I wanna laugh, until I cry
and wake up with you each day
until the day I die.
- Amanda Marshall, Marry Me


He knew that the sales clerk had had just about enough of him, wandering into the store, staring in the counters, making her pull out ring after ring after ring and never buying one before leaving only to come back and repeat the exact same ritual again a few days later.

He and Sam had discussed marriage briefly; he had asked for her opinion on the matter and she had shrugged simply replying that at this point, she could go either way. He couldn't say that he was surprised by her response, having lived through two failed engagements already. Though, had to admit that his life would be a lot simpler right now if she had just given him a yes or no answer.

He had started looking at the engagement rings, but had shifted down the counter to the promise rings before reminding himself that they were both far from 16 and didn't need a ring to remind them they were together. So, of course, that thought made him reconsider the engagement ring because, really, wasn't an engagement ring just a grown up promise ring?

Maybe he should just drop twenty-five cents into a gumball machine and score himself a plastic ring with a really tacky fake jewel in on it.

"Are you sure I can't help you with anything sir?" the clerk asked. Jack jerked his hands off of the glass counter and shoved them in his pockets as both he and the clerk looked at the greasy hand prints he'd left on the glass.

"I'm sure," he said, moving a little further down the counter again to look at the wedding band sets.

"Can I offer a piece of advice?"

"I'll take all the help I can get," he told her honestly.

"I'm sure she'll like anything you get her." That piece of advice Jack didn't need.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," he said, offering a fake smile as he went back to his browsing. As he moved slowly down the line of counters, he paused. This was a new display that hadn't been in the shop the last time he was in. He read the little plaque in the center proclaiming that the store would now appraise and buy antique jewelery. His eyes fluttered over the pocket watches, earrings and necklaces that were in the display case before his eyes fell on a small ring, tucked into a battered box in the corner of the display. "Can I see that one?" he asked, pointing to the ring.

He took the battered box form the clerk and plucked the ring from with in. It was a simple silver band, obviously well loved and worn for many years my someone. The diamond was nothing to write home about, but it shone brightly and caught the light in the store beautifully.

"A depression ring," the clerk told him. He looked at her and she explained that while the diamond was real, the quality of the silver was very poor, it was mostly other filler metals with just enough silver in it so that it wouldn't discolour. Apparently this was a common trick by jewelers during the 30's to stretch their precious metals.

"It's pretty," he commented.

"I suppose," she said with a shrug. "I prefer platinum my self." He turned the ring around in his hand a few more times before he tucked it back into the box and placed in on the counter.

"Wrap it up," was all he said as he slipped his hands back into his pockets.


"Remind me again why I wanted this job?" Sam moaned as she folded herself into his arms a few days later. Hank had been called away and that had left Carter, the base's second in command, in charge.

"Paper works fun, isn't?" he asked as he pulled her close and listened to her rant about the glories of running the SGC and how she expected the world to come to an end tomorrow because she had dared to fill out most of the forms with a fine tipped white board marker instead of a pen. "Well, if the world is going to end tomorrow, I better give you this now," he said, reaching into the pocket of his shirt and fishing out the battered little ring box. A puzzled look crossed her face as she took the box from his hands.

"Jack," was all she got out when she saw the ring.

"I was killing time in the mall the other day."

"Because you so regularly go and hang out at the mall," she said, a little sarcastically.

"I am a man of many pastimes," he assured her. "Anyway, I was killing time at the mall and it caught my eye, seemed like something you'd like."

"This is way to much for a just because present," she told him. The fact that her eyes hadn't left the ring wasn't lost on him. He didn't say anything as he plucked the box from her hands. She made a small noise of protest, but he ignored her as he slipped the ring out and slid it onto her left hand.

"Maybe it wasn't a just because present," he told her softly. She stared at her hand, not sure what to say. "Third times a charm?" he finally offered to break the silence.

"That's a cliche," she pointed out.

"I hope so." She finally looked away from the ring and met his eyes. A heavy silence hung in the room for a long moment. He understood her hesitation, her engagement track record wasn't all that stellar.

"You really want to try this?" He shrugged.

"Truth be told, I've been referring to you as my wife for a while now." She blinked at him as she absorbed what he had just told her.

"So we're trying this," she said. He could still hear the uncertainty in her voice, but he ignored it, pulling her in close for a kiss instead. Just as things were starting to get heated, he broke away from her.

"Hey, a new episode of The Simpsons!" he exclaimed as he fished around for the remote control to turn up the volume. Sam frowned a little at the abrupt end of a very delightful kiss, but she couldn't help but smile and snuggle down into his side. If he could be this casual about their engagement, he must be positive it's going to work out and, for whatever reason, that made her all the more confident that the third time really was going to be the charm.