While You Were Gone
Summary: Earth is finally back in the same time stream as the majority of the cosmos but the SGC will never be the same.
Hurt/comfort, sci-fy
Spoilers: SG-1 Episode Window of Opportunity
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Sam POV thoughts
I don't know if I should be happy or sad that this has happened. I mean, Earth is back. I should be excited, right? Its just, its been so long. I'm a different person now. Everything has changed.
When I left Earth to do that information exchange on Tollara {note: not the Tollan planet}, I fully expected to come home two weeks later but that was nearly 30 years ago now. I'm a full citizen of the Tollaran nations Corris and Braygan which are sister nations. I'd never expected to see more of Tollara other than parts of Braygan; I just wasn't meant to be there that long.
I never expected that there'd come a day when I no longer considered myself military, or even a scientist for that matter. However, I love my life now; my Tollaran life. These days, I'm an actress, director, producer, wife, hopefully soon to be mom (if things go the way Alan and I hope they do), friend, goof ball, comedian, charity founder and director, script writer, chef (yeah, I know, on Earth I couldn't cook. My culinary skills were attorcious), and activist. I love it. I love how utterly hectic my life is; my INSANE work schedule, meeting with fans, everything. This IS me.
Alan POV thoughts
It's hard on her, I know, to be heading back, though we both know that this is something that she, WE, need to do. I've never been to Earth before, though I've known about it through what Manda's told me over the years. While technically there's no reason for me to be here, aboard this Asguard ship heading to Earth, I just can't let Manda go without me there to support her and comfort her no matter what. Plus, I am more than just a tad curious about her homeworld and the life she had there; her friends and family, place of work, her house, everything. I refuse to make her face whatever has happened to Earth alone.
Sam (Amanda) POV thoughts
We're just jumped out of hyperspace and are in orbit around Earth. From up here, it doesn't look like any major disaster has happened. Why did Earth disappear?
General POV, Thor's Ship, Bridge
Amanda looking out at Earth. Placing her hand on the glass window with a somewhat sorrowful look in her eyes "This is it. My homeworld, Earth."
Alan walking up to stand beside Amanda and wrapping her arms around her. "She's beautiful, Love."
Amanda turning in Alan's arms, smiling said "Remember, on Earth my name was Samantha Carter, Sam to most and being that I was military, I was called Major Carter. My father was Major General Jacob Carter, US Air Force and later became host of the Tok'ra Selmak."
Thor's came up to them then, "I've just checked for life signs and have found all of your team's life signs and many others strongly within Cheyanne Mountain. Other scans indicate that nothing has changed since before the planet disappeared. Would you like to be beamed into the briefing room?"
Amanda, turning to Thor replied "Briefing room Thor. Thank you. One of us will signal when we're ready to depart or is there's danger."
General POV, Cheyanne Mountain, Briefing Room
General Hammond "Do we know how long we were stuck repeating that same week?"
Daniel "No. Apparently the Tok'ra were in the same time loop that we were and so, as far as they know, we only last contacted them a week ago."
{Beam sound}
Daniel, Jack, General Hammond and Teal'c turn to look.
Amanda "Uh, hey! Wow! You guys don't look even a day older than you did the last time I saw you."
Daniel "Sam? Wow! Great to see you too. Wait a second, how long has it been since you last saw us? And who are they?"
Amanda "Nearly thirty years. This (indicating the man with his arms around her) is my husband Alan Kovacs, and these four (indicating the other two men and the two females) are my personal security detail. They go with me just about everywhere. One of the parts of being a celebrity, you know? Oh, Alan, Jamie, Lorien, Sevet, Mizzie these people are General Hammond, Colonel Jack O'Neill, Teal'c, and Dr. Daniel Jackson (pointing them out as she spoke their names)."
Jack "Thirty years?! And what do you mean that we don't look any older, you don't, actually I'd say you look younger than you did."
Amanda "May we sit? Thank you. The reason why I don't look to be in my sixties is that Tollara has the technology to 'de-age' people. They use it on planetary refugees so that they can be fully integrated into Tollaran society. They de-age refugees and modify their physiology to be able to fully handle the unique properties of Tollara. The age they use is right about the point where Tollaran children enter school and have the refugee adopted into a Tollaran home. That was the refugee is able to learn Tollaran technology, culture, behaviors, and everything else and to not stand out so much as being from another world. Plus, it gives each refugee a valid Tollaran history and identity.
I wasn't offered refugee status right away though, it took a while. Immediately after we realized that we couldn't contact Earth, we mearly thought a gate malfunction and so kept trying. Eventually, we contacted the Asguard and had them see what had happened to Earth and when they reported back to us, they told us that Earth had vanished along with quite a few other planet systems. Even after this, it was a full Tollaran year before I accepted refugee status and was de-aged. I was adopted and was given the name Amanda Venus Tapping. There was another guy doing the exchange thing like I was from another world that vanished and, well, we became "twins" as we were de-aged at the same time and adopted by the same people. We re-grew up on Tollara, both refusing to fully give up on our homeworlds while at the same time moving on and building new lives. I'm an actress, director, producer, script-writer now though I was encouraged to do science, again, but I love my life just the way it is right now."
