Disclaimer: No, I don't think I own Stargate, but maybe in an alternate universe I do and perhaps that means that creators of Stargate in this universe should be putting up disclaimers.
(A/N: Okay this fic answers the question to how many Alternate realities there are where Jack and Sam end up together, completely AU. And if you have any ideas for other Realities please review and let me know what they are so I can post them.)
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Alternate Reality One
"Hey, Sam, how was work...With the doohikeys and, worm hole thingys, and all that techno stuff...?" Jack O'Neill asked, his face contorting in confusion with a half-hearted attempt to actually remember some of the scientific names of the technology his best friend worked with at the SGC.
He was not particularly cleared to hear about most of the stuff her job required, although he had been asked to come out of retirement by the Air force to help with the Stargate program originally, he had declined. But if the military had any worries about him leaking important information, then they obviously had had their brass on too long, no way in hell was any normal human going to believe what really went on in the secreted base tucked away atop the Cheyenne mountain.
Colonel Samantha Carter raised her eyebrows at his designated terms for most of the gear she worked with, "Please, Jack" she commented a bit humorously while accepting a beer from his outstretched hand, "Don't strain yourself with all those big words on my account"
He mock glared at her sarcastic tone after pulling his head out of the fridge and motioning toward the door of his quaint little cabin, "Watch it, Carter, if I had come out of retirement you could've been court marshaled for that remark"
Even though his tone was gruff and serious when he said this, Sam had long ago learned how to discern for her friend's sense of humor and replied to his statement by simply smiling and passing his gesturing arm out the door so that could sit on the porch of his humble home away from home.
They sat together on his porch swing watching the sunset in a lush, dramatic fashion of colorful radiance; she replied to his previous question, "Work was good. I managed to decipher those unusual energy signatures permeating the atmosphere on PN7-4W3, Daniel translated a new alien language we were unfamiliar with and so now he and Jonas have been locked in his office since we returned trying to read every scrap of writing we picked up on that planet. And Fay'Drom was just glad we got through one mission without having to shoot someone, be shot at, or engage in otherwise frivolous exchanges of gun fire"
Jack took a sip of beer and frowned, "But I thought Fay'Drom liked things that shoot other things". Fay'Drom was a Tok'ra who had joined the team after SG-1's first mission, the Tok'ra had thought it wise that there be someone to watch over the humans in instances concerning Jaffa who they were more than likely to run into while operating the Stargate.
"She does" Sam answered, "But only when the other things being shot at are not us"
Jack nodded in understanding and there was a lull in their conversation as they both turned they're full attention to the view before them and admired its simple brilliance.
After a while Jack turned to face her, letting one of his legs rest on the swing and his other dangle down to push off the porch and set the swing in a slight rocking motion, "So why are you here and not cooped up in the lab like you usually are?" he questioned, "Not that I'm complaining..."
Sam shrugged and met his quizzical expression, "General Frasier ordered me out, she said I was starved for rest and you were starved for my attention"
Jack feigned offense, "Tell Janet I am not starved for your attention" he replied indignantly, taking a swig of his beer to punctuate his sentence as he defiantly scowled while still at the same time managing to look cute and pouting like a child.
Sam grinned, "Three calls to the base in less than an hour, Jack?" she said, leaning forward to tousle his short dark gray hair simply because he knew she hated when he acted angry and childlike, and she knew he hated when she treated him that way.
He swatted her hand away with annoyance but looked at her innocently, "Well, someone has to give you and excuse to get you out of there, Sam. I keep telling you to get a social life, but you'd rather bury your nose in a physics journal than have dinner with another human being"
Sam had to laugh at that, "You're one to talk, you're practically married to your fishing pole"
"Awww, and what a fine pair we have made" he commented with a smile of his own.
Sam shook her head at the unbelievably isolated man in front of her who constantly tried to drag her away from work and lectured her about how she needed to get out more.
She thought back to the first time that they had met over eight years ago, sometimes she couldn't believe it had only been years when it felt like she had known him for decades. They both arrived in the briefing room at SGC for the very first time because apparently a young archeologist needed their help.
