A/N: It's been quite a while since I've posted anything within the J/S fandom so tonight I thought I'd my dip my toe back in! Please be gentle with me! Also, I rarely do this anymore but I recommend that you listen to this beautiful song as you read this; you won't regret it I promise.

Summary: A glance at a photograph makes Jack think about a future with a certain someone…

(You may need tissues depending on how you view this couple and their past and there is quite a bit of cheese in this too…so be prepared!)

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything associated with this show, sadly.

Enjoy!

Oh…a massive thank you to wackyjacqs for her constant words of support and friendship!

Photograph

Loving can hurt

Loving can hurt sometimes

But it's the only thing that I know

When it gets hard

You know it can get hard sometimes

It is the only thing that makes us feel alive

'Photograph' by Ed Sheeran

Jack was still reeling from the strange revelations of the past few hours. The other 'Sam' had been taken to the infirmary with this 'tropical' thingy that Fraiser and Carter were trying to figure out. Two Carters! His head might just explode with that information! He had been sent back to Samantha's room by the doc to gather a few of her things that would make her more comfortable when he came across a wedding photo of Samantha and her 'Jack'. He was now sitting on her bed contemplating the possibilities the image conjured up. He was grateful to Fraiser for giving him an out as he was feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the women in the room. Now, though, he was unsure what he was feeling as he gazed at the wedding photo in his hand. It brought up some painful memories and also some hopeful ones that he had no right to feel just yet.

If Jack was being truthful with himself the hurt, that had remained with him since Charlie's passing and consequently Sara's leaving still surfaced at night when he was completely alone. He didn't know if that hurt would ever ease but time had a funny way of letting that hurt fade a little each day. He loved them both with an ache that still hadn't faded with the passage of time. However, since the appearance of Sam Carter in his life almost three years previously Jack could feel hope slowly making its presence known in his heart once more. Not that she knew how he felt. There had been little looks and smiles over the past couple of months especially that made him wonder if she was affected by his presence as he was with her. This photograph in his hand was proof that they could work very well together. Very well indeed. Every once in a while Jack would find himself trying his hardest to make Carter laugh just so he could see her dazzling smile. The smile that had the power to lift his dark mood even for a moment. Those moments were precious to him. Looking at the photograph now made him realise he would do anything he could to win the happiness promised within the image. He hoped she would wait for his heart to heal.

Jack knew that loving someone so deeply could hurt. Loving someone could pierce your soul so much that its imprint stays with you forever. Jack also knew from experience that that hurt was the only thing making him feel alive at times. His memories were now captured forever in photographs that he kept close so he could look over them when times got hard. He often brought his favourite photograph of Charlie out after tough missions. He would remember the love he had for Charlie afresh and revel in it awhile because in that moment the memories they had made played out in front of his eyes once again. In those memories his heart was never broken and the time that they had had together was forever frozen.

Jack was now beginning to feel that loving someone could heal his broken heart, piece by shattered piece. A smile that lit up that someone's face could mend his broken soul too. He was forever being told that it would get easier, that time would heal all wounds and up until now he did not believe it. He hoped that one day the love he was beginning to feel for Samantha Carter would be the love that would keep him looking forward and not back. That the love that was evident in the photograph in his hands was there for him to take with both arms wide open, his heart no longer broken and that with every moment spent with her time stood still.

Now he just had to wait for his head to catch up with what his heart was whispering was possible. There was a love waiting for him that would heal him if he allowed himself to be happy. Happiness in life was a matter of chance. He had thought he had it with what he now called 'The Charlie Years' and was he now ready to grasp it again? He sincerely hoped so; everyone deserved a second chance at happiness, right? A little more time would tell. For now he was content to know that despite the hurt he was still feeling there was room left for more love in his life. He just had to wait and see if she felt the same way.

TBC…