
Jason whispered one last thing in her ear before releasing her, "Remember, the question is what are you going to do about it?" he told her as he let on that he knew about her more than professional feelings for her CO. He then pulled away and spoke normally, "Well I gotta go, but, hey, next time Sam, answer your phone," he told her as he kissed her on the cheek.
"I will," she told him with a smile.
"Colonel, it was nice meeting you," he told Jack as he once again held out his hand.
Jack watched the exchange between Sam and Jason with a certain level of unease and jealousy which peaked when he saw that Jason had made her smile, something which he hadn't seen on Sam's face in a while. "Likewise," he replied as he shook hands with Jason before he walked down the stairs.
"Have a safe flight and say hi to Katie for me," Sam wished him with another genuine smile that Jack noticed.
As Jason got into his car he turned back to the pair on the porch and smiled and waved before driving off. Once his car was no longer visible, Jack turned to Sam and saw that the smile was still on her face. Jack stared at her face and admired it; he had been missing her smile recently.
When Sam returned her gaze to her CO, the smile on her face disappeared and was replaced by a serious expression, "Colonel?"
Jack's face fell when the smile disappeared from her face, "Uh, yeah, I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing... So, how ya doing?"
"Fine sir."
"Come on Carter, you've been avoiding us all weekend. You haven't been answering your phone and you're hardly here during the day... What's going on?"
"Keeping tabs on me again sir?" she asked him.
"Come on Carter, you know that wasn't us! We're just worried about you."
"Well I'm fine sir. I've just been doing a lot of thinking recently."
"About what?"
"I'd rather not discuss it with you sir... If you don't mind sir, I have to get back to a few things," she told him as she stepped back inside and was poised to close the door.
"Yeah... okay... sorry to disturb you," he told her before she nodded her head and closed the door. He silently added, "See ya tomorrow Sam."
----
Monday The SGC
Jack had been in an annoyed state all day. He'd been trying to find Sam all day, but she had been avoiding him all day. In fact, she had been avoiding Daniel and Teal'c as well. It was almost five o'clock and he decided to try her lab one last time. His call was forwarded to another scientist, "Is Carter down there?"
"No sir. She left a few minutes ago."
"Was she leaving for the day?" he asked anxiously.
"I believe so sir."
Jack rapidly hung up the phone and headed out of his office. He wasn't going to let Sam keep avoiding her teammates. When he pulled open his door he saw that she was just about to knock on his door. Her presence caught him off guard, "Carter!"
"Sir. Can I come in?"
Jack stared at her momentarily before ushering her in, "Yeah come on in. I was just about to go looking for you." He was relieved as he sat down across from her, she was finally going to talk to him. "What can I do for you?" he asked her hopefully. The answer he received though came out of left field.
"I'd like to request a transfer off SG-1 sir," she told him calmly. Internally, she was hiding her sadness at having to leave her friends' sides... at least when it came to missions.
"What?!" he exclaimed as he didn't try to hide his shock from hearing her request. His mind couldn't form complete questions to find out why she would want to leave SG-1, and more importantly, him. "Why?" was all he was able to utter.
"Several reasons, both professional and personal, sir. In light of recent events, I feel that my position within SG-1 has been compromised and I would be a liability to the team. I believe it's in the best interest of the rest of SG-1 that I not be a member of your team sir."
As Jack listened he was able to find his voice, "Major, I decide what's in the best interest for this entire team. You are definitely not a liability! Sorry, your reasons aren't good enough. You're staying on SG-1."
As Sam listened to Jack's denial she was comforted slightly. At least he still wanted her around, but she knew that she still had to get off SG-1. "Sir, I appreciate that, but I would still like a transfer from SG-1."
"Why? ... For personal reasons?" he saw the nearly imperceptible nod from her eyes. What was she hiding from him? "What personal reasons?"
"I'd rather not discuss them sir."
He knew there was something there, "Come on Carter, we can work it out... What is it?" He then saw a hopeful look in her eyes; unfortunately he drew the wrong conclusion. "Does it have something to do with that Jason guy?"
Carter shook her head in disbelief, "No sir, it has nothing to do with Jason."
"Good! Because I've never heard you mention him. Yet you feel comfortable having him over and talking to him while your teammates have been worried about you!" he finally let out, unfortunately his jealousy was showing its ugly head when it came to his scientist.
Sam was disturbed at his over-reaction, "Yes sir I was," she forcefully told him.
"What? You could talk to him but you wouldn't talk to Daniel or me?"
"Yes sir, I could. He's a good friend."
"And we're not?" he exclaimed.
Sam had had enough of his inquisition, "Sir, are you going to grant my request?"
Jack stared at her, "No, you're staying on SG-1."
Sam stood up and calmly made another request, "Permission to return to duty sir?"