General Janet Frasier had not yet arrived and so Dr. Jonas Quinn thought they should get to informally know each other, although Jack had made it adamantly clear that he would not be staying for long, perhaps not even for this one mission, he still had not decided if he should come out of retirement yet. Still, Jonas insisted and then Major Carter snapped to a salute when Jack explained who he was.
Jack's incredulous gaze slowly made its way up from the oh so interesting table surface in front of him to the Major's standing form, "Hey, Carter is it? I ain't in the Air force anymore. Relax...now...that's an order?" he was slightly amused at her almost completely military behavior and was a bit rusty at responding to the usual attitude it entailed.
Sam visibly eased her tensed posture and said, "Sorry, Sir"
"Jack" O'Neill corrected, "And you are?"
"Sam" she replied, holding out her hand. They shook briefly before curiosity began to boil within the former Colonel and he soon had a variety of questions to ask the young and beautiful officer before him, "What kind of expertise are you bringing into this shindig exactly, Sam?"
"Knowledge of physics, engineering experience, and scientific expertise covering multiple subjects, Sir" she replied curtly. She noticed his cringe when she called him "sir" and quickly amended with, "I mean, Jack"
Just then General Frasier walked in and began the briefing, but the whole time Jack's attention was on the Major, who seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the whole Stargate thing where as he was utterly bored.
Janet finished the meeting by saying, "Jack, I know you probably are not going to even think twice before picking your desolate fishing hole over this mission, but would you at least consider being an on call member of this current organization? Your abilities may come in handy now and then"
And so over the course of the eight years, Samantha dedicating her entire life to the SGC, while Jack dedicated no more than three days every other month, the two became the most unlikely friends.
Sam smiled at the thoughts that now flooded her mind while she sat next to the man who was at least twenty years older than her but sometimes looked and acted like a man half his age. She was content being his friend for their companionship was comfortable and easy. She wouldn't trade it for all the scientific advancements in the universe.
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Alternate Reality Two
Samantha Carter nervously tugged at the red velvet shirt she was wearing which she considered to be too low cut in the neck for her to feel very comfortable in. The entire afternoon had been spent on an off world planet, appropriately named Victoria Thirteen for its refined and uniquely rustic although technologically advanced culture.
She and the rest of SG-1 had been invited to attend an honorary ceremony, which the Victorian people were hosting to celebrate the reign of their new king after the Stargate team had killed their previous ruler after finding him to be host to a Goa'uld and having oppressed the people of the planet in harsh dictatorship for an unbearably lengthy time.
The Victorians had requested they dress formally in elegant and tasteful clothing that would reflect the culture. Major Carter had wanted to wear her ceremonial military uniform, but Cassandra Frasier, the resident planetary cultural expert and archeologist for the SG-1 team, had insisted that it was not elegant enough and might offend the Victorians.
So Cassandra wrangled her boyfriend Daniel Jackson, who also happened to be Sam's best friend and favorite SGC doctor, into picking out her outfit for her because she knew Sam could never resist his decisions no matter how much she hated or disagreed with them. He would just flash her a sweetly shy pout that made her cave every time.
So now she was feeling absolutely ridiculous standing beside her CO, Colonel Makepeace, in a satin and lace outfit that looked like something out of Medieval story books, pretending not to be jealous that her long term crush, free lance pilot Jack O'Neill, was flirting with every girl in sight.
Of course he was drunk, no surprise there. Sam and Daniel had both warned him to stay away from the thick, molasses tasting, brown and black Victorian beverages that resembled melted chocolate. They had a dangerously high amount of synthesized chemicals in them, which were strongly similar to alcohol and dangerous to the human immune system.
She wished she would stop wasting her breath though, anything that Daniel or Cassie or she had ever tried to explain to him concerning his health normally fell on deaf ears. Jack O'Neill was a fairly intelligent guy, but for every burst of genius he had, stupidity would almost certainly follow in its wake.
Sometimes Sam wondered why they even kept O'Neill around. He was really just a pilot and there was never much call for those types of talents where the SGC was concerned. But then she would have to reluctantly admit to herself that he was also an excellent engineer, although you never would have guessed if you hadn't seen him repair some technical gizmos with your own eyes. And unfortunately for her there was a need for engineers at the SGC.