Chapter 2
"When Thor told informed the goverment of Braygan that Earth had reappeared, I knew that I needed to come and see what happened with my own eyes as Earth was home for about half my existance. However, I also knew that, no matter what, I couldn't stay as while I was Samantha Carter once, in my past, I'm not Samantha Carter anymore. I'm Amanda Venus Tapping-Kovacs. I have a life that's entirely different now that I'm completely unwilling to give up on. I know that it'll be hard for you all to accept, as its odviously not been all that long for you, but I've changed a lot since I was last here."
"Wow Sam. It really must be strange for you to be here now, isn't it? I can understand what you mean though. After moving to Abydos for that year, I honestly never planned to leave. It was only because of Shar'ra's abduction that I decided to return to Earth. Had the Goul'd never come to Abydos, even with you, Jack and the others coming there, I would never have left. So I don't blame you for not wanting to come back. It was hard enough for me after only a single year on Abydos but after 30 years on another world, especially one with Tollaran technology being about the same if not a bit better than earth, I know that its your home now. I just hope that we can still be friends."
"It really is strange Daniel, to be here again and nothing to have changed after all this time. I'd like to stay friends, too, by the way. Teal'c, General, Colonel, I have the same hope for that with all of you as well."
"I'd love it...Amanda. You seem happy now and so Alan, I'd love to get to know the man who finally managed to steal Sammie's heart. Amanda, I'll tell Jacob that Alan has my full approval so hopefully he'll go easy on your man."
"Dad's a big teddy bear at heart and I've already buttered up my adoptive father and step father on Tollara so dad shouldn't be too heart."
"I too would be honored to renew our friendship Amanda Kovacs and to have the chance to get to know the woman you are now."
"Thanks Teal'c."
"Carter, who did you manage to change so much? I thought you were going to wait for me to retire and then marry me!"
"Colonel, I did wait for you, for a while, but as the years stretched on without contact with Earth, and with Earth having vanished from the grid, I couldn't wait for something that was looking completely impossible. Plus, the longer I was on Tollara, the less Major Carter I became. The things that Major-Doctor Samantha Carter liked and loved, disliked and hated aren't the same things I like/ love/ dislike and hate. I'm a different woman now. I just hope that someday you'll except that and except me for who I am now.
Epilogue
Jack never could reconcile the fact that his 2IC wasn't the woman he'd known before the time loop. In fact, every time he was around her, he refused to treat her as anything other than the way he'd treated her before or as a young airwoman who didn't know how to respect authority. Needless to say, Alan and Amanda choose to not have Jack all that involved in their lives after that. Also, on a diplomatic trip to Tollara, Jack literally got into a physical fight with several of the Tollaran diplomats because of them having supported Amanda's integration into Tollaran society. Teal'c wound up restraining him and bringing him back to Earth where he was quickly put on trial and given a life sentence in a maximum security labor colony off world where he spent the rest of his days.
Daniel and Amanda's friendship was quickly rekindled after their reunion and Daniel quickly became an honorary Tollaran. Eventually he married Amanda's best friend Katrina Bowen and settled down in Corris near Amanda and Alan. Amanda's second daughter and Daniel's oldest son eventually married and the two couples stayed friends until death.
General Hammond also regained a closeness with Amanda. The two of them wrote to each other often and he was named an honorary grandfather to her children. Even after his untimely death 15 years later, Amanda and Alan always spoke highly of him and kept his wonderful memory alive.
Jacob Carter did thoughly grill Alan after finding out about the time loop and that during that time his daughter had married. After realizing that Amanda had choosen an amazing man to marry, he readily welcomed him into the family and seven years later left the Tok'ra to live with them and to spend time with his grandkids.
Teal'c too regained a closeness with Amanda even after he returned to his people and married Ishta. In fact, he and Ishta named their first borns, a set of identical twin girls, Samantha Gracelynn and Amanda Venna after her. They're friendship continued till the end of their lives.
Janet Fraiser never actually visited Tollara though she and Amanda did communicate with each other periodically. She kept up Amanda's Earth medical file with all of Amanda's medical history on Tollara and wound up writing several books that became standards in Tollaran medical learning.
Mark Carter, his wife and kids absolutely loved Amanda's life. They too eventually relocated to Tollara and spent many good years rebuilding the family bonds that they'd once had with Amanda and Jacob. On his death bed, Mark remarked that the time loop and its consequences were the best things that had ever happened to his family as he got his family back.
Cassandra Fraiser also eventually moved to Tollara and eventually married the Braygan Ambasador to the Nox and became a well known advocate of organic farming. She also did many public appearances with Amanda over the years. At Amanda's funeral 127 years later she remarked that 'she'd never known a more incredible woman in her life, both as Major Dr. Sam Carter and as the amazing Amanda Tapping' and that she was 'unbelievably lucky to have gotten to know both of them'.
The End!