Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of its characters.
Present and Future
Chapter 1
Sam walked into the restaurant to meet her husband, she found him sitting at the table. She stopped and watched him for a moment, she loved Joe that was why she had married him. Sometimes though she found herself wishing he was somebody else, she knew she shouldn't and she hated herself for it but she couldn't help it.
She shook the thoughts from her head and walked over to that table and greeted her husband.
"Hun, I am so sorry"
"It's alright" Joe said putting down his newspaper.
"No if you were this late…" Sam said trying to continue with her apology anyway.
"I know how busy you are, don't worry about it okay. Besides it's a beautiful day to wait…and wait" Joe told her smiling.
"Have you eaten?"
"Yeah I'm sorry honey I had to I'm scheduled to be off world at 13:30" Joe said as he turned around to silently ask the waitress behind him for the bill. The news Sam received just before she had come to the restaurant came crashing down on her again as she realised she would have to tell him. "What?" Joe asked noticing the sad look that had appeared on her face"
"I just found out" She told him
"I thought for sure this time" he said knowing straight away what she was referring to.
The waitress broke the moment as she arrived at the table and Joe quickly paid for his meal before the woman walked away again.
"They said it isn't either one of us, we just have to keep trying" Sam said.
"Not that I mind trying" he joked trying to lighten the mood a little "I just…thought we'd be working on our second child by now"
"Me too"
Joe sighed and glanced down at his watch before looking back at her "Walk me to the terminal?"
Sam nodded and they both stood up and walked out of the restaurant and to the transport station outside. Joe activated the station and Sam felt the familiar feel of the transporter. The next thing she knew she and Joe were standing outside the terminal and he put his arm around her as they walked into the terminal together.
"Maybe we should get a second opinion" Joe suggested.
"The Aschen are hundreds of years more advanced in medicine then we are" Sam told him dismissing the idea and they both continued to walk in silence.
"So how long will you be gone?" she asked to break the silence.
"Ah well, I have to visit that new embassy on the southern continent… I have to tour the nine planets…"
"You're kidding"
"Of course I'm kidding" Joe said smiling in amusement and Sam couldn't help but return the smile "Think I'd miss your anniversary ceremony tomorrow?"
"No, it's no big deal"
"Right, it's no big deal" Joe said smiling. He stopped walking and turned to look at her, brushing the side of her face with his hand. "If it wasn't for you, we'd never have met the Aschen. I'll be back tonight okay?"
Joe kissed her as the announcement for outbound travellers to go to the departure area was heard over the speakers.
"Bye" Joe said as he kissed her again.
"Bye"
Sam watched as Joe stepped on to the escalator heading down toward the stargate. He looked back at her briefly before he was out of sight and Sam turned to leave. Now that the Aschen had destroyed the Goa'uld and entered an alliance with earth the stargate was public knowledge. SG1 who had found the Aschen whilst on a mission through the gate ten years ago were hailed as heroes. The Aschen had changed life on earth in an immeasurable way. There were no more wars, no disease or poverty, the Aschen had even produced a vaccine which doubled the human life span. Sam sometimes missed the old days when she was a part of Sg1 but life had changed for the better.
She walked out of the terminal and headed back to the lab she worked at with Mollem. Mollem was an Aschen scientist and Sam often felt a little stupid working with people with such an advanced scientific knowledge but she loved her job all the same.
Janet stared at the invitation in her hand as she had done a dozen times since it had arrived. The ceremony was tomorrow and she still wasn't sure she wanted to go to it. If it wasn't for the fact that the ceremony commemorated Sg1 she wouldn't even consider going. She just didn't believe in this alliance anymore, she was pretty much obsolete now. She never practiced medicine even if she did have an office here in Washington. The Aschen were so far advanced medically that Janet never had anything to do anymore.
It wasn't just that the alliance with the Aschen had made her useless, there was something about the Aschen that she didn't trust. She wasn't sure what it was but over the last couple of years she had started to agree with Jack. He had never trusted the Aschen and when they first met them ten years ago he had tried t warn everyone. They had just ignored him, they had all been so completely taken in by the Aschen and all that they were offering that they hadn't even paused to consider the possibility that Jack was right. She was no exception, when they had first allied themselves with the Aschen she had been as excited and enthralled as the rest of them.
"Janet?" Daniel said as he opened the door to their bedroom and walked in. Her marriage to Daniel was still pretty new but they had been together for almost five years now. She hadn't told Daniel about her feelings over the Aschen or about her not being sure she would go to the ceremony, in fact she hadn't told anyone.
"What are you doing up here?" he asked as he sat on the bed next to her.
"Just thinking"
"About what?"
"Lot's of things, back when we were still working at the SGC"
"Everything's changed a lot since then"
"Do you ever miss it?" she asked.
"Sometimes" Daniel said as he kissed her neck and Janet turned to him and kissed him passionately. Daniel responded fiercely and Janet forgot all about the Aschen, the ceremony and her doubts.
Teal'c stood at the front of the audience who had gathered for the ceremony commemorating not only the alliance with the Aschen but SG1s part in it. He watched as the large screen that had appeared above the stargate revealed an image of President Kinsey.
"My fellow Americans" Kinsey said as he began his speech "Ten years ago, this very day…a team codenamed SG1, then working in secret, came upon an alien race, the Aschen. With that introduction, I was able to forge the greatest alliance this country, indeed, this world has ever known.