Carter let her thoughts drift when she noticed that yet again Jack was practically drooling over some young woman half his age. She did not want to think on that right at the moment. Her feelings for Jack had been a long time brewing and she knew his feelings for her because of those randomly rare and all too often opportune occasions when they had both been forced to openly admit there emotions towards each other because of some circumstance or another.
Jack had once been forced to tell her that he loved her because they had been submitted to a form of alien lie detector test set up by the Asguard that was supposed to determine your level of integrity when it came to certain aspects of the SGC and other world planets they came into contact with. One of the factors for determining this just happened to be how you felt about some of the people you worked with.
Afterwards, Jack had cornered Sam and told her that he meant what he said, but he did not think it would be a good idea to act on his feelings because it might jeopardize the team if they pursued a relationship. Carter had known that from the beginning.
Even though O'Neill was not a military man and it would not be against regulations if they were to be involved, the SGC still came first and it wouldn't be the best scenario in combat if the two most respected people on the SG-1 were to put each other above the safety of the entire team.
Sam sighed and turned away from the scene before her. Colonel Makepeace glanced worriedly at his second in command, noticing her depressive behavior, "Carter, you know everyone trusts you enough not to put Jack over your job obligations" he offered, "The Asguard machine determined that even with your feelings for him and vise versa, you two would always make sure to keep them at bay when necessary"
Sam nodded, "Yes, Sir" she replied detachedly.
The Colonel frowned at her absent response. His eyes fell on Jack across the ballroom floor; the engineer had himself surrounded by doting women. An idea suddenly struck Makepeace and he smiled to himself.
"You know" he added, turning to face the Major, "You getting together with Jack would actually benefit the team. Daniel and Cassandra would quit stressing themselves trying to get you two together, you would have way fewer fights and would work together more efficiently, that would make General Hammond happy. And have you ever noticed how Jack only drinks when you guys are mad at each other, but he can be sober for weeks if you're on good terms? That would be certainly beneficial..." he trailed off in order to gage her reaction to his out speaking.
Carter looked over at Jack once more, only he was no longer on the other side of the room being the life of the party.
"You know, I think the Colonel has a point"
Sam heard the all too familiar voice behind her, and she turned to see Jack standing there with a grin on his face and wearing ripped jeans and a leather jacket and his signature baseball cap. At the moment she envied him being able to deny orders and not having to dress formal. It made her all the more self-conscious about what she was wearing and what he had just overheard Makepeace say.
Carter looked over her shoulder only to find that her CO had gone MIA on her and she was stuck with Jack.
"Don't worry, Sammie," he said delightfully, indulging in her embarrassment and putting an arm around her shoulders, "Everyone knows I love you", he planted a quick kiss on her forehead.
"You're drunk," she mumbled although he did not sound drunk, still she was unaffected by his good cheer and charm, trying to pull out of his grip. He held tighter and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I'll let you in on a secret," he said with a gleeful tone, "I actually do take your advice, all of it all the time, I can't help it. I'm not drunk, Sammie" he beamed at her.
Sam groaned inwardly, the one time she needed the man to be stoned so he wouldn't remember anything that her CO had said, was the one time he decides to inform her that he actually listens to her.
"I've been thinking," he said, guiding her over to a secluded area of the room where they were hidden for the most part from any interested on lookers, "I think that it's more distracting to not be with you than if we were to have a relationship..." he took his arm away from her shoulders and stood face to face with her, taking her hands in his, "Will you go steady with me?" he said in the cutest tone, like he was a school boy asking his crush out for the first time.
Sam smiled, and then laughed lightly at his shy expression, "I suppose..." she said, and his instantly swept her up in a passionate kiss that would have been the envy of every girl in the room had they been paying attention.
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Alternate Reality Three
Daniel Jackson muttered curses under his breath. It had become part of his morning ritual after entering the SGC base and first making a stop in Carter's favorite lab, only to find that most of the time she wasn't there now. And why would she be? For the past six months she had been married to General Jack O'Neill and now had an excuse to not stay after shift or come in extremely early to squeeze in extra overtime while working on science projects she just couldn't seem to tear herself away from.