Jack continued to stare into her angry eyes and nodded his head, "Yeah." After she left he continued to stare at the space she had recently occupied while he tried to figure out what had happened to Sam.
A few minutes after she'd left, Jack left his office and headed to Daniel's office to see if he could offer any insights to Sam's behavior. "Carter just stopped by my office," he told him as he walked in, startling Daniel.
"What'd she say?"
"She requested a transfer off SG-1."
Daniel was shocked, "She what?!?"
"Yeah, that's what I thought!" he told him as he lowered himself into another chair.
Daniel searched for understanding, "Did she say why?"
"She gave me a bogus reason that she was now a liability to the team... that she'd been compromised."
Daniel listened intently as he tried to figure out why she would leave them, "That doesn't make sense... Wait a minute..."
Jack's eyes went wide as he looked at Daniel, "What?"
"She thinks we don't trust her Jack... She's got it all wrong, we're the ones who have to gain her trust back!" Daniel and Jack stared at each other before the phone rang on Daniel's desk and interrupted them. "Doctor Jackson... Yes sir, he's right here... I'll let him know." He hung up the phone and looked at Jack, "That was General Hammond, he wants to see you in his office right away... He sounds pretty angry."
"Carter," Jack quietly whispered. "Find her for me will you," he said over his shoulder as he headed to General Hammond's office. "Sir, you wanted to see me?"
Hammond looked up from the file in front of him, "Colonel, did I not tell you to keep an eye on Major Carter?"
"Yes sir, but you see... she didn't want to talk to us."
"Well maybe you should have tried harder because then maybe I wouldn't have to try and transfer her!"
"Excuse me sir? I already told her I wasn't going to transfer her off SG-1."
"Yes she told me that. But she just requested a transfer out of the SGC! And I have no choice but to do that!"
"What do you mean sir? We can't let her go."
"I know, but she threatened to resign her commission if she didn't get a transfer! The Pentagon would have my ass if I let her leave the Air Force. Now would you like to tell me what personal reasons the brightest scientist here would have for wanting to leave the SGC?"
"I don't know sir."
"Well find out because the SGC needs her here!"
"Yes sir," he replied as he got up and headed to find Carter. He stopped at the phone in the conference room and began to make some phone calls, remembering what had happened a few days ago, "Has Major Carter passed through that checkpoint? ... Shit," he exclaimed as he disconnected the call and made another phone call. "Has Major Carter left the base?"
"No sir, not yet."
"Good! Stall her until I get there."
"Do you want me to detain her Colonel?"
Jack considered that option but decided against it since it would anger Carter even more. "No, just stall her. I'm on my way up." Jack sprinted to the elevators; luckily for him the elevators seemed to be on his side. Two minutes later he was running to the base security station, he didn't see her there though.
"I'm sorry sir. She just went out to the parking lot."
Jack ignored the Sergeant as he ran out to the parking lot to find Sam. He saw her standing by her bike putting on her helmet, "Carter!" he yelled out.
But Sam already had her helmet on. As she mounted her bike she looked up and saw Jack running to her. She made a decision as she turned the key and drove off, away from her CO.
"Damnit," Jack yelled as he headed to his own truck. "She stared right at me and drove off," he spoke to himself as he took off after her.
Fifteen minutes later he pulled up right behind Sam in front of her house, who was getting off her motorcycle. Jack only waited as long as it took him to put his feet on the ground before he started in on his 2IC, "What the hell is going on with you Carter? You want to transfer out of the SGC?!?!"
"That was my only other option sir," she told him as she turned away from her bike and headed to her front door.
Jack followed close behind her, angered by her unwillingness to communicate with him. "Carter, I've had enough of you avoiding me and the rest of SG-1. What is going on with you?"
Sam stopped in front of her door and turned to face him, "I already told you sir," she told him as she emphasized the 'sir.'
Jack looked at her and considered what she was saying and how she was saying it, she'd been doing that a lot recently. Maintaining the professional relationship, even when they weren't on duty. "Talk to me Sam, not as your CO, but as your friend," he told her as his face softened. "I'm worried about you," he sincerely told her.
Sam considered Jack's offer, it was time that she did speak to someone who knew about the past four years of her life. Her own eyes and face softened, "Do you want to come in?"
"Yes," a relieved Jack replied as he followed her inside. Sam went directly to the kitchen and started brewing a pot of coffee. Jack watched her as she moved about the kitchen, not knowing whether he should speak first or let her open up to him in her own time. His impatience got the better of him, "What happened with Orlin?"
Sam took a deep breath as she stood across from him over the kitchen counter, "When I got back from the psych-eval, Orlin was here waiting. He told me what had happened on 636... why I passed out. He said that his kind was capable of sharing their essences with others, that's what he tried with me on Velona. Since I wasn't ready and open to it, my body essentially shut down. When we were here, he asked me if he could try again."