I read now from Colonel Jack O'Neills mission report of that first contact. 'These folks sound too good to be true, willing to share their science and technology. Friendly, smarter than we are and on things for sure the Goa'uld are coming. The Aschen could save our asses.' Well guess what Jack, they did.
Jack O'Neill could not be here today, but those candid words, hurriedly scratched down in a mission report ten years ago, were prescient. Membership in the Aschen Confederation guarantees the security, the health and the future of every human being on God's earth"
There was applause all around the terminal as the President finished his speech. "Dr Samantha Carter, Dr Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, would you please step forward?" Teal'c did as asked and he Daniel and Sam walked partway up the steps leading to the stargate and turned to face the audience.
"Though our nation's business has kept me from being with you in person, nonetheless I want to tank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have done for me and for our country. God bless you all" the President finished as Teal'c, Sam and Daniel all received their medals. The air force officers stood behind them at the top of the stairs all fired their rifles into the air three times in a gesture of respect.
Daniel stood with Janet, Teal'c Sam and Joe after the ceremony as they all toasted to General Hammond.
"I miss him, especially today"
"How long has it been anyway?" Daniel asked.
"It has been six years" Teal'c replied, his usually stoic voice showing the slightest hint of emotion.
"Which reminds me" Daniel said "What was Jack's excuse? I expected to see him here"
"O'Neill has made his feelings very clear concerning the Aschen alliance"
"Well, he could have come to see us" Daniel responded, Jack's lack of interest in keeping in contact with his friends always struck a nerve with him.
"I almost didn't come myself" Janet said
"What?" Daniel said turning to look at her in surprise.
"Well it's easier for you Daniel. Your job wasn't made obsolete. And if I" Janet started to explain but stopped herself when she saw Mollem approaching "Mollem"
"Forgive me for interrupting" Mollem said as he walked up behind Sam and Joe "Ambassador the Aschen delegation is eager to hear about your visit to our South Continent"
Yeah, it'd be my pleasure" Joe said and Mollem walked away as Joe turned to Sam "Well I think we can safely assume I'll be late"
He quickly kissed her before turning to the rest of the group "Doctors, Teal'c, congratulations again"
"So" Sam said as he husband walked away to join the Aschen delegation "Where are we going?"
"I had planned to return to Chulak"
Sam looked a Teal'c shocked "Oh come on Teal'c, we haven't seen each other in ages. Please"
"Very well" Teal'c replied smiling.
"Dinner?" Daniel suggested.
"Sounds great"
"I'll see you soon" Janet said as Daniel turned to her and kissed her cheek gently.
"Alright" Daniel replied as he turned and left.
"So what was that?" Sam asked Janet as the two of them walked through the terminal.
"What was what?" Janet asked innocently but with a tone of voice that told Sam she knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Going on again about being obsolete"
"Think about it Sam. We've all taken the anti-ageing vaccine and anti-cancer vaccines and now the Aschen have these medical machines that can reverse tissue damage and mend broken bones. I mean, where does that leave me?"
"I guess when you put it that way, I know what you mean" Sam responded "Half the time their science is so far over my head, I feel like a lab assistant"
"Ah, but you have something to do" Janet said giving Sam a half amused, half 'I win this one' expression.
"Yeah" Sam said in acceptance.
"Ok, enough of that" Janet said changing the subject. "Tell me, by any chance are you and Joe…"
Sam shook her head "Not yet. They say it isn't either one of us. We just have to keep trying"
"You know they still let me keep an office in Washington, even though I have nothing to do. So I'd be more than happy to give you a check up"
"No they said I was fine, really"
"Sam, the medicine I practice must seem like the Dark Ages now, but I was your doctor for a long time. How long have you been trying?"
"Almost three years"
"Yes" Janet said meaningfully.
"When can we do this?" Sam asked deciding that Joe might have been right about a second opinion and there was no one she trusted more to give her that, or a first opinion for that matter than Janet.
"We can do it now"
"Okay"
Janet looked at her test results in dismay, this was always the part of being a doctor that she hated. How was she supposed to explain this to her best friend? She sighed and walked out of the lab and back up to her office. Sam was sitting exactly where she had left her looking nervous as hell and Janet did her best to keep a neutral face.
"Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I just wanted to double-check my results" Janet said as she sat down at her desk opposite Sam.
"And I'm fine right?" Sam asked her voice was a mixture of hope and nervousness.
"Sam, I don't know how you're Ashen doctor could have missed it and frankly, I just don't think it's possible they could have" Janet explained.
Sam closed her eyes and shook her head slightly "What?" she asked as she opened her eyes again.
"You can't have children"
"They said everything was normal" Sam said trying not to accept what Janet was telling her.
"In every other way it is" Janet said sympathetically.
"Then this is a mistake"
"Here, let me show you the scan" Janet turned the computer screen around so that Sam could see it. As Sam took it in what she was seeing on the screen she was barely able to hold back the tears.
"There's no room for interpretation, clearly your ovaries are damaged"
"Why?" Sam asked
"I don't know. I don't now what may have caused it or when it might have happened but obviously it was from some time…"
"No" Sam said angrily "I wanna know why the Aschen doctors looked me in the eye and told me that I was okay. Why did they lie to me?"
"I don't know, but I'm willing to help you find out"
"We can look in the Aschen computers, if I can get Mollem to give me access to the Aschen computer core, we can find out"
"Would Mollem do that?"
"If he thinks I'm doing something for the project then I think I can convince him to give me access"
"Let's go then"
TBC
Authors note: So what did you think? I know it's not hugely different from the episode so far but I'm just getting started. Reviews are always a good way to get me to write faster.