Daniel despised the fact his favorite Doctor was no longer his. Not that she ever truly was. But he missed her awfully, and his unrequited love churned in horrible agony within him. He remembered the good old days, when the only thing between Jack and Sam was their constant fighting. Almost the entire first two years that the SG-1 had been together, almost every mission had resulted in arguments between the Colonel and Dr. Carter about how things should've been handled.
Their bickering had practically driven her seek companionship from Daniel and Teal'c, and her and Daniel had become fast friends and excellent lab partners. They had so much intelligence in common that it was almost frightening for everyone on the base when they both began brainstorming together.
Airmen would literally rush away from them when they were walking down the halls together, chatting animatedly about some scientific discovery or another, and Colonel O'Neill was along with Teal'c on most occasions, was certainly nowhere to be found when Edison and Franklin (as they were referred to most of the time) started a conversation.
Daniel could not stop himself from falling instantly in love with the woman, her genius was something to be admired and recognized. It became routine for them to work together through nights when they were supposed to have gone home, and in the early hours of the morning hurriedly rushing back to the lab to continue their research. And if one of them had a burst of inspiration at home, it did not matter what time it was, they would immediately call the other one up and the two would sneak into the lab to test the idea.
In the mean time, Jack and Teal'c formed a pretty close friendship of their own, and soon the SG-1 was split down the middle. Yet even with this drastic division, they had still managed to become the best and most respected team on base, and had also maintained this reputation despite the usually arguments the proceeded a mission.
Around four years into the team's Stargate travels, General Hammond had finally decided he'd had enough. He gave the team an ultimatum, either they find a way to get along, or they never set foot on another off world planet again.
It was medical doctor Janet Frasier who came up with a solution after hearing of their predicament: Sam and Jack would both spend one month handcuffed together, same with Daniel and Teal'c.
"It is a bit old school" Janet explained, "But it still seems to work in most cases, and the psychological benefits are a lot of the time positive to the individuals"
The entire team protested so strongly that Hammond almost refused Frasier's idea, but then Jack said something while begging to not have to take part in this that set Sam off, and the two began fighting once again. The General ordered that the experiment take place.
That sealed their fates. The first three days the members of the SG-1 made the entire base a living hell. So Hammond ordered them off the mountain, each separately handcuffed couple being assigned a guard to make sure they did not try to try to take of their bonds. But Janet had forgotten the extraordinary friendship that had formed between Sam and Daniel, and the two having been so close nearly suffered from withdrawal of on another. For the rest of the first week, Sam and him spent hours on the phone, talking constantly. It annoyed both Teal'c and Jack so much that they each got rid of any form of contact the two might use to stay in touch with each other. Jack had even gone so far as to rip his own phone out of the wall and ask their guard to shoot it for him.
So for the rest of the month the geniuses were forced to actually interact with the people they were chained to.
Daniel found out latter that it had been easier for him than it was for her. But she explained that eventually they had gotten past the issues they had with one another's faults and began to find that they actually both admired all the good qualities about one another much more than they hated the bad ones.
It was all down hill from there as far as Daniel viewed it. That very same evening that they had gotten the handcuffs removed, Colonel O'Neill walks into the lab where Sam and Daniel had resumed working effortlessly in, and he began to fuss with all the gadgets that he found odd and alien.
Sam laughed at his antics while Daniel watched on helplessly from a corner of the room where he was generally being ignored. Suddenly it became a habit for the Colonel to drop by the lab when he realized Sam was working too hard, and force her out.
The dynamic Edison/Franklin duo soon just became Franklin. Their interaction had toned down to a more normal level, and they were not seen together as often. This freed Daniel's attention to become better friends with Teal'c, who quickly caught on to his more than friendly affection for Dr. Carter, and suggested he make his move.
But when he had finally worked up the courage to do that, Sam and Jack decided to start dating. And eight years after they had met, the two were wearing wedding rings and living a comfortable existence together.
And here he was without the love of his life, bitter and envious and wishing that time travel was not such a random occurrence.
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(A/N: Want me to continue, want to see certain events happen in other alternate realities? Review and give me your ideas for Jack/Sam AU and I'll see what I can do)