Jack interrupted her at this point, "Tell me you didn't let him! You did, didn't you?"
"Yeah, he said that if I let him, then he'd leave me alone and disappear. I took a chance," she told him.
"How could you be so-" he stopped though when he saw Sam's disappointed face. "So what happened?" he asked her calmly.
"He... he let me look into his soul... It was scary and amazing at the same time, to know someone utterly and completely and have them know you as well... You know he was alone on Velona for over four hundred years... Can you imagine being all alone for four hundred years and only having your own thoughts as company? Knowing that because of your intervention, an entire civilization had been wiped out... That's what he lived with, and I saw that desolation in him." Sam left the kitchen to go sit in her living room. "That's why I couldn't recommend we go forward with the testing. The Ascended could have punished all of Earth because I was able to replace the weapon's power source. I almost condemned our entire planet because of what I thought up!"
As he listened to her story, Jack heard the guilt in her voice. "You can't know what's going to happen all the time."
"No, but I did this time... and there was nothing I could do to stop the Pentagon from proceeding with that test."
"Is that why you want to leave the SGC?"
Sam stared deep into his eyes before responding, "That's part of it..."
"Cause Daniel said it was because you thought we didn't trust you..." he revealed to her. When he saw her lower her face he realized that Daniel wasn't that far off the mark, "Sam, we trust you. You didn't let us down... we let you down. We're the ones that didn't believe you when you said Orlin was at your home... I was the one that thought you were crazy when you posed that hypothetical question to me. You didn't do anything wrong... I only hope that you can trust me again..." he added quietly.
Sam raised her eyes and looked into his, "I do trust you. I trust all of you at the SGC."
"Then why do you want to leave us?"
"Because I need to, for me..."
"What do you mean?"
Sam searched for the words, "I mean... I mean that I need to find a balance in my life... When Orlin shared his mind with me, I saw me through his eyes... And it scared me."
"What? What are you talking about? You're an amazing person!"
"Who has some very big flaws and voids in her life... I saw that my life wasn't complete and true... I need that."
Jack's mouth spoke before conferring with his mind, "That's where Jason comes in... That's why you want to leave the SGC," he said quietly as his world fell. He was losing his second in command to a guy he'd never heard Sam mention, to a part of her life that she'd never shared with her teammates.
Sam was amazed at his denseness, "No. Jason just helped me talk through some things and see what I wanted."
"Who is he?" he asked her, slightly relieved that Jason wasn't her reason for leaving.
"I've known Jason since middle school. We grew up in the same neighborhood and his father served with my dad. He's two years older than me, but he always let me hang out with him... We were really close friends. He was an upperclassman when I started at the Air Force Academy; he kept an eye out for me and helped me adjust. I don't think I would have studied so hard there if it weren't for him... I introduced him to Maria, my roommate from senior year. Two years later they were married. Maria served five years on active duty before going on inactive reserve to start a family. Katie's going to be six in November. A year ago, Maria was diagnosed with a very advanced stage of leukemia. Jason resigned his commission when she was diagnosed. He didn't want to waste any time he would have with her... He doesn't regret doing it either- he said that what he gained after resigning was too important to him... She died six months ago..."
"I'm sorry," Jack told her sincerely. Right then he was feeling like a complete ass... considering what he had been insinuating earlier between her and Jason. They sat in silence for several minutes. "So, are you going to regret your decision in a year?"
Sam looked down, "I hope not."
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know..."
"Are you going to stick around here?"
"I'm not sure, depends on if I get that transfer."
"Why do you really want to leave?"
"Do you want the truth?"
"Yes."
"I can't work alongside you anymore," she whispered.
Jack's jaw dropped as his eyes went wide. "What? Why not? We need you on SG-1! We haven't had any problems on the team... Did I say something or do something wrong? Whatever it is, I'm sorry!"
Sam shook her head, "You don't get it..."
"Explain it to me then! Please!"
Sam looked up, "I can't lie to myself anymore... not after what I saw."
"What would you be lying about?" he asked her in exasperation.
"You mean too much to me to put the team at risk," she still couldn't come out and say what was on her mind.
"I already told you Carter, you're not a liability to the team."
"I'm not talking about that," she practically yelled at him. Jack was stunned at her outburst. Sam closed her eyes as her face fell, when she spoke it was in whispers, "I can't hide my feelings for you anymore... I can't leave them in that room anymore..."
Jack's jaw fell as he strained to hear her confession. He continued to stare at her silently not knowing how to respond.
"I just couldn't deny how I felt anymore... I had to tell you..." Sam continued. When she looked up, Jack was still shocked and confused. When he still hadn't said anything after a few minutes Sam started to panic. `Uh-oh, he doesn't feel the same... I guess it was good that I requested a transfer from the SGC... there's no way I'd be able to be anywhere near him after what I just told him....' Sam tried to backpedal over her words, "Look, it doesn't matter... I'll either be stationed somewhere else or retired by the end of the week, so just forget about it," she told him as she started to get up.
Her movement broke Jack's trance. He stood up and faced her as he reached her forearm, "I can't..."
`Shit!' Sam screamed at herself, `He really doesn't feel the same for me!'
Jack saw the panic on her face and forced himself to stall for time, "I can't forget about it..."
"Why?" she asked him dreading that he would stick to the regulations and tell her that he would have to report her and get her kicked out of the military.
Jack stared at her in silence for a long ten seconds.
They say that right before you die your life flashes before your eyes. Some think it happens at any major crossroads in your life as you look back on the life that brought you to that point. And now Jack stood at a crossroads. And he did see his life before his eyes. He saw Sam at work at the SGC- saving people, offering hope, her loyalty to her comrades, her determination to never give up, her compassion. He saw her smiles. He saw his own fear for her life when it was in danger, his pride in her, and his faith in her. He recalled his own feelings of jealousy from the last few days, of seeing her with Jason and thinking that they were involved in a relationship.
As his life flashed before him he realized something- the life he saw was only of the past four years, starting with the day he had first met Captain Samantha Carter. Her presence in his life had brought him to life. All that mattered as he stood at this crossroad was the life that she had instilled in him when she had joined his team.
As he considered what he saw and what he realized he asked himself, `Is it love? ... I don't know... But it's a start.'
And then Sam saw the life return to Jack's eyes just before he spoke, "I can't forget about it because I don't want to... I don't know what it is that we actually have, but... But I know that I don't want you to leave."
Sam blinked, "Really?"
"Yeah... I... My life started again when I first met you... And I can't imagine my life without you," he confessed as he took hold of her hands.
Sam looked down at their intertwined hands. She closed her eyes and a tear escaped and fell to their hands, "Me either." When she finally looked up he could see the relief in her eyes as he brought their hands up and wiped away her tears. She chuckled as she watched their hands. They stared into each other's eyes for a long time.
"So what now?"
Jack blinked. He knew what he wanted to do, but he knew they had to wait. "Let's go talk to Hammond."
Thirty minutes later Jack raised his hand and knocked on General Hammond's door.
"Come in," the voice from within bellowed.
Jack and Sam shared a look with each other before opening the door and entering the base commander's office. "Sir," they both addressed their CO when they stood before his desk.
Hammond looked up and was pleased to see his 21C with his team's 21C, maybe he had gotten to her after all? "Colonel. Major. I'm glad you're both here, I feel that there is a lot we all need to discuss together."
"Yes sir, there is," Jack told him honestly before taking a sideward glance at Sam.
"Major, I hope that after speaking with Colonel O'Neill you have reconsidered your request for a transfer from the SGC."
"Actually, sir, that's what we're here to discuss."
George stared at the pair in front of him; he was confused. Jack saw it on his commander's face and decided to elaborate, "Our options sir..." Hammond was still confused, "We'd like to discuss our options."
He stared at Sam, then at Jack, and then back to Sam. "Major, what does your decision have to do with options for Colonel O'Neill?"
Sam looked over at Jack... she was in need of strength right at that moment. Jack took the initiative, "Actually sir, it has a lot do with me."
Hammond assumed the worst as he glared at SG-1's team leader, "What did you do now?"
Jack raised his hands, "Nothing sir, I swear..."
George shook his head as a headache started to form. Why couldn't they just tell him what was going on? He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose as he spoke, "Will one of you please tell me what is going on?"
"First and foremost sir," Jack began, "Neither Carter nor myself have broken any regulations."
Hammond's head shot up - it couldn't be good if their explanation started off with that, could it? Sam quickly jumped in to explain further, "Sir, the reason I requested a transfer off SG-1, and then from the SGC, was because I don't feel I can work alongside Colonel O'Neill given our current situation."
"And what might that be? How has it changed from last week?" George asked.
Sam continued, "I guess you could say I had a sort of an epiphany this past weekend... I can't work alongside someone and hide my feelings and concerns anymore... You see, sir," Sam paused and took a deep breath, "I have these feelings for my commanding officer and I don't think I can deny them anymore because of the regs."
Jack looked from Sam to George and felt he needed to put in his own two cents, "And I also have feelings for my second in command sir."
"Kawalsky?" Sam innocently asked with a coy smile.
Hammond and Jack both jerked their heads towards her and blinked hard. Jack was the first to return her smile, "As much as I love and miss the guy, it's not him!"
"Well that's good to hear... I don't know if I could compete with a charmer like he was!" Sam chided back.
Hammond silently watched his best field officer and best scientist interact. This was what helped make SG-1 his best team, the team that defied all odds and always seemed to find a way home. So what was he going to do? Break up the best team he had? Court martial the two of them? But he convinced himself that there were no grounds for that. Having feelings for one another and actual fraternization were different things, right? He then cleared his throat to get their attention, "I see... And Major, you're willing to sacrifice your work and career to explore these feelings?"
Sam looked at Jack. Was she? She had to take a chance... she'd rather give them a try and have it fail then to live a life that wasn't complete because she couldn't be who she was and express her feelings. But was she able to sacrifice a part of herself to get that personal balance? And then the words from her friend drifted across her mind, "You'll find that balance if you want to."
As she continued to look into his eyes she saw his hope, hope for a future that they would share together. `I do want that balance!' she told herself. "If I have to sir... But I was hoping that we could come up with another solution."
"Such as?" he queried.
`Find the balance!' she repeated in her mind as she tried to come up with options. "Well, sir... At least with regard to Sg-1, Lt. Hailey will be done with her training in three weeks. And she was planning on pursuing her PhD here at the SGC under my guidance. I think she would be an excellent replacement for me on SG-1, sir."
"No one can replace you Carter. You're a one of a kind."
Sam looked over at her CO, the man she admired and longed for, "Thank you, sir. But you know what I meant."
"Well, you and Daniel are always telling me that semantics really do matter."
"And you choose now to start listening, sir? Now that I'm leaving SG-1?" He just grinned back at her.
Hammond watched the pair in front of him and was slightly amused and saddened at the same time. This was the end of an era, the end of the original SG-1. `But it could also be the beginning of something... And, Lord knows, these two need this...' He cleared his throat to get their attention, "If you two are both done, there's still a few things we need to discuss."
Both junior officer's turned back to the base commander and smiled sheepishly, "Yes sir."
"Lt. Hailey joining SG-1 is a good idea, Major. But what are we going to do with you?"
"Sir, I'd like to have more of a field research officer role. With respect to the testing of the weapon on 636, I knew what it was when I met with you and Colonel Simmons. Orlin, the alien who followed me through the Stargate told me what it was and what had happened."
"What did happen with the civilization, Major?" General Hammond asked her, slightly disappointed that she had not mentioned any of this in the briefing a few days earlier.
"Orlin `gave' them the plans for the weapon so that they could defend themselves from the Goa'uld. They then used the weapon on other planets in an attempt to take over. The Ascended ones intervened and destroyed their civilization..."
"Why?" a wide-eyed General asked.
"Because Orlin interfered by giving them that weapon, something against the Ascended's code of conduct. The `others' intervened to stop the Velonans from creating any more destruction, sir," she explained. She paused before continuing on, "Even though I knew the Ancients could have destroyed us for activating that weapon, there was nothing that I could do to stop the Pentagon from testing it, sir."
Hammond was quick to jump in and remind her of his actions, "Major, I hope you know that I respect your decisions and ideas?"
"Yes, sir, I do... But I feel that if I take on a more scientific research position and am able to focus on that, then possible tragedies can be averted, sir."
Jack looked over at her and realized as she spoke how shaken she had been by her interaction with Orlin. He wondered how else he had touched her life.
Hammond intently listened to Sam's suggestion and heavily considered it. "Give me a month," he told them before he looked down at his desk and began making some notes.
Sam and Jack looked at each other unsure what exactly he was referring to and imploring each other to ask for clarification. Jack finally spoke up, "Excuse me, sir?"
Hammond looked up, "Give me one month to get things rolling. We'll need that time for Lt. Hailey to finish her training. During her first week with SG-1, I'd like you both to keep a close eye on her and gauge her capabilities as a soldier and as a scientist. I'll also need one month to set up the position of Head Research Officer... Who will report directly to me. As Head Research Officer Major Carter, your duties will primarily focus on understanding alien technologies, integrating them with our technology if possible, threat assessments of alien technology, and, when necessary, accompanying other SG teams off-world in a scientific capacity."
He watched with amusement as a huge smile appeared on Sam's face. "Yes, sir!" she eagerly replied.
"I take it then Major Carter, that these are acceptable conditions for you and I won't need to process a transfer for you?"
She smiled, "No, sir. I'd love to stay on at the SGC as your Head Research Officer!"
"Good... I don't know if this place could function as smoothly without you here to keep it running."
Sam smiled bashfully, "Thank you, sir. I appreciate your saying that."
"You didn't appreciate it when I told you that!" Jack pointed out.
Sam looked over at her CO and nodded her head, "Well, he is a General, sir."
"Oh, so what, now it takes a General for you to feel appreciated?"
General Hammond spoke up before he heard more of this conversation, "That'll be all!"
Both SG-1 members looked over at their base CO before standing up to leave.
Hammond stopped them before they opened the door. "I expect you to both adhere to the regulations for the next month. And once Major Carter has been assigned her new post, I expect you to both act as professionals on duty."
They turned around, "Yes, sir."
As they exited, General Hammond heard one last exchange, "Did you get that, Carter? Hammond wants you to act more professional around base!"
"Guess I'll have to get a new role model then..."
----
"Looks like you have visitors," Jack pointed out as he pulled up in front of her house.
Sam looked up and saw their other two teammates stand up from the steps they'd been sitting on. She smiled when she saw that they both were holding a bouquet of flowers. She stepped down from Jack's truck and called out to them, "Hey guys!"
"Sam!" Daniel exclaimed as he ran up to her and held the flowers out to her. "Sam, we're sorry we didn't believe you about Orlin. We hope you can forgive us and change your mind!"
"I too am sorry for our neglect. You are an integral member of our team and the Tauri would lose a most valuable warrior if you chose to leave. I hope you will reconsider your request to O'Neill and General Hammond."
Sam smiled with appreciation at her teammates and CO. They really did care for her... "Relax guys, I'm not going anywhere quite yet," she assured them. "Come on, let's go inside."
Once they were inside, Daniel began with his first question, "So, you're staying on SG-1?"
Sam looked down at her hands and took a deep breath, "No... But, I'm staying at the SGC," she quickly added.
"Sam, you can't leave the team! We need you!"
"What will your duties at the SGC be?" Teal'c asked.
"I'll be the Chief Science Officer," she began explaining to them, "I'll mainly-"
"What? You're not going to be traveling through the Gate anymore? Sam, how can you give that-"
"Daniel!" Jack cried out. Once he had Daniel's attention he spoke again, "Will you let her explain?"
Daniel took a deep breath as he turned to Sam and motioned for her to continue.
"Thank you, sir. As Chief Science Officer I'll mainly be working in the lab, but I will get to go out in the field as needed, and even then I'm sure General Hammond will let me even when my presence isn't vital... I'll be starting in that position in a month... In three weeks, Lt. Hailey will have completed her training and she'll be taking over my spot."
"Major Carter, may I ask why you are leaving SG-1?"
Sam nodded her head, by now she was getting good at explaining it.
Before she could explain herself, Daniel snuck a question in, "Was it something we did?" Noticing the glare from Jack he stopped himself from asking any more questions.
"No, it wasn't because of you guys! I love working with you guys and being a part of SG-1! This is something I have to do... Daniel, do you remember what I told you in the park on Saturday?"
He nodded his head, "Yeah... That you saw yourself through Orlin's eyes..."
"Yeah. I realized something, my life has no balance and I wasn't being true to myself... After talking with a close friend, I realized that I needed that balance and that I could have it if I wanted it bad enough... And I do..."
Jack smiled as he noticed how she was skirting around the issue of mentioning her feelings for him.
"And how will you ascertain this balance?" Teal'c asked as he watched O'Neill and Sam.
"By having a relationship," she paused as she looked over at Jack and smiled, something that did not go unnoticed by their teammates, "With my soon to be former CO."
Daniel stared at the pair dumbfounded by her revelation. When he saw the smiles on their faces he broke out into his own wide grin. "So you guys have talked?" he asked hopefully.
Jack answered, "Yeah."
"And you're going to...?"
"Yeah, Daniel, once she is no longer under my command."
Daniel grinned even wider, "Well it's about damn time you guys!" he told them as he went over to hug Sam.
"I am happy for you both O'Neill and Major Carter," Teal'c exclaimed in his happiest tone, which coming from a Jaffa wasn't all that different from his normal tone.
"Missions won't be the same without you," Daniel pointed out.
"Don't worry... I'll make sure I teach Hailey the proper way to act as a buffer between you and the Colonel!"
----
Three weeks later
"So what are you up to this weekend?" Jack asked as he walked into her lab.
Sam's face lit up as soon as she heard his voice.
"And don't say you're working on a new toy from PX-something-or-other."
"There are no new `toys' from any `PX-something-or-other' for me to work on this weekend, sir."
Jack's smile spread even wider, "Excellent, then you're coming out with us tonight to welcome Hailey to SG-1!"
Sam's face fell slightly, "I would love to, sir, but my brother Mark and his wife are in town for the weekend... We're supposed to go out to dinner tonight."
"Cancel on them," he suggested.
Sam chuckled, "Sir, he's my brother."
"Yeah yeah..." Jack conceded as he picked up an object from her lab bench and began to fidget with it.
She watched his hands carefully. When he started to rotate it, she snatched it from his hands. "How about a rain check?"
Jack looked up startled at his now empty hands, "When?"
"Next Saturday... To celebrate my last day under your command," she suggested hopefully.
"You don't have to sound that excited about it!"
"Why not?" she told him with a gleam in her eye.
He smiled at her as he thought of all the fun he'd have with his then former-second in command.
"Now I won't have to make an extra copy of my reports for you that you'll never read."
"Hey! I read them!" he defended himself.
"Really, sir?" She decided to challenge him, "What was my last report on?"
"Uh..." he quickly tried to think of anything scientific as a response. But nothing came to mind as he smiled and conceded defeat. He decided to change topics instead, "I hope that's not the only reason you're looking forward to next Saturday."
"It's not," she assured him. "There's also the fact that I won't have a commanding officer who'll prohibit me from giggling."
Jack grinned, "That's good... You've got a great giggle!"
"Thank you, sir."
He nodded his head triumphantly, "Yeah, well, we'll be at O'Malley's if you decide to join us."
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks..." She looked back at her computer, "I need to finish up this stuff before I leave, sir."
"Oh yeah!" he called out as he began backing out of her domain. "Well have fun with your `stuff' and the family, Carter."
"You too, sir," she told him as he stepped out of her doorway. `Yeah, definitely looking forward to next weekend!'
-
"That was my friend Pete on the phone. He's actually in town tonight as well... You ladies care to go out for a drink?"
Jamie looked at Sam through the rear-view mirror and both shrugged their shoulders, "Sure honey."
"Where's he at?" Sam asked as they waited at the intersection.
"Some place called O'Malley's, you know where it is? Cause if you don't..." he stopped though when he saw the smile on his sister's face. "I take it you know the place."
Sam chuckled, "Yeah... My team and I go there every once in awhile... They're actually there tonight, so you guys can meet them."
"That sounds nice!" Mark's wife Jamie replied.
"Sounds good!" Mark replied half-heartedly.
As they walked in the bar ten minutes later both Sam and Mark looked around for their respective friends. Mark spotted his buddy first who was standing by the bar watching the entrance.
"There's Pete," he quickly called out as he led his wife and sister over.
"Hey Pete!"
"Mark! How ya been?" they greeted each other as they shook hands.
"Good, good, yourself?"
"Can't complain. Let me introduce you to my wife, Jamie. And this is my sister Sam. This is an old buddy of mine, Pete Shanahan," he told them as he pushed his sister in front of him.
"Hi Pete, nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Pete replied in amazement, wondering if he had died and gone to heaven and met an angel.
"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" Pete offered as he tried to take his eyes off Sam and not make his infatuation so obvious. "It's hard to get any service around here," he stated lightly.
Sam chuckled, "Not really." She then turned and leaned against the bar and leaned over and sought out the bartender, "Nick!"
The man in question looked up and smiled and indicated he would be there once he was done with that customer.
Pete looked over at her and smiled, "I take it you come here a lot?"
Sam smiled warmly at him, "Yeah, my team and I come down here to relax."
"Oh yeah?" he asked trying to sound interested. "What do you do?"
"I'm a theoretical astrophysicist for the Air Force."
His eyes bulged, "Wow! That's a mouthful!"
She shrugged her shoulders before turning to the bartender who now stood before her, "Hey Nick, how ya been?"
"Good! I didn't think I was going to see you tonight... The guys told me you were with your family."
"Yeah," she said as she turned around to introduce her family.
"Welcome to O'Malley's," he told them. "So what can I get you guys? The usual Major?'
Sam nodded her head as the others put in their orders.
"So where are they?" she asked as they accepted their drinks. She looked around the bar once more and wasn't able to spot them.
He pointed at the back corner, "They're in one of the booths back there by the pool table."
Sam smiled.
"Try not to con too many patrons tonight!" he warned as he walked off to serve another customer.
"What was that about?" Pete asked her as she led them to the aforementioned table.
"I like to play pool... for money," she innocently told him.
She then caught sight of Daniel and waved to him who grinned happily at her.
When they arrived at the table, Sam performed the introductions among the two parties.
An hour later her teammates were sitting at the table chatting with her family. And much to Sam's embarrassment, Mark was telling them stories from her childhood. Instead of listen to the stories, she had escaped to the pool tables.
Pete Shanahan decided to follow her. "Can I interest you in a game?" he asked her as he walked up behind her as she started to rack the balls.
Sam looked up and smiled, "Sure. I'll give you a little warning that I don't usually give my opponents, I'm good!"
Pete couldn't help but smile and rise to the occasion, "I'm pretty good myself... Best out of five?" he asked her.
Sam nodded her head as she lifted the triangle from the balls.
"Can I get you something more to drink before we start?"
She shook her head, "No thanks, I'm fine," she told him as she lined up her break.
It wasn't until early in the third game that Sam missed a shot and finally provided an opportunity for Pete to show his pool skills.
She leaned against one of the bars watching his shots. She wasn't surprised when she felt her CO come stand next to her. She looked at him and smiled when he held out a drink for her. "Here you go!"
"Thank you, sir." She told him as she gladly accepted his offered drink and brought it to her lips.
Pete happened to look up at the exchange and was miffed at seeing Sam accept a drink from her CO, when he had just asked her twenty minutes earlier.
What he didn't know was that Jack had given her a diet coke knowing that she had been the one to drive to the bar and therefore wouldn't drink anymore than the lone beer she had already consumed.
"No problem Carter," he replied with a wide grin.
Sam leaned over to speak to him quietly, "Do you think you'll be able to call me anything other than Carter or Colonel next weekend?"
"Well... I can think of a lot of things I'd like to call you!"
Sam looked at him shocked by his boldness.
"Will you be able to call me anything other than Colonel or sir?"
"I've been calling you other things in my mind for a long time... sir," she whispered.
Jack couldn't help but laugh at the playful comment and respectful `sir' she had thrown in at the end.
Pete continued to watch the pair as he prepared his next shot. He was starting to wonder if there was something there between the two.
Jack momentarily looked away from Sam and saw Pete staring at them. He seriously turned to his 2IC, "You do realize that he's taken to you?"
Sam looked over at Pete and sent him a small smile, "Yes sir... I have a feeling my brother set this up... But don't worry," she reassured him.
Jack looked at her and stared into her eyes. "I know... Besides... he looks kind of goofy!"
----
Eight Days later
"Care to go for a walk?"
Jack looked at her as she came out of her bedroom wearing warmer and more comfortable clothes with a blanket tucked under her arm. "Whatever you want," he told her as he took the blankets from her.
And for the first time that night, they publicly displayed their affection for one another as Sam reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers with his. "Come on... There's something I want to show you," she told him as she led him out of her house
Jack happily looked down at their hands and walked beside her into the park across from her house. "So where we going?"
"To one of my favorite places in Colorado Springs... It's a few miles from here, so I hope you have on comfortable shoes."
"I always come prepared," he reminded her.
As they walked side by side Jack realized that he liked their current setup. He liked not having to be around her only while on missions where one of them had to walk before the other to stay prepared for any type of ambush or unexpected circumstance. He enjoyed just being in her company and not having the fate of the free world (literally) depending on them. For the first time in their relationship, they could just be.
Sam's thoughts were running along the same lines. Despite only being transferred from Jack's chain of command only six hours ago, she could already sense that her life was taking a new and brighter direction.
After an hour of walking through the park and then the woods, they finally came up to the top of a hill.
"Not that I'm not enjoying this walk, but are we almost there?" he asked her impatiently.
"Yeah, it's just over there," she told him as she pointed to a barely discernable path off to the side.
They traveled that path for five minutes before they reached their destination.
Jack looked around him and soaked in the beauty of his surroundings. They were on a forested hillside that had several rock ledges leading down the hill. From the ledge nearest to them they could walk out and look down into a small lake that quietly reflected the sight on the other side of the lake - one of the lesser known mountains of the Rocky Mountain Range.
"It's beautiful," he quietly commented as he set the blankets down.
Sam walked up behind him and snaked her arms around his waist, "Wait til you see this in a half hour!"
He turned around in her arms and wrapped his own arms around her waist. "How'd you find this place?"
"My dad told me about this place... This was where he proposed to my mom..." she offered.
He looked into her eyes and saw that she didn't share this place with many people. This was a treat, she was choosing him to see this place.
"Thank you," he told her as he bent his head down and gently laid his lips on her lips. They slowly and gently shared their first passionate kiss with each other.
When they stopped their foreheads were still resting against each other's as they looked deeply into each other's eyes.
----
"Why do you smile?"
"It's beautiful," he quietly told her, as if his words would disturb the couple standing before them.
"A kiss is always-"
She was cut off though, "No Oma Desala. Not like this..." Orlin paused as he looked for the words to describe what he saw.
"Why is it any different?" she asked him.
He smiled slightly, "Because of their love."
"Again, why is it so different?"
"I shared my essence with Samantha. It was a beautiful experience for us both, she has such a beautiful soul. I did not know the depth of her beauty until that moment... But these two... They do not require our abilities...
"Their love transcends this world and allows them to see into each other's souls... They know the depth of one another just staring into each other's eyes... Their love is so strong and so deep that it spreads to the people around them..." he revealed with a smile.
"I thought you loved her," she gently stated.
He shook his head, "Not as he loves her."
"You knew?" she asked him shocked by his admiration for their love.
He smiled, "I saw it when I shared myself with her."
Oma Desala looked at the couple and noticed Orlin's smile out of the corner of her eye. She turned to study him. "You did it again?" she accused him.
"Did what?" he asked her innocently.
"You interfered."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"It is against the way of the Ancients to interfere-"
"In the development of a civilization!" he finished for her as he stared at her. He turned to Sam and Jack, "I did what I did for them... I merely cracked open the walls around her heart... She did the rest," he stated proudly.
"But this will change their future," she pointed out.
"No..." he quietly pondered. "Their future is only now just beginning."
Fin